All supporters welcome to arts centre draw tonight

Approximately 4,000 people have put their hands in their pockets to support tonight's fundraising draw for Tullamore's Community Arts Centre according to fundraising committee member Paddy Fenning. The draw was originally to take place last December but was pushed back to tonight to allow committee members sell all 2,000 draw tickets priced at €100 each. The number of contributors to the cause is double the number of tickets, Mr Fenning estimates, due to people clubbing together to buy tickets between them. Tonight's big draw has €40,000 worth of prizes, including a Nissan Qashqai as first prize. Other cash prizes include lump sums of €7,500, €5,000, €2,500, €1,000 and €500. The event takes place in the Tullamore Court Hotel from 8pm, with the draw taking place at 9pm and lasting approximately 20 minutes before a few speeches Mr Fenning promised will be short. Speaking to the Offaly Independent in the run up to the finale of a fundraising effort that began almost a year ago, Mr Fenning expressed his thanks to everyone who supported the project. "I cannot thank the public enough," he said. "They've been so supportive." He also said the project's successful completion is down not to just the organising committee, but the whole community. "It was a whole community project," he said. "This was a team effort by one and all." Mr Fenning also complimented locals for helping the project to success, especially in the current economic times. "Very few communities would have done what Tullamore has done," he said. "It's absolutely brilliant." Mr Fenning added that the support shows clearly how locals feel about the arts centre project. "It tells the powers that be that the community want an arts centre," he said. Everyone who has supported the arts centre fundraising draw is welcome to tonight's draw. It's not just a draw that they will be attending either however. A twelve piece jazz band will take over after the draw, letting attendees dance into the night. "It's nice to let your hair down after such a long campaign," Mr Fenning said. "This whole community is certainly entitled to a night off."