'The Importance of Being Haunted' event in Rostrevor brings together the community and raises £600 for charity
Crotlieve Independent Councillor Mark Gibbons has spoken of his experience at 'The Importance of Being Haunted' at Pawfect Paws Dog Cafe in Rostrevor, praising the local community for coming together to make it a special night.
The event, which was Halloween-themed and brought 'haunting stories to life' raised £600 for the NI Children’s Hospice.
“The Importance of Being Haunted turned into an evening I’ll remember for a very long time,” he said.
“Stories, laughter, a few chills and £600 raised on the night for NI Children’s Hospice.
“A huge thank you to Zoey, Ryan and Martina at Pawfect Paws, Rostrevor, for making the café look and feel so fantastic. Your attention to detail and wonderfully spooky touches created the perfect setting for our night of storytelling.
“Thank you to Ann-Marie Fearon of Sound Functions for kindly donating the use of the speakers and microphone, and to the simply brilliant Sarah Campbell for an excellent and truly chilling re-enactment. Sarah certainly knew how to bring a haunting story to life.
“Another big shout out also to Rostrevor Men’s Shed for the extra chairs. Came in very handy.
“Most importantly, thank you to everyone who came along. Your warmth, generosity and willingness to share made the evening what it was.
“It was an honour to hear the haunting stories from the audience, and I’m grateful you trusted me with those personal memories and experiences.
“This was what I’d hoped for, people coming together, putting their phones aside and discovering how much we have to share when we take the time to listen.
“Raising £600 for such an important cause made it all the more special.
“We might be all just ghosts in the making, but we made a few great memories together. And instead of doom scrolling through our phones at home, we scrolled through the haunting joys of Irish storytelling together.
“Thank you for being part of it.”