Jason Quigley has climbed the world in the boxing ring – and now the Ballybofey man is heading for Mount Everest.
Quigley is one of a group of 13 from Donegal who will hike to the South Base Camp of the mountain.
The voyage is all in aid of the Bluestack Special Needs Foundation, which has been helping the lives of people with additional needs for the last 23 years and supports over 500 members.
You can donate to the fundraiser here: https://bluestackfoundation.
The crew fly out to Nepal on March 5 and the three-week 130km trek will take them to the 5,364m South Base Camp – nine times the height of Sliabh Liag.
“Bluestack Special Needs Foundation is an unbelievable group,” Quigley says.
“It’s a credit to each and every person there and the support they have is fantastic. The whole place is inspirational.
“Any time I have ever done anything for them, I walk away and feel like I have got so much out of it myself.”
Jono Griffin of Wild and Free Adventure Co, has led several fundraising treks to Everest Base Camp and will be among the group that also includes Ciaran McHugh, Kris Alison, Matthew Alison, Shauna Chambers, Anna Good, Paul Good, Karen Walden, Mark Hartigan, Jason Connor, Andrea Dillon and Linda Adams.
Quigley was initially approached by Ballybofey woman Annmarie McGeehan and he was immediately interested.
Quigley fought in a 2013 AIBA World Boxing final in Kazakhstan and in 2021 challenged Demetrius Andrade for the WBO World Middleweight title in Boston. For a period in 2013, he was the number 1 ranked amateur middleweight in the world.
He says of his next mission: “I was at the Bluestack Foundation sports day at the Finn Valley Centre and handed out their prizes. I was 100% interested from the start.
“Annmarie has backed me and supported me since.
“I’ve been getting my steps in, doing a lot of walking and hiking. We did a climb of Errigal which sort of kicked off the whole thing for the group.
“We will be trekking for six-eight hours a day. It’s actually something that really intrigues me.
It will be an unbelievable experience and it will be a different experience.
“You hear of different fundraisers like quiz nights or sponsored walks, but this is definitely different. This is another level.
We’ll all work as a team and I’m sure we’ll create a bond that will last for a long time, something that can only be created on an adventure like this.
“Our drive and our dedication is to the Bluestack Foundation; that will get us to where we’re going. We have a reason and a purpose to what we’re doing and it’ll drive us on. It will be the experience of a lifetime too and I’m really excited for it.
