Buy My Dress in aid of Down Syndrome Centre and supported by Kellogg’s Special K , takes place on Thursday 20th May in Dublin (Royal College of Physicians, Kildare St), Cork (School of Music, Union Quay) and Galway (Meyrick Hotel, Eyre Square) from 10am to 8pm.

The charity has been encouraging Irish women to donate the dresses they no longer wear in a bid to help them raise funds which will go to support the funding of Ireland’s first Down Syndrome Liaison nurse to AMNCH Tallaght. The nurse’s role is to provide advice, support and guidance to new parents in Dublin maternity hospitals whose baby has been born with Down syndrome and later, at home on request.  Down Syndrome Centre plans to extend its funding to appoint further nurses to Cork and Galway.

The initiative began last year when the charity collected and sold 1,500 dresses, raising 35K and earning the title of Fundraising Campaign of the Year.  This year, same-day events will take place in Dublin, Cork and Galway when Down Syndrome Centre hopes to collect and sell 3,000 dresses in a bid to increase income from Buy My Dress to 100K.

Many well-known women are donating to Buy My Dress and among those ‘giving a guna’ are Minister Mary Hanafin, Deputies Mary O'Rourke and Liz McManus TD, RTE's Mary Kennedy, Miriam O'Callaghan, Lucy Kennedy, Nuala Carey, Sharon Tobin and Eileen Dunne; 2FM's Jenny Heuston and Nikki Hayes; author Cathy Kelly; singer Imelda May and Rachael Allen among others.   

Admission is €10 and the majority of the dresses will be sold for €20 - €60 and will include high street and boutique labels along with a few designer treasures.    A team of 70 volunteers in each location has been enlisted to work the day-long events,  including stylist Cathy O’Connor and many other stylists who have offered their services free of charge.