‘Hearty’ Lunch invite

It could be Londonderry’s biggest lunch date of the year – The ‘Hearty Lunch’, organised by health charity NI Chest Heart & Stroke (NICHS) and supported by O’Brien’s Sandwich Bar, will be held on June 15 and will encourage everyone in Londonderry to host a simple meal, invite friends and charge each of them a modest fee, which will be donated to the charity’s work.

Brian McCluskey, NI Chest Heart & Stroke’s fundraising co-ordinator for Londonderry said: “The Hearty Lunch will be the main lunch date of the year and is a great way to raise funds to support our work. 20 people a day in Northern Ireland die from a chest, heart or stroke illness. The Hearty Lunch will raise funds to support NI Chest Heart and Stroke’s local services in Londonderry such as cardiac, stroke and respiratory support groups, as well as Stroke Family Liaison teams who help local families to cope with life after a stroke. “

The aim of the event is to encourage as many people as possible to have a healthy, cost effective meal and seek a minimum donation from each person attending. People might also want to hold other fundraising opportunities at the lunch, such as a raffle.

A free sandwich from O’Brien’s is on offer to the first 50 people to sign up to host a Hearty Lunch. The first 20 businesses to register have a chance to win a lunchtime platter to get the party going. The first 5 people to raise more than £500 will go into a prize draw to win a masterclass with Jenny Bristow, while 10 people raising more than £300 will have their names entered in a draw to enjoy free lunches for a month, thanks to O’Brien’s. In addition, the sandwich chain will donate all proceeds to the charity for every lunch it sells on June 15.

Ideas to get people started on the Hearty Lunch are being posted on the charity’s web site www.nichs.org.uk/heartylunch. It has also established a Facebook page containing tips, information and healthy recipes, at www.facebook.com/Belfast.NICHS. And you can follow the charity on Twitter @nichstweet.

To register for the Hearty Lunch or for an information pack contact NICHS on 028 9032 0184, email [email protected] or visit www.nichs.org.uk/heartylunch.