JONATHAN Irwin turns 80 on Monday week, June 21st.

Never one to miss an opportunity, the former head of Goffs and the Phoenix Park Racecourse has turned his birthday into a fundraising idea for the Jack & Jill Children’s Foundation.

He is urging people to donate €18 for a one-hour ‘Gift of Time’ to help fund specialist home nursing care for 385 children with life-limiting conditions supported by Jack & Jill around the country.

You can both make a donation and wish Jonathan a happy birthday at the same time by visiting a special Facebook page set up by his friends to mark the occasion. The page features a gallery of stories and pictures dedicated to the man who founded the Jack & Jill Children’s Foundation 24 years ago in his son Jack’s name.

Jonathan said: “For me, the best birthday present would be to help raise lots of funds for the Jack & Jill Children’s Foundation to help the charity to do what it does best.

“I am so proud to see the charity extend its age range from five to six years, a hugely positive development which is so welcomed by families and made possible by the continued generosity of people towards Jack & Jill.

“It costs €18 an hour for Jack & Jill to provide specialist home nursing care and that hour is a lifeline for so many families. To me, that would be the best birthday present, because there’s no present like the time. That said, I wouldn’t say no to some birthday cake!”

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