Croziers sets the bar for fundraising

CONTINUING on with the charitable legacy left behind by the altruistic woman who ran the pub for over four decades, Jean Croziers Bar in Newry has successfully fundraised £4000 for donation to Air Ambulance NI.

The charity, which in partnership with the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service, provides Helicopter Emergency Medical Service throughout the North.

The expert personal at the services disposal attend patients who are seriously ill or injured, bringing emergency pre-hospital care direct to the casualty wherever they may be on a seven days a week, 12 hours per day basis , with the £4000 raised by Jean Croziers assured to play its part in ensuring that (AANI) can continue to administer its exemplary level of service delivery to anyone and everyone who may need of emergency medical assistance.

According to Pauline Moore, who is the beloved daughter of the bars admired namesake and former owner Jean Crozier, it has been the continuation of a charitable tradition the bar has had since the mid-1970’s that has enabled both her family and the pubs many generous patrons to raise this enviable amount for the charity.

Chartiy Pole

“The Bar was bought by my grandparents in 1942. My father Edward died of cancer in 1976 so my mother Jean decided to raise some money for the Action for Cancer charity. There was a blue pole in the centre of the bar so my mother had the idea of putting two pence pieces around it. It started from a joke someone said one night that if people come in and give 2ps they will start to build it up around the pole.

“Nowadays some people just want to come in and see it and others want to come in too put the money on it. It has become a real point of attention in the bar, especially for strangers. From this first fundraiser in 1976 they raised £150.00. This was done again in 1977, and then again in 1978. The pole in the bar was brown then but it is blue now. We have been raising funds for charities since then, not every year though, it would have been on and off.

“When my mother Jean died in 2015 we decided to do it again in memory of her. My mum was the most generous person I ever knew. She never went out she just ran her business and was very good to us as a family and in giving to local charities, she gave to everyone.

“So we started to put 20ps around the pole in 2015 and we raised £1500. Sometimes whenever the coins reach the top of the pole we would leave it a week or two and then start again.

“From this we have raised funds for Chest Heart and Stroke and The Kevin Bell Repatriation Fund.

“We decided to hold a big one for this year in aid of Air Ambulance Northern Ireland by taping 50ps around the pole. We have had people donating 50ps and they have been taped around the pole and built around the pole. People were coming in and telling us they have never seen a steel pole all nicely shaped such as this.”

The help that will be provided to Air Ambulance NI in carrying out their admirable work by the £4000 raised by Jean Croziers Bar is not lost on Amy Henshaw, Area Fundraising Manager for the charity who stated that on average their team respond to at least two patients a day with the money helping “some of the sickest people for whom the worse has happened.”

“Thank you so much to Jean Croziers in Newry for supporting their local air ambulance with their recent fundraiser. On average the medical team attend to two patients a day and this wonderful donation of £4000 will go towards supporting some of the sickest people for whom the worse has happened.

“We wish the family all the best for the future and would like to sincerely thank them and their customers for their amazing generosity.”