W.E. Irish St. Patrick’s Parade & Fleadh Cheoil needs your help!
The festival and parade is one of the last existing Free independently run festivals left in the UK and is put on for the people of Bristol and the Southwest.
The event is not funded by big business and has always been free to attend.
It attracts over 10,000 visitors to enjoy Irish culture, sport, food, comedy, film, history, dance and music for free from many local acts and across multiple Bristol locations, and includes free children’s activities, and celebrates local community groups.
We:
- Believe in the transformative power of celebrating Irish culture to heal, to enlighten and to foster unity...
- Embrace the life-affirming changes we create within and beyond our community...
- Evolve society’s views towards Irish culture, Irish people, those of Irish descent and their contribution to the region and the UK...
- Honour all who came before us and whose sacrifices made it possible for us to flourish and thrive within the region.
Our Aims:
- Culture Fest
We hosts a festival that includes a parade, Fringe events, and a program of talks. The festival aims to bring together the Irish community in the West of England and to share the experiences of Irish immigrants.
- Promote diversity
We aim to promote diversity in Bristol and to make people aware of the contributions of Irish people to the region.
- Share learnings
We aim to share learnings from the stories of Irish immigrants to benefit those who are arriving in the city today.
In our region, Irish citizens and their descendants have contributed to all areas of life; working in the private and state sector, as entrepreneurs, in sport and, especially, in hospitality. The festival will provide an opportunity to those Irish who have served the City and the region, to share their culture with pride. The St Patrick’s Day Parade has been going for over 30 years - but like many other events in the current economic climate, the festival and parade is struggling financially and is unable to carry on in its present form without additional funding.
The Parade and Festival is organised by a "not for profit" community interest company totally run by volunteers to give everyone in Bristol and the South West of England, no matter what walk of life they come from, a fantastic free day out celebrating Irish culture and building stronger community bonds, and it just shows what can happen when a community comes together with a shared passion to create something so special and unique.
The St Patrick’s Day Parade has established itself as one of the city's most loved days on the Calendar. With our funding coming from donations, sponsorship and grants we find we are not receiving consistent funding. We cannot increase the costs of the ticketed afterparty at the same rate as the cost of living increases that the current crisis situation has created. For the last two years, the Parade and Festival have cost considerably more to run than the income it has received - and can not carry on without your help!
How we'll spend the money raised
Fund the St Patrick’s Day Parade, Fleadh Cheoil & Culture Fest.
Support for our education programme
Running community based workshops with opportunities to share stories about the Irish diaspora.
Help with paying local artists, performers, dance schools, and crafts people
Promotion and marketing for the event
Funding for health and safety and infrastructure for security, road closures, and making the parade safe for the public.
If everyone in Bristol and surrounding area who has been to the Parade and loved it were able to make a donation no matter how small, we could secure the future of this wonderful event for another year. We would really appreciate your support in this endeavour.
Community impact
During the culture fest there will be a fringe festival with local dancing schools, musicians, a comedy craic house, an irish film festival, and a programme of talks on contemporary Irish history and shared experience with black and ethnic minorities. There are sporting events from our local GAA teams, and food events. We aim to benefit the community from the work we put into the social and economic capacity building that the activities of the Culture Fest & parade and events and programmes offer. The sense of community will be built by enabling people to meet through our programmes and events. This will lead to a greater sense of pride in our culture and lead to more resilience in the community in the future. The wider community will benefit from the sharing of lived experiences and education.
CAN YOU HELP?
1. Support our crowdfunder.
Make a pledge and support us to succeed.
2. Spread the word.
Share our crowdfunder on your social media pages, whatsapp groups and tell the world! Help us to reach more people to get the support we need.
3. Volunteer.
We also need volunteers to help organise events, help with the parade, help with community activities, help with running the website and newsletter and much more. If you want to join our community of volunteers email:
https://weirish.org.uk/
Tá fáilte roimh gach duine.
Go raibh míle maith agat