Mayo residents urged to host Trick or Treat for Sick Children party this Halloween

Children’s Health Foundation is calling on individuals, families, community groups, schools, creches and more across Mayo to get spooky this Halloween by dressing up, hosting your own Trick or Treat party, and raising funds to support sick children and their families in Children’s Health Ireland hospitals and urgent care centres.

Getting involved couldn’t be easier; simply visit www.childrenshealth.ie/trickortreat to sign up for your free party pack.

Your monster bash can be as big or as small as you like, and the funds you raise will be put to work where they are needed most – in Children’s Health Ireland hospitals at Crumlin, Temple Street, Tallaght and Connolly to support sick children from all over Ireland.

Celebrating the 10-year partnership that has helped to raise over €3.2 million to date, MiWadi has created a podcast mini-series of fantastical Halloween-inspired short stories, fuelled by the imaginations of patients Joy Harper, Luke Staundon and Noah Daly, chronicling tales of bravery and adventure.

The first episode – entitled Joy vs The Monsters of Springlawn Green – is inspired by seven-year-old Joy Harper, who demonstrates her monster spirit and bravery by taking on some friendly neighbourhood monsters as she trick or treats with her siblings and best friends.

MiWadi created the limited podcasts series to illustrate the challenges that sick children in Ireland face each day and the mighty spirit they require to overcome such obstacles in life.

The series of bite-sized Halloween stories features three episodes and is inspired by tales of bravery and adventure from three young patients and are perfect for little ears as they get in the spirit for the Halloween season. The series will be available from all podcast streaming platforms from October 7 right up until Halloween.

Speaking at the launch of Trick or Treat for Sick Children, Denise Fitzgerald, chief executive of Children’s Health Foundation, commented: “This year marks an important milestone for Children’s Health Foundation and our Trick or Treat campaign as we celebrate an amazing 10 years with MiWadi as campaign sponsors. We are so grateful to all our Trick or Treaters across the country who support this important campaign each year, and we are excited to encourage families, communities, creches, schools, companies and more across Ireland to gather once again this Halloween to support sick children and their families in Children’s Health Ireland hospitals and urgent care centres. Thank you to everyone in MiWadi for your support over the past decade and for sharing our vision of giving every sick child the very best chance.”

Caroline Hyde, marketing manager, MiWadi, Britvic Ireland, added: “This is truly a special year for us. We are so proud to mark the 10th year of our Trick or Treat partnership. At MiWadi, we live through the lens of imagination and we are so excited to mark the 10th year by putting the stories of the Children’s Health Ireland patients front and centre. We hope that this year will be the biggest year yet!”

Speaking at the launch of the 2022 campaign, national broadcaster Alison Curtis said: “I’m so honoured to be part of the Trick or Treat campaign. I have long admired this campaign as it supports the very fabric of our society; children who, despite facing great challenges early in life, can through the support of their families and unwavering support of Childrens’s Health Ireland, persevere and go on to achieve great things.”

Throughout the campaign, MiWadi will be sharing their top tricks and tips on social media to help get the party ‘startled’. Check it out at www.instagram.com/miwadi_ireland. To register for a Trick or Treat for Sick Children party pack, register www.childrenshealth.ie/trickortreat or call (01) 7091700. The pack includes posters, stickers and much more.