BALLYMONEY, Wednesday 16 September 2026 — A Ballymoney Rotary coffee morning has raised more than £3,000 for Mercy Ships, the charity that brings free, life-changing surgery to patients across sub-Saharan Africa on board its hospital ships.
Rotary Club of Ballymoney Past President John Borland and his wife, Alison, opened their home for the event on Saturday, 15 August 2026, with support from a team of club volunteers who handled baking, serving, and fundraising on the day. Guests included Past District Governor Michael Fleming, who led District 1160 during the 2025–2026 Rotary year.
Why Mercy Ships
Mercy Ships operates the world’s largest civilian hospital ships, docking for months at a time in African port cities where safe, affordable surgery is out of reach for most people. Volunteer surgeons, nurses and crew provide operations free of charge, from cataract and cleft lip repairs to the removal of tumours, alongside training for local medical staff so the benefit lasts after the ship sails.
The full proceeds from the Ballymoney coffee morning will be forwarded to the charity, where they will go directly towards the cost of surgeries for women, men and children who would otherwise go untreated.
Local effort, global reach
The coffee morning is typical of how Rotary works: a small, well-run community event that connects a town in County Antrim with patients thousands of miles away. Across our 65 clubs in Ireland, members raise funds for international causes alongside local ones, from polio eradication to disaster relief and clean water.
The Rotary Club of Ballymoney is one of 65 clubs in District 1160, the only Rotary district that spans the whole island of Ireland. Anyone interested in joining or supporting the club’s work can find contact details in the Rotary Ireland club directory.