*** UPDATED 07/12/2013 09:30 ***
We have been contacted by several people who have informed us that the woman originally named in this post has blogged to say that she has received an abusive Facebook message in response to our post. This was not our intent and we want to make it clear that we wish nobody to contact this woman with any further abuse. Northern Ireland's history shows that tit-for-tat solves nothing.
In the interest of drawing a line under things and focussing on the positive aspect of the charity work we've set out to do, we've removed the post that was originally here.
We want to make it clear that we stand by EVERYTHING we said in the post and can prove all of our claims. We feel however our story has been told and that the existence of the post would serve no other purpose than to feed negativity.
We will not be bullied by anyone, and the response to our original post proved that the LAD community are a determined bunch who will never let ignorant bullies win.
Here's the synopsis of events:
We announced that the charity we would be donating proceeds from our Christmas single to would be SOS Bus NI and began heavily promoted this heavily on social media.
One lady questioned our motives and integrity and penned a poisonous blog post (which was subsequently removed).
We received word from SOS Bus that they had received abuse from numerous people based on this blog post and as such felt it would put the charity at risk to accept the donation from us.
We posted the article that was originally here telling the full story and encouraged anyone who wanted to make a donation to SOS to do so directly at their JustGiving page. What happened next is incredible. Hundreds of pounds of donations flooded in within minutes of the post going live. We have saved as many donation notes as possible from JustGiving and posted them below. Apologies if yours isn't there, The JustGiving site only displays four at a time and the donations were being made so quickly that we may have missed a few! Apologies if we've included the same screenshot twice - it was difficult to gather them all together :)
We were incredibly moved by your generosity and helped turn a negative situation into an incredibly positive one.
Moving forward, we will be still be selling the single and raising money for a charity, however to protect the charity we will not be publicly disclosing who we donate to. We will make ever effort to have the donation witnessed and notarised by either the press or a public figure (or both) when the time comes.
I met the guy that interviewed you you earlier in week. Told him at the time this was a foolish agreement by SoS. Anyone with a titter of wit would have known neanderthals would target them and given they deal with drunks late at night it was a real risk for volunteers. Sad but a reality that could easily be foreseen. You should just drop the funds into the Black Santa with oversight of a 3rd party to ensure its confirmed donated and no individual charity will be a target.
ReplyDeleteThis is just sick in a way that makes me ashamed to say the I come from essentially a Unionist/loyalist background. The old saying of having lost the battle they still went on to win the war really does not apply here at all. The battle to retain general public sympathy is being lost almost on a daily basis and the possibility of winning the 'war' gets less and less every day.
ReplyDeleteIf all you do is please your supporters as they get fewer and fewer you are really missing the point of not trying to dig yourself out of a hole.
I live in Scotland and shall make a donation to SOS Bus NI - as someone from a Shankill Road background I feel ashamed with this all from people who would so easily claim me as one of their own (despite my resistance) because of my life-starting point.
Thank God for education and the boat out of Ireland, but the interest and concern abides which is why I am posting this.
Sorry to hear about the bullying -because that's what this was. SOS was bullied out of accepting a donation by "depraved, mean spirited, hate-filled people who bombarded the charity with so much abuse, that they were left with no other option".
ReplyDeleteConsequently LAD were bullied out of what they had intended and planned and forced to make a secret, almost anonymous donation, setting up supervision to guarantee their honesty. isn't it time we all started adopting some anti-bullying strategies?
Typical that she would claim to only be doing this because she thinks that no one should be anonymous, and then once she has done all of the damage her online presence suddenly disappears. What a disgusting human being she is.
ReplyDeleteA donation will be made in the name of LAD, goodwill and anti sectarianism.
For gods sake lads. This request for publicising donations came via LAD supporters will have the exact same risks for the SOS volunteers. The loonies will target them just as much if not more now. Sometimes taking a step back and thinking about the impact of your actions might be warranted. It's a sad state of affairs but now a bunch of do-nicers are going to be targeted by pricks due to you not thinking through the realities.
ReplyDeleteI am really sorry that its has come to this for you LAD, its sad that a much needed donation will not reach those that need it. Its absolutely sickening to be honest the pure hatred, racism and outright bigotry that still exists in our "wee country", that even charities are no longer out of bounds. I'm looking forward to the single and i hope that whatever charity receives it, does not receive a backlash from the mindless morons that still exist in our society..
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ReplyDeleteDisgusting and morally reprehensible. These bigots know no bounds.
ReplyDeleteThis is a new low from these warped individuals,
ReplyDeleteWhat kind of twisted mentality would abuse a charity? What's that saying loyalists are always bleating, "ashamed of nothing, offended by everything". Like all of their other actions and beliefs, pure hyprocrisy. Abusing a charity. How much lower can they sink?
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