Club Éirne chairman Ger Treacy says there is ‘a lot of work to do’ as the countdown begins for a new ‘Early Bird’ prize as part of the ‘Win a House in Fermanagh’ competition.
In just over three months, one lucky person will win a four-bedroom detached house at Drumgarrow Village, worth nearly £300,000, on the edge of Enniskillen.
At the time of going to press, 2,448 tickets have been sold, an increase of almost 250 in a week. It is, however, just 20 per cent of Fermanagh’s target.
The fundraiser is aimed to cover the cost of their redevelopment at Lissan, Fermanagh GAA’s training facilities. It is estimated that the development will cost in the region of £2.5 million.
The Club Éirne chairman is urging Fermanagh Gaels to enter the mega draw.
“The clubs are playing an important role and without the clubs selling 300 tickets each, which will give us 6000 sales, this draw probably won’t be the success we want and need it to be,” said Treacy. “While the majority of clubs have done great work, a lot of work still has to be done.”
For every ticket sold by a club member, 25 percent will go back into their clubs. So, £25 from every £100 ticket sale will return to the seller’s club.
Club Éirne are also calling on Fermanagh ex-pats further afield to help with the fundraising campaign.
“We have a lot of work going on with our colleagues in America,” explained Treacy.
“This week we also hope to get a group set up in Belfast, Dublin, London and further afield to drive forward the promote of sales.”
Anyone in those areas that are willing to help with the selling of tickets should either contact Ger Treacy or Sean Burns.
As an added incentive, Club Éirne have been running a number of ‘Early Bird’ prizes.
Irvinestown’s Nicola Hanna was the most recent winner of 500 litres of home heating oil from McHugh Fuels. Her winning ticket was number 999.
Previous prizes have included a three-night break for two at the five-star Lough Erne Resort and a Christmas entertainment bundle from Reilly’s of Enniskillen.
The next prize, which is set to be drawn on February 2, is tickets for the All-Ireland Football and Hurling Finals for 2023 and 2024.
“This is a wonderful prize,” said the Club Éirne chairman, “there is a huge scramble for All-Ireland Final tickets and one lucky winner will have secured two tickets for not only 2023, but 2024 as well.
“While the ‘Early Bird’ prizes are fantastic, the key thing to remember is that you are in with a chance to win a house worth £300,000.”
Club Éirne has recently updated their website. There is now an option where people can purchase tickets for the draw, paid over three installments, of £33 per month in January, February and March.
Tickets are available from clubs and can also be purchased online at www.winahouseinfermanagh.com.