The Parish of Aghavea Aughintaine will launch a Parish Draw this Sunday to help raise funds for refurbishment and maintenance works in the parish.

From July 4, those interested can enter the draw with the top prizes having an agricultural theme.

A restored TVO MF tractor is prize number one with the second prize being a Limousine cow and calf.

As Fr. Brendan Gallagher explains there is a bit of a bonus with one of the prizes: “The second prize is a limousine heifer and calf. Originally it was meant to be a limousine cow but she gave birth in the past few weeks so that is an additional bonus.”

Aghavea Augintaine Parish takes in Brookeborough, Cooneen and Fivemiletown and there were plans last year to do some fundraising but due to Covid-19, this was put on hold.

“Over the past three or fours years we have been doing some major refurbishment work and maintenance on our churches and our graveyard just to maintain things,” explained Fr. Gallagher.

“The plan last year was to do some fundraising events but that all came to a standstill and we are now back up and running again and we are launching a draw on Sunday, July 4.

“We have a maintenance committee who was overseeing all of that work and then we established a fundraising committee to try and get in some funds to try and cover all those expenses.”

While the money raised will go to work across the entire parish, planned major refurbishment work to St. Mary’s Church in Fivemiletown is expected to cost up to £750,000.

Funding

The parish has received £250,000 in funding for this refurbishment as it is a listed building.

All prizes donated to the draw are from parishioners and Fr. Gallagher is grateful for this and the continued donations from the congregation which have been coming into the parish even throughout lockdown.

“We have had this special fundraising envelope for the past two and half years, a monthly donation. Parishioners have been very generous and even during Covid times, they have been leaving their donations in whatever way they could. That has been a continuous positive thing with everything happening and really is the backbone of the fundraising effort.”

To coincide with the draw, which goes live from 2pm on Sunday at Brookeborough GAA Complex, a tractor run will also take place with registration from 12.30pm.