'Wee Mon' Lego likeness of Michael O'Neill raises five figures for charity
Credit: Extratime Team (ETPhotos)
20 charities across Northern Ireland will benefit to the tune of at least £10,000 in total thanks to the ‘Wee Mon’ fundraising initiative from the London Northern Ireland Supporters’ Club.
Exiled fans have raised the five-figure sum selling miniature lego figures that resemble the green and white army’s manager, Michael O’Neill – or ‘MO’N.’
The London NISC come up with an initiative every year to help raise money for worthy causes as part of their annual membership pack.
The ‘Wee Mon’ figurine was originally intended to be confined to members only, but the production run produced enough spares to raise more funds.
“The club brings together 200 NI fans from across London and SE England and we always try to do something creative for our annual membership pack,” London NISC chairman Neal Anderson said.
“This year we came up with the idea of the ‘Wee MON’. It was originally intended only for our members, but the sizable minimum order quantity from the supplier meant we ended up with a few spares.”
He added: “The London NISC regularly raises funds for good causes back home, like our Euro 2016 single ‘Making our Way to Paris'.
“As the club has already covered the costs of making the Wee MONs, we thought why not donate all proceeds from the spares to charity.
“Reflecting the size of the mini figure, we also wanted to help smaller organisations where the funds will make a genuine difference to local communities.
“Our members have nominated twenty charities across Northern Ireland.”
‘Wee Mon’ even has the blessing of the man himself, the former Shamrock Rovers boss having been presented with one of his likenesses himself.
“My family and I found it very amusing when we were presented with one of the little figures,” O’Neill said.
“It’s great to think that something small has the potential to help raise such a large amount for local charities.”
If you’d like to get your hands on a limited-edition ‘Wee Mon’ and contribute to some worthy charities at the same time, order here for a minimum donation of £5.
