Phoenix show raises €7k for children’s charity Barnardos

OVER 600 young athletes from a local gymnastics club put on a vibrant show last month in the National Basketball Arena and raised over €7,000 for children’s charity Barnardos.

The performers from the Phoenix Gymnastics Club, which holds classes in Tallaght and Park West, put on their dazzling display in the basketball arena on December 16 last for the Phoenix Show 2022.

The show was a full-scale event for the performers, whose ages spanned four- to 25-years-old, with lighting, a DJ, and a backstage team.

Wayne Healy, CEO of Phoenix Gymnastics, told The Echo: “The atmosphere was electric.

“We had an event team and sound and lighting and staging for the event and we did it to a level that we haven’t done before.

“We’ve been running the show every year for a couple of years but it has expanded into something bigger so we rented the basketball arena this year so more people could come.”

The show went off without a hitch and was a positive experience for both the performers and the spectators, and all of the proceeds from the ticket sales went to Barnardos.

Explaining why Barnardos was the chosen charity for the event, Wayne said: “They were people in the club who had previously been supported by Barnardos.

“We had hoped to raise about €5,000 for them so we were delighted when we saw how much we’d raised, and to be able to give back to the local community that supports us.”

Plans are already afoot for the Phoenix Show 2023, according to Wayne, with hopes for it to be another large-scale event following the success of last December’s show.