A CELEBRATORY dinner has been held at the Irish Embassy in London to mark the 35th anniversary of the foundation of The Ireland Funds Great Britain (IFGB).
Donors and friends of the philanthropic organisation came together to mark its milestone on May 17, at a dinner hosted by Irish Ambassador to Britain Martin Fraser and his wife Deirdre.
Seamus McGarry, second from left, was honoured during the event, hosted by Irish Ambassador Martin Fraser (pictured far left)The IFGB enjoy an annual dinner at the Embassy, which has become a much-anticipated event in its calendar.
For 2023 guests were welcomed by Ambassador Fraser, before Katie Jemmett, Executive Director of IFGB, gave a short address.
Ms Jemmett spoke of the impact the organisation had made in its 35 years and the “millions of pounds” it has given to help hundreds of organisations and tens of thousands of people across Britain and Ireland.
A copy of IFGB's latest impact report was also given to guests, which details the impact of the funding delivered by IFGB in the last year, thanks to the support of its donors.
IFGB Executive Director Katie Jemmett addressed those gathered for the event (PICS: Noel Mullen)In 2022 the not-for-profit organisation supported more than 50 organisations with funding totalling £550,000.
During the event IFGB honoured retiring trustee Seamus McGarry, who steps down from the Board of IFGB after 34 years.
IFGB friends and donors attended the event (PICS: Noel Mullen)Mr McGarry was presented with a letter of thanks from Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, and a first edition copy of Seamus Heaney's District & Circle “in honour of his lifetime of service to Ireland and the Irish diaspora”.
The event was held at the Irish Embassy in London (PICS: Noel Mullen)Established in 1977, The Ireland Funds is a global philanthropic network and grant-making organisation.
It has chapters in 12 countries and has raised over £450million globally to date, which has supported more than 3,200 different organisations.
