Cork comedian and Tik Tok star Tadhg Hickey is organising a fundraising appeal for the Cork Life Centre in the run-up to Christmas.

Cork life Centre is a voluntary organisation offering an alternative learning environment to marginalised young people.

Mr Hickey said he was inspired to start the gofundme campaign arising out of a fundraiser involving a Rangers soccer jersey, and last year after a sketch he did to raise funds for Palestine. “I definitely became aware that if a video does well, or gets a bit of traction, you can put a fundraiser as part of it to raise cash.” 

Mr Hickey is a friend of Don O’Leary, the director of the northside Centre.

“I’ve been up there a few times, and seen the unbelievable work they do, and they don’t get enough support from the Government. 

"They didn’t ask me to do anything, but I just wanted to do my little bit. I thought the best way to do it was, instead of me making a sketch, was to see if there were any kids up there doing drama workshops, and they would make the sketch.” 

The students have produced and filmed a short movie called The Life and Death Centre, where a fictional developer threatens to destroy the Centre to make way for an apartment block, but the students fight back.

I recently had the privilege of working with kids in the @CorkLifeCentre. They wrote, shot, starred in, scored, & produced this short film.

If you liked it, please support my fundraiser to help them keep doing the amazing work they do: https://t.co/Ly44nNqGe0 🙏 pic.twitter.com/BAWqzSK6rp

— Tadhg (@TadhgHickey) December 15, 2022

“The Life and Death Centre short film was written, shot, scored, produced by, and stars some of the incredible students of the school. They are an absolute dream to work with,” said Mr Hickey.

“It worked out so well. They devised the story. There’s even a lad in the group who constructed an original score for a two-minute film, and he did it in a day. He’s a wonderful kid. It’s a win-win, hopefully to get their movie out to a broader audience and earn some quid as well.” 

The Centre is an educational service catering for children between the ages of 12 to 18 years who for various reasons have not thrived in a mainstream educational setting.

The Centre and its staff offer students one-to-one tuition in the core Junior and Leaving Certificate subjects and supports them in preparation for State Examinations.

“The value is in the social education of young people as much as on the academic. The Centre is not officially recognised as an alternative educational setting by the government and therefore is minimally funded. Keeping the school up and running is literally a case of life or death for some of their wonderful students,” states Mr Hickey’s fundraiser.

So far, the fundraiser has raised more than €2000 towards a target of €10,000. Mr Hickey hopes the target will be reached within a week. 

Donations can be made here.