DAFT FUNK

C Watch North Strand became the Daft Funk Brigade (DFB) in December to raise funds for a special cause

Towards the end of the rst week of December, some teaser tweets started appearing on DFB’s social media pages hinting at something in the works at North Strand re station.

A few days later, all was revealed when the ‘Da Funk Brigade’ (DFB), aka C Watch North Strand, dropped a special dance video to help raise funds for St Joseph’s Primary School for Children with Visual Impairment in Drumcondra.

C Watch say they were so taken aback by the enthusiasm of the students and sta on a recent community visit that they decided they needed to do something to help raise funds for resources and activities. Teaming up with the Special Needs Assistants and other St Joseph’s sta members, they put together a dance routine with the help of video creator Harry Merton and choreographer Ali Flood to bring some cheer to the festive season.

“We’ve always tried to keep in contact with schools, particularly special needs schools, in the area, because we feel that a er COVID-19 it is very important to have that, as these students were deprived of that community outreach with agencies such as DFB,” they tell me.

“Visits from the likes of us bring out the best in the students, but it also brings out the best in us, because we realise again what we are doing as part of our duty to the community, making us realise why we are here, and that was the inspiration for the video fundraiser, it inspired us to want to do something di erent, to fundraise for that extra little bit of equipment they might need.

“It always makes a lasting impression on you to go and visit schools and particularly the special and a bond with St Joseph’s, the students, teachers, carers and parents, and one we want to grow because we feel we are making up for the time lost during the pandemic.”

“I am 33 years in DFB, and in that time, I’ve done fundraising of all sorts inside and outside the job, but for me this was de nitely the most enjoyable one-o fundraiser I’ve been involved in,” says S/O Peter FitzGerald, “because it all just clicked, everyone had a good time, and we raised a lot of money.” equipment for the school, so with this o -beat dance video we have been able to achieve something tangible, it means something, so everyone involved can be very proud of that.” e idea for ‘Da Funk Brigade’ itself came from the fact that the visors on the DFB helmets resemble the headgear of the band Da Punk, and so Da Funk Brigade (DFB) was born, and I’ve been told “we will be patenting that at C Watch North Strand!” needs schools. It means that little bit more, and because we hadn’t been to see the students at St Joseph’s in two years, it became more poignant.”

Following the video’s release, C Watch and members of A Watch returned to the school and were taken aback by the enthusiasm shown by the students as they sang Christmas carols, with C Watch members saying they have “developed a relationship e fundraising target was €5,000 but the total is fast approaching twice that, with the Christmas period expected to see the sum top the €10,000 mark, and C Watch say “that will make a signi cant di erence in terms of IT or physiotherapy ey also tell me that Da Funk Brigade will be looking to do something new in the future, so watch this space.

He is keen to thank all involved, especially Senior Man Roy O’Brien, who “really helped facilitate the whole thing from Day One and was great throughout and was instrumental in putting it all together”, as well as Ali Flood, Harry Merton, Sue Nolan, Mandy and Bridget from St Joseph’s, and all of the C Watch crew for embracing the idea and spending several nights practising and shooting the video.