The Crawley Irish Dinner Dance 2007 approaches this Saturday and features additional surprises including a live auction conducted by television presenter Alan Ennis.

There are five lots up for auction including perhaps the “biggest lot of the night” which comes from our good friends at Fresh ‘n’ Funky.

The company’s team is headed by Celebrity Chef, Gos, who first appeared onto our screens during Big Brother 4. The lot includes your chance for Gos to come to your home and cook just for you and your loved ones. It’s one not to miss, we have included details of the company for you below.

Further prizes include:

• A limited edition print of Aldaniti, the 1981 Grand National Winner, signed by the artist, the owner and winning jockey, Bob Champion. The champion horse has not signed it, however.
• Boxing Gloves, signed by Former World Champion Alan Minter
• A Romantic Meal For Two at the Clarion Gatwick Hotel
• A Rare Clock celebrating the 125th FA Cup Final held at Cardiff

ABOUT FRESH ‘N’ FUNKY

Fresh ‘N’ Funky is the UK’s most dynamic catering company offering a reliable and efficient service for corporate businesses and private clients. Their goal is to provide food of the highest possible standard using only the best quality ingredients.

F’n'F can provide you with professional business lunchboxes, stylish fork buffets, delicious global platters, appetizing canapés and mouth-watering three course meals. Seasonal menus are also produced throughout the year.

With over 15 years catering experience including past clients such as Jimmy Choo, Prince Andrew and the England Rugby Team. Fresh ‘N’ Funky pride themselves on providing quality food and an excellent maître d table service.

No job is too big or too small… Whether it’s for a business meeting, cocktail party or a wedding service, you can rest assured Fresh ‘N’ Funky will take care of it!

CONTACT DETAILS

Tel: 08450 942 922
Fax: 08717 145 922

[Fresh ‘n’ Funky Website]

As Crawley New Town celebrates its 60^th birthday, the Celtic and Irish Cultural Society (CICS) are hoping with the help of St Patrick, and sponsorship from local based businesses Plumbase and Paslode Spit, to make it a year to remember.

The 4th Annual Saint Patrick’s Parade organised by the CICS, in association with Crawley Borough Council and Sussex Police, will be held on Sunday 18 March 2007 and will be the focal point for Crawley’s Saint Patrick’s Festivities. It’s not just an Irish only St Patrick’s Parade, it’s a parade for Crawley - something for everyone to enjoy in Crawley’s special birthday year. As Chairman, John Nolan explains:

Part of the aims of the parade, apart from having fun or having the ‘craic’, is to encourage Crawley’s diverse and vibrant community to participate in a greater understanding of Celtic and Irish traditions.

In celebrating it’s 60^th birthday Crawley has welcomed people from across the globe and the event is intended to encourage increased cultural awareness and help generate the party atmosphere of the worldwide St. Patrick’s celebration here at Crawley. The idea of the weekend is to bring cultures and communities together through participation that can only be good for the town and its inhabitants. And with all the communities working together the town can be better for it. The parade committee hope that the St. Patrick’s event can attract large numbers to the town and make Crawley the heart of the southeast’s festivities.

The parade will start at approximately 1.00pm from Crawley Bus Station (assembling from 12 noon onwards) and will be led by the Mayor and local dignitaries, followed by community floats, marching bands, Irish dancers, children in fancy dress and many more. Irish dancers and traditional live music will bring the day to an exciting climax when the parade ends in the High Street giving it that mini – ‘fleadh ceoil’ atmosphere around town. Mr Nolan went on to say:

We would like to thank our joint sponsors Plumbase and Pasload Spit for their financial support this year, for without it the Celtic & Irish Cultural Society would find it impossible to stage this free event for the residents of Crawley.

Please feel free to bring flags of your native Irish county, your Celtic nation, or such flags as represent your cultural background. Everyone is welcome as the whole of Crawley is invited to celebrate Ireland’s national celebration. If you wish to organise a float, or represent an organisation that would like to take part in the event, please contact John Nolan - Telephone: 01293 513189, or email him on john.nolan@celtic-irish.co.uk

With less than a month until the fourth annual Crawley Saint Patrick’s celebrations, full details of the event has been confirmed. Two new sponsors will partner with the Celtic and Irish Cultural Society for the 2007 event.

ITW Construction Products, who distribute the Paslode Spit nail gun, and Plumbase, the specialist supply store, will sponsor the event that takes place on Sunday 18 March.

At the Fourth Annual General Meeting of the Celtic Irish Cultural Society, held at The Hawth, the re-elected Chairman John Nolan took time to reflect on the last 12 months and declared 2006 as “a YEA year – a YEAR of EXCEPTIONAL ACHIEVEMENTS.”

He went on to explain how he felt that:

the last 12 months has been a busy and very successful period with numerous exceptional achievements”

Highlights of 2006 included:

• The Crawley St Patrick’s Parade in March in which more people took part than ever before
• The renamed Crawley Celtic Weekend in August, which saw a new event on the Saturday night specifically aimed at a youth audience
• The Crawley Fleadh Week, which was re-scheduled to run in November for the first time, and offered a host of events, including Gaelic football coaching in senior schools, together with Irish story telling and Celtic art in the junior schools and for adults, Irish language classes, set dancing classes and Irish Cookery classes.

John Nolan said that the success of the CICS was in no small way due to its supporters:

They provide funding and loan us equipment so we can organise ourselves in moving forward. We could not survive or get to where we are today without their help. There are far too many to mention here tonight but should not be forgotten and deserve our thanks. This busy year could not have been achieved without the assistance of the many volunteers and helpers. Time and again they have come out (in all weathers) to assist in everyway possible”

However, John was keen to stress that the CICS was planning to move forward with a new committee in place. The new committee comprises of John Nolan as Chairman, Leo Beirne as Vice-Chairman, Carol Collins as Secretary, John Lyons as Functions Officer, Tony Green as Publishing Officer and Mia Phillips will help with Fundraising. The post of Treasurer will be filled by Norah Green until March, but a new person will need to be found after that time.

With a large grant from the DION (an Irish Government Agency supporting Irish Organisations abroad) and the support of the Federation of Irish Societies, he said:

The vision of our society in moving forward into the future is to achieve a more confident, professional and successful group”.

The Society is planning three major changes to the way it works:

Firstly, it is planning to set up a company limited by guarantee. This will offer protection against personal liability to the committee members/trustees and will offer them protection when employing people and forming contracts with suppliers and service providers

Secondly, it is planning to register the Society as a Charity which will offer additional benefits, such as being eligible for a broader range of funding opportunities, access to a range of training and business support initiatives, plus tax and financial benefits.

Thirdly, the committee has just employed its first paid member of staff, a move which demonstrates a strong commitment to improving its work both in terms of cultural activities and events it provides, as well as its ambitions to raise the profile of the Irish communities in the region. The newly appointed part-time co-ordinator, Shannon Mackey-Witton, brings experience of administration and events management and joined the Society from the beginning of February.

John Nolan felt that:

With our new development policy in place I firmly believe the coming year should be anticipated as a YES year … A YEAR of EXCEPTIONAL SUCCESS”

Time: Contact - Entry: By Invitation ONLY

This year, our thank you party takes place on 1 March 2008.

The party is an annual thank you to our volunteers, sponsors and officials that make all the work possible.

If you haven’t received your invite yet, just give us a bell.

Please Note:

The Crawley Irish Dinner Dance originally planned for Saturday 1st March is to be rescheduled.