Leading local health charity, Northern Ireland Chest Heart & Stroke (NICHS) celebrated the launch of their annual event, the Red Dress Fun Run, at Stormont Estate this week.
The Red Dress Fun Run, supported by MACE and Musgrave MarketPlace, is a five kilometre event which aims to raise funds for the charity’s care and prevention services and research, as well as awareness for heart disease. What makes the event different is that it is an all-inclusive fun run and people of every generation, age and ability are encouraged to take part by running, walking, dancing, skipping or wheeling the route.
Northern Ireland Chest Heart & Stroke’s vision is a Northern Ireland free from chest, heart and stroke conditions and the charity is leading the fight against these illnesses by funding ground-breaking research and providing life-saving prevention and care services. The charity relies on local support, with almost 90% of their services funded by public donations. The funds raised from this years Red Dress Fun Run will help ensure NICHS can continue to support the thousands of local people who are living with chest, heart and stroke related conditions.
Last year the charity hosted their biggest and most successful Red Dress Fun Run to date, with just under 600 participants coming together at the live event at Stormont, as well as the virtual version which saw participants taking part in their local area, and raising a staggering £50,000 to combat heart disease. The same format remains for 2023, allowing people who can’t make it to the main event to complete 5K their way during the month of February.
NICHS ambassador and firefighter Graham Ross from Whitehead will be taking part for the sixth year running in memory of his father.
Graham always brings the fun to the event and loves, in his words, “dressing up like an eejit and doing silly things if it helps raise awareness and funds for our local heart charity.”
In 2021 Graham ran dressed as DC Comic hero The Flash as part of the virtual event, and in 2022, he stepped out at Stormont as Spider-Man, a role he will reprise this year!
Graham explains:
“I lost my dad in 2016 and with every step I take, I get a chance to remember him and raise money to help fight against heart disease. I hope he will be proud of me. I also run for my little daughter Eva. Being fit and healthy means everything to me and I hope I can inspire other local families, all generations, to join in the fun this February and take positive steps to keep well both mentally and physically.”
Tara Currie, Events and Marketing Manager at NICHS, is urging the public to sign up to the event saying:
“Sadly, four people in Northern Ireland die every day from heart disease and coronary heart disease is the biggest single cause of premature deaths in the under 75s. So please come run, walk, dance, skip or wheel 5K with us on Sunday 26th February 2023 at Stormont Estate, or if you can’t make the live event you can support us by doing 5k your way any day, or over days, in February.
"Dress red, wear your heart on your sleeve to remember a loved one and together we can help rebuild thousands of lives and make a lasting change towards heart health in Northern Ireland. Everyone is welcome to come along and join in the fun - even the family pooch!”
The charity will once again partner with MACE for the 2023 event and is also delighted to welcome sister company Musgrave MarketPlace as a supporter.
Diane Anthony from Musgrave says:
“MACE and Musgrave MarketPlace are both backing NICHS’s call for people to dress up in red and wear their heart on their sleeve at this year’s event, which is set to be fantastic. Whether you’re taking part in memory of someone you have lost to heart disease, celebrating someone who is living with a heart condition, or to prevent heart disease happening to someone in the future – sign up and join us to support this worthy cause!”
Primary school pupils are also invited to join in by hosting their own fun run anytime this February. Each school that takes part will receive a certificate of thanks to show how much they raised and there is an opportunity to win some fantastic prizes.
If you have been inspired to step up to the challenge you can sign up to the Red Dress Fun Run at www.nichs.org.uk/RedDressFunRun. A special early bird offer runs until the end of January.
You can find out more about getting your primary school involved at www.nichs.org.uk/PSRedDressFunRun.