In 2004, when my father finally lost his fifteen year battle with cancer, I decided to fundraise for various different cancer charities. In the first year I raised over £6000 for McMillan Cancer Care.

In 2016, this total moved into six figures with a variety of charities becoming beneficiaries.

More recently, the NI Children's Hospice have benefitted regularly from the fundraising and physical effort shown on the football pitch by the aging athletes of Belfast in the annual festive Dessie Armstrong Charity Cup and the regular charity fundraising formal events that have been staged at the Europa Hotel in Belfast.

After 20 years of fundraising, I have decided to call it a day and 2024 will be the last year that I will be asking for your support. To date, the fund raising total stands at £167,339.46 which is a remarkable sum and a credit to your generous selves. Many of you have bought tickets to attend the final Dessie Armstrong Charity Formal at the Europa on the 30th November. On that evening, the fundraising total will be added to but if you are unable to attend, you can still donate and help us raise a little bit more.

So, this is the final time that I will ask you to give what you can for those less fortunate than ourselves and support the sterling work of the NI Children's Hospice.

I look forward to seeing all of you in the future and you can relax in the knowledge that I will not be pursuing you for any more donations, unless we meet in the Parador!

Thank you,

Henry (Harry) Armstrong