Two charities have benefitted to the tune of €6,000 from the first-ever Virtual North West 10k Charity Run & Walk.
Fittingly the place where the previous 23 10ks started, Letterkenny Community Centre was the venue this week for the presentation of €3,000 each to the Donegal Diabetes Parents Support Group and the No Barriers Foundation.
It was a historic event that took place in strange Covid times on the 7th of June and the North West 10k committee took the opportunity to thank the public for taking part or simply making donations to the virtual charity run and walk.
It was the 24th North West 10k and it means that 833,000 euros has now been donated to over 30 charities since 1996. Now the committee is turning its attention to making 2022 very special to mark the 25th anniversary of the event.
After having no NW 10k in 2020 due to Covid, Neil Martin said the decision to go virtual had proved to be very successful in the challenging circumstances that prevailed again this year.
“It’s no way the same as the live event with over a 1,000 runners and walkers heading off from the Letterkenny Community Centre but we felt it was important to go this year with the Virtual 10k.
“We had two charities who missed out last year with the 2020 event cancelled due to Covid so it was great to be able to give them an opportunity to raise some money from the virtual event. It’s nowhere near what they would have got in normal times but still €6,000 is decent money when you consider No Barriers and the Diabetes Parents Support Group weren’t able to do additional fundraisers due to Covid.
“I want to acknowledge all our sponsors who have been so good to us this year donating spot prizes which was brilliant for all the runners and walkers who were lucky enough to win them. Finally, I want to thank my own committee who put in a lot of work and it was a new learning curve for us with it being virtual rather than the normal run and walk,” he said.
The Mayor of the Letterkenny & Milford Municipal District Cllr Jimmy Kavanagh said the North West 10k was a hugely important event over the past 24 years that done great work for a lot of different charities.
Donegal Diabetes Parents Support Group members Danny McDaid and Mairead Farren who received a cheque for €3,000 from the North West 10k committee. Also included Neily McDaid, Gerry Gallagher, Cllr Jimmy Kavanagh the Mayor of the Letterkenny & Milford Municipal District, NW 10k Chairperson Neil Martin, Anne Condon, Noreen O’Donnell, Brendan McDaid and Bernie Brennan
And like everyone else he is hoping that the 2022 25th anniversary run and walk will see big numbers of people out taking part and supporting the chosen charities.
Peter Smyth on behalf of the No Barriers Foundation thanked the North West 10k committee for the opportunity to raise funds for an organisation that provides specialist neuro rehab services for people who cannot access it through the HSE. It takes around €100,000 annually to run the service.
The Donegal Diabetes Parents Support Group is dedicated to helping families of children with diabetes. That is done through providing support, education and motivation. Mairead Farren said her group was delighted with the funding received from the charity event and it would be very useful in providing and maintaining an essential service to its members.
Danny McDaid a long time member of the Donegal Diabetes Committee was also delighted with the proceeds from the North West 10k in very difficult times.
The No Barriers Foundation is a Donegal non-profit organisation who say that the North West 10k proceeds will make a real difference to them in this challenging year. Their centre at the Mountain Top in Letterkenny provides specialist neuro rehab services for people who cannot access it through the HSE. Every day, people with stroke, MS, brain injury or spinal cord injury visit the No Barriers rehab centre to exercise in a specialised way with the support of Physiotherapists and Exercise Therapists. Donations from the North West 10K will fund these professional supports, as well as new equipment for the gym to vary and advance exercise programmes. The No Barriers Foundation has developed and expanded in recent years, despite the pandemic, and remains proud to help anyone with a disability improve their physical and mental health through exercise. New clients are always welcome. Contact us at hello@nobarriers.ie or call 083 885 5056 to start your journey today.
The Donegal Diabetes Parents Support Group is dedicated to helping families of children with diabetes. That is done through providing support, education and motivation. It is also done by raising public awareness of diabetes and its symptoms along with the challenges that it presents. They also strive to support funding research into finding a cure for the condition. The Donegal Diabetes Parents Support Group is always available to offer advice to families coming to terms with a diagnosis. It is a case of availing of all the supports to make life as normal as possible again. It usually all starts when the condition is formally diagnosed in hospital where the staff are on hand to provide the Donegal Diabetes Parents Support Group’s phone number. Parents of children with the condition find it very helpful to meet and talk to other adults and share experiences. The children themselves are able to meet other youngsters at fun events which helps to remove feelings of isolation that can sometimes occur. There are also family weekends organised annually which is an ideal opportunity to get to know more about how to live with the condition and become more educated. The Donegal Diabetes Support Group has a wealth of knowledge on diabetes and have campaigned for better services locally for those with the condition. To find more about the group you can ring 0831505043.
The first North West 10k race was held on Saturday 10th May, 1996 and had an evening start at 6pm.
The new committee was formed when the Rockhill 10k came to an end. A public meeting was held and a group of dedicated local sports related volunteers agreed to form a committee. Letterkenny Chamber of Commerce and Industry pledged their support and continue to this day to provide all administrative support for the group.
The newly formed group drew upon their knowledge of staging or participating in other sporting events whilst the chosen beneficiaries did the bulk of the work in raising money for their respective charities.
This model still is in place and each year the committee has been able to raise sufficient monies in entry fees and sponsorship to have a balance left over to donate to the beneficiaries.
