A group of four very brave friends are planning to paddle from Scotland to Northern Ireland, a distance of around 38 miles, all in aid of two well-loved charities.
Brothers Carl and Jamie Russell along with friends Connel McBrearty and Colm Watters aim to complete the challenge between 5-14th August, depending on weather. The friends all come from North Coast.
Lead organiser, Carl said:
“The idea came about from meeting a man by the name of John McAuley and his lovely wife Maura. They lost their son, Ronan, to sudden adult death syndrome and appreciate the air ambulance team can be a massive help in a scenario like they encountered. Their story touched me, and I wanted to help by raising money for this charity, of their choice.
“The RNLI is my second charity as I’ve seen first-hand the difference they can make in saving lives at sea. As a previous RNLI lifeguard myself, I feel it’s only right to show my respect to what they do and to involve a challenge that incorporates the sea where they save so many lives.
“This is obviously a big challenge with a lot of potential risks, and not one we are taking lightly. I run a surf school, Sub6life (@sub6life on social media) and train lifeguards so we have good background and knowledge in taking this on. We are also working closely with a water safety team to help manage and minimise the risks and help keep us all safe.
“All funds raised will be spilt 50/50 between the two charities. We would really appreciate your support to cross the channel and you can support us here https://gofund.me/f6f19db3.”
Kerry Anderson from Air Ambulance NI commented:
“It’s inspiring that these four friends are taking on such a unique challenge for their chosen causes. At Air Ambulance NI we rely on people doing events and challenges in aid of the charity every day, this one is certainly different. We wish them every success and safety for their crossing and encourage the public to support them.”
Air Ambulance NI, is a charity in Northern Ireland. They work in partnership with the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS), to provide the Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) for the region.
The RNLI is the charity that saves lives at sea. Powered primarily by kind donations, their search and rescue service has been saving lives for nearly 200 years.