Sale of 'Sleepy' raises over £19,000 for Air Ambulance in memory of late father-of-four

A KIND-hearted local girl has raised a staggering £19,170 for the Air Ambulance Northern Ireland (AANI) charity in memory of her late daddy.

Fifteen year-old Georgia Hamilton and her younger sisters, Sarah-Jane, Eva and Annie, were out working with their sheep with their mum, Joanne and dad, Christopher (Christy), at the beginning of September when tragically their beloved daddy suffered a heart attack and passed away.

Mr Hamilton, of Lisdoon Road, passed away leaving a legacy of love and cherished memories.

Paramedics, emergency services, neighbours and the Air Ambulance were on the scene within minutes.

Well-known and highly-respected throughout the locality, he was a former player and captain of Strabane Rugby Club where he was known affectionately as 'Cricky'.

News of his sudden death elicited much sadness across the district with tributes paid to "an absolute gentleman with a heart of gold".

To show their appreciation to the Air Ambulance service, Georgia, who like her daddy has a very quiet, kind and caring nature, decided to sell one of her lambs and donate the proceeds to the AANI who rely entirely on the generosity of the public to fund this essential service.

Georgia picked 'Sleepy', her ram lamb who had been one of triplets whose mum had no milk.

He had been adopted by another ewe who only had one lamb.

His sisters ‘Sarah’ and ‘Flopsy’ were lovingly bottle fed by the girls and will be staying as part of Georgia’s flock.

Georgia took 'Sleepy' to Donemana Mart on September 16 expecting to raise £150 for the Air Ambulance charity, and was completely overwhelmed when the bidding started to increase.

One after another - farmer or dealer - bought the lamb and put him up for resale until the total amount raised came to an amazing £11,800 on the day.

The last bid was from six-year-old Alanagh Daly who kept 'Sleepy' with Georgia and her family delighted that the beloved animal went to such a loving home.

Since his sale, donations have been pouring in and the total amount raised is now an unbelievable £19,171 which no doubt will be a great help to this worthy charity.

Georgia and her family presented the proceeds to a representative of the Air Ambulance NI at Donemana Mart on Saturday morning.

A spokesperson said: "Georgia, the Hamilton and McGerrigle families want to express their heartfelt gratitude to the farmers and dealers and everyone who supported this great cause.

"The whole community have really rallied around and given so much support.

"A special thanks to Charlie Kennedy for the use of his mart, to Mervyn Gibson the auctioneer, to Pearl Feathers for collecting the money and to Tony Morning for organising the event."