Gardaí pony up the dough

SEVERAL of Waterford’s leading gardaí were saddle sore but smiling as they arrived in the city yesterday evening, having raised bucket-loads of money for a very worthy appeal.

There were cheers and much relief just before rush hour yesterday as a fund-raising convoy, featuring some of Ireland’s top jockeys, members of the garda mounted unit and two local officers dismounted safely after close to six hours in the saddle.

The fund-raising trip on horseback from Dungarvan to Waterford city was all in aid of the O’Regan Family Trust Fund, a charity which will help three children in the city recover from the fire which claimed the lives of their parents and baby sister in early June.