Annual ball raises €275,000 for Cork Simon Community

The Cork Simon Community raised more than €275,000 at this year’s fundraising ball, representing the largest amount of money ever made through the annual event.

Held at the Fota Island Hotel and Spa, the 24th ball saw a more than a 12% increase on last year’s fundraising sum of €243,000.

Organisers of the event have said that this year’s donations stand as the most raised in one night in the history of the ball, and mark a significant increase in funds raised for the second consecutive year in a row.

The event, organised by a voluntary committee made up of local business leaders, was sponsored this year by several Cork-based companies.

SUCCESS

The success of the annual event, made possible by the people and companies of Cork coming together with a singular goal, has raised a total of €1.9m for Cork Simon’s life-changing work since its inception.

The 2026 fundraising ball committee chair, Louise Smith, said funds raised at the event each year go “directly to help make a difference to many local lives”.

“Firstly, I would like to thank our title sponsor Heineken Ireland, and our main sponsors EZ Living Interiors, Keanes Jewellers and Crane Worldwide Logistics, without which this event would not have been possible,” said Ms Smith.

“The support they provide directly enables Cork Simon Community to meet the growing need for their services.

“I would also like to thank the event partners Fota Island Resort and Fox Flowers for hosting such a magnificent event.

“We are most grateful to everyone who supported and made the ball our most successful to date.

“We were delighted to welcome many different Cork businesses and business owners to the ball.

“Many of our supporters return each year and we acknowledge their immense generosity.”

The Cork Simon Community supports vulnerable men and women facing homelessness each year and has seen an increase in people needing their support.

According to the Department of Housing, there were a record 760 men and women in emergency accommodation in Cork and Kerry in February, representing a 20% increase over 12 months.

There were additionally 128 families homeless across the region, with a total of 252 child dependants.

Nationally, there were a total of 17,308 people recorded as homeless in February, of which 2,609 were families with 5,457 child dependants.

This year marks Cork Simon’s 55th year in existence and the organisation said it expects to support approximately 1,500 men and women who are homeless in the region before year’s end.

To meet the growing need for homelessness support services, and to continue providing more emergency accommodation than ever before, the charity heavily relies on funding from events such as fundraing ball and its Christmas Jumper Day.

For more information on Cork Simon’s annual fundraising efforts, or to make a donation to the service, visit: https://www.corksimon.ie/.