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27 Feb 2026

Miss out on Electric Picnic tickets? Laois school to raffle tickets with boutique glamping!

Cosby NS Stradbally offer amazing prizes in school fundraiser

Miss out on Electric Picnic tickets? Laois school to raffle tickets with boutique glamping!

Pictured: Electric Picnic 2024, Alf Harvey. Also pictured: Cosby NS

A Laois school is raffling off an array of amazing prizes in their upcoming school fundraiser.

This is the second year that Cosby National School in Stradbally will hold their fundraiser, organised by the school's parents association. 

Lucky entrants who may have missed out on tickets to Ireland's biggest music festival, Electric Picnic, have the option to win a variety of tickets and boutique glamping. 

There are also prizes to other popular festivals, and vouchers for a stunning sauna up for grabs.

 

Pictured: Cosby NS, Stradbally

The school is holding this fundraiser to help pay for the costs of school maintenance and activities for their students.

"The reason we are holding this fundraiser is because our school has grown very quickly over the past two years," principal Jackie Cooper told the Leinster Express / Laois Live.

"We were once a two teacher school with thirty students, we how have 69 pupils. It has been fantastic," she explained.

"With the rise of population in Portlaoise, we have taken on a newcomer families who have brought diversity. Along with Irish children, we have families from Brazil, Ukraine, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and more, it has been brilliant," Ms Cooper said.

"We take a very holistic approach as a school, and we have always tried to do as many activities with students as we can.

"We are part of the green flag initiative, the active flag project, we hold school plays in the Dunamaise Arts Centre and bring the children swimming. Along with our sporting and STEM projects, all of these activities unfortunately cost money," she said.

"Along with day to day costs of running the school, we don't get enough to do that. We currently cannot afford a part time caretaker. In order to continue supporting the students as we are, maintaining the school building, paying cleaners and maintenance, the parents association have decided to hold the fundraiser."

The first prize in this fundraiser is two weekend tickets for Electric Picnic, including a two person pre-pitched tent in the boutique glampsite located off-site in the 19th Century walled garden of Ballykilcavan Brewery.

Amenities include a private bar, food truck, hot showers and shuttle bus to & from the festival site. This prize was kindly donated by Thomas and Gesa Cosby / Festival Republic & David and Lisa Walsh-Kemmis of Pitched Perfect Glamping.

The second and third place prizes are one day tickets to Electric Picnic, also kindly donated by Thomas and Gesa Cosby / Festival Republic.

The fourth place prize in this raffle is two day tickets for Cocktail Carnival, held in Ballintubbert Gardens on September 16 2026, a prize kindly donated by Ballintubbert House and Gardens.

The fifth place prize is two tickets for Borris Festival of Writing and Ideas in June 2027, kindly donated by Hugo Jellett.

Sixth, seventh and eight place prizes include €60 vouchers for Sauna Sessions in Stradbally, kindly donated by Sauna Sessions.

The draw will take place on Friday June 19 in Cosby NS. 

"We are very lucky to receive such generosity from the wider community, particularly with the donation of these prizes. Our donors have been extraordinarily generous towards the school, and our parents association is amazing. Without them, and their chair Jaune Hendy, we could not have done this," Ms Cooper said.

"Not all children are academic, its especially important in primary school that children get the chance to see other areas where they can succeed. We want to give our students as many opportunities as we can, it's great to see a child thrive and we want to maintain that ethos, to let them shine," she said.

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"The children who come back to the school don't remember the maths classes and the Irish classes- they remember the swimming lessons, the plays and the chances to discover what they excel at," Ms Cooper finished.

To enter in the draw, donate to the school's GoFundMe here.

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