By Jonathan Burns
Jungle fever has hit Castlewellan following the launch of Castlewellan GAC’s I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here-themed fundraising event.
The 24 contestants taking part in the club’s ‘Jungle Fundraiser’ were announced in the clubrooms on Friday night, ahead of the event which will take place at the Slieve Donard Hotel on 16 May.
The live stage show will feature Castlewellan locals taking on a series of ‘bushtucker trials’ based on the popular ITV show, including exotic eating challenges and sharing a coffin with a 20-foot python. Tarantulas, rats, scorpions, cockroaches and geckos will feature and, in true I’m a Celeb fashion, a King or Queen of the Jungle will be crowned at the end of the night.
Initially, 102 people came forward to take part, but that has now been whittled down to 24 brave volunteers who can now ‘look forward’ to the full jungle experience. The contestants will split into small groups to run smaller fundraisers including CrossFit events, a charity cycle, a Bingo Loco night, a Slieve Donard climb, a ball-pit race and a Mr and Mrs competition in the lead-up to the big night in May.
Those taking part include St Malachy’s Primary School vice-principal Cormac McCabe and former Down players Damien McGrady and Rory ‘Bubba’ Burns.
The night will be hosted by Empower Events, who run stage shows based on popular TV series like ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ and ‘Squid Game’, and there will be a full edited video released after the show, complete with backstage contestant interviews.
The idea is the brainchild of Castlewellan GAC fundraising sub-committee member Chris Anderson. “It’s an idea I had off the back of watching the show and it’s been in the making for quite a while now,” Chris said. “It was then about finding a company that would make it possible and working out how we incorporate all our members, including the kids. This is as realistic as it gets without actually having to go to Australia,” he added.
Chris is planning the event alongside fellow fundraising sub-committee members Andrea Keenan, Clare Dougherty, Aine McDowell, Cillian Keaveney, Kevin Owens, Brian McAlinden and Paul Hanna. All proceeds raised will go towards essential maintenance costs and the redevelopment of the Castlewellan GAC clubhouse.
The event, which is being sponsored by The Hatch, Newcastle and Hillyard House Hotel, is the Castlewellan club’s way of coming “back with a bang” when it comes to major fundraisers.
“Castlewellan has always been at the forefront of innovation with our fundraisers – we ran the Strictly Come Dancing fundraisers before anybody else, we ran the X-Factor fundraisers before anybody else, we ran the Lip Sync Battles before other clubs were running them. But we’ve let that fall by the wayside over the past number of years and we wanted to come back with a bang. So it was a case of thinking outside the box: what can we do to show the Town are back when it comes to fundraising,” ex-player Chris added.
Tickets for the Jungle Fundraiser will be on sale in mid-March and can be purchased via the Castlewellan GAC app, in the clubrooms and at local shops.
Full contestant list: ‘Chicker’ McDonald, Ciara Stratton, Damien McGrady, Damien Sloan, Daniel Steele, Daryl McAleenan, Fra McKinney, Kathleen McLaughlin, Kelly Duffin, Kevin Duffin, Lorcan Cairns, Marty McClean, Michael McKibbin, Rory ‘Bubba’ Burns, Ryan Owens, Sean McVeigh, Declan Fitzpatrick, Piaras Fitzpatrick, Aisling Burns, Cathy Stratton, Micky Keown, Elly Rice, Cormac McCabe and Catherine Burns.
GAC’s ‘Jungle Fundraiser’ on Friday night.
