Lighthouse Charity's Northern Ireland lunch raises about £21,000 at Titanic Belfast

Lighthouse Charity raised around £21,000 at its annual Northern Ireland Lunch at Titanic Belfast on 18 September, which its regional chair said drew the largest local turnout and the largest amount of money raised to date.

The construction industry charity said the afternoon brought together supporters from across the sector for a drinks reception, three-course lunch and fundraising raffle. Comedian and actor Tim McGarry hosted, with entertainment from singer Eiméar Crealey and musicians Matthew Hunter and Scott Wilson.

Brendan Crealey, Chair of the Lighthouse Charity NI region, said: "This year's event saw our largest turnout of local support and also the largest amount of money raised which is fantastic."

He said plans for a bigger event in 2027 are already under way.

On the day

Lighthouse Charity chief executive Sarah Bolton, NI & Ireland West Partnership Manager Brian Shanks and Mr Crealey addressed guests on the charity's services and the support it delivers locally.

A fireside chat brought together Laura McCooey of Elliotts, Debbie Eve of Gilbert-Ash and Jonny Fitzpatrick of the charity's Make It Visible team.

A panel discussion followed, in which former Irish hockey international Matthew Bell, Portadown FC player Aaron Traynor, solicitor and former footballer Feargal Logan and content creator Bernadette Hagans spoke about their own experiences of overcoming health and addiction challenges. The charity said their contributions reinforced the importance of starting a conversation and seeking support early.

DLJ Water was title sponsor and Northstone sponsored the drinks reception. Circet and Graham were gold sponsors, Abbey Autoline was silver sponsor, and Gibson Bros, Deane Public Works, Westport Equipment and JP Corry were bronze sponsors. NI Builder was media partner.

According to the charity's event listing, tables of 10 were priced at £1,500, and the programme included a networking reception, three-course meal, after-lunch discussion panel and charity raffle.

The regional committee

Lighthouse Charity is marking its 70th anniversary in 2026. The charity's Northern Ireland regional page says the Northern Ireland Lighthouse Charity Committee was founded in 1962, and the result announcement says the committee reformed a few years ago and continues to build the charity's presence across the region.

The 2024 lunch was advertised for Titanic Belfast on 25 October 2024, according to the charity's invitation. The 2025 lunch took place on 12 September in the Grand Ballroom of the Europa Hotel in Belfast, with a keynote from health and safety advocate James (Jimmy) Gorry. This year's lunch was held at Titanic Belfast.

At the 2025 lunch, Ciara McKevitt, HR Manager at Gilbert Ash, spoke about the charity's support for her company, which had become a company supporter. Gilbert-Ash was again represented on this year's fireside chat.

Make It Visible

The Make It Visible team, represented at the lunch by Jonny Fitzpatrick, visits construction companies, builders' merchants, hire centres and sites across the UK and Ireland to raise awareness of the charity's free, confidential support. Each visit includes an informal talk for everyone on site, the charity said.

Its 2024 impact report put the scale of that work in figures. Lighthouse Charity said it delivered £5,050,902 of charitable support in 2024, helping 5,695 families, a 29% rise on the previous year. The Make It Visible team visited 572 sites and engaged 28,070 site operatives over the year.

Sarah Bolton, CEO of the Lighthouse Charity, said in that report: "No one should ever feel alone and support is just a step away."

The team's 2026 booking timetable lists Northern Ireland and Ireland North for November 2026.