Laughing all the way to the charity bank

Mo Amer entertains the crowd at the Castlemere Community Centre.

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A Comedy Charity Dinner at Castlemere Community Centre raised more than £10,000 in donations towards the Centre and the Greenland Orphanage in Uganda.

On Friday (4 December) top American comedian Mo Amer, from the “Allah Made Me Funny” group, entertained members of the local community.

Amer recently finished touring Iraq, performing to US troops as well as regularly performing on the international stage. He started doing comedy at the early age of 14 and covers topics such as families, politics, weddings and many more funny insights into growing up as a modern Muslim in today’s world.

The comedian was specially brought over from Texas to perform in Rochdale, while the audience were also treated to a four course banquet.

The event was the first of many that will seek to meet the shortfall in funding for Castlemere, which is owned and run by the community it serves.

The centre is an award winning community resource providing neighborhood police support, health & fitness facilities, health checks, diet advice, hall hire, catering, training, various classes as well activities for the young.

A tribute was also paid to Ismail Fulat who passed away last week. A spokesperson for the Centre said: "As Chief Executive of Kashmir Youth Project, and a man whose generous nature and commitment to helping those less fortunate over many years touched the hearts and lives of many in the audience and across Rochdale. He will be sadly missed and the world is poorer for his loss."

The compare for the evening, and one of the Centre’s founding directors, Ken Usman-Smith said: “At a time when many struggle to find money to meet bills and also feel the eyes of the world on the Muslim Community, tonight achieved its declared purpose: to prove that Muslims have a sense of humor as well as the generosity that will help this organisations good works continue.”