A Ballymena woman and her husband have raised a total of £1,221after completing a marathon distance trek on the north coast in aid of NSPCC Northern Ireland.
Marianne Darragh and her husband Allan spent months eagerly training for the Giant’s Causeway Challenge, held on Saturday, July 17, to help raise vital funds for the children’s charity.
Marianne said:
“Allan and I had an early start setting off at 6:45am close to Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge. From there, we trekked through Ballintoy, White Park Bay, Dunseverick, the Giant’s Causeway, where we stopped for lunch and then Portballintrae, Whiterocks Beach, Portrush and finally, Portstewart at 6.15pm. The scenery was absolutely breathtaking across the different locations on the north coast, which certainly helped us keep moving!
“Neither of us expected the intense heatwave we experienced on the day, one of the hottest days ever recorded in Northern Ireland, which of course made it much more difficult. However, we persevered despite the hot temperatures and made it to the end! We were so delighted and relieved to cross the finish line, although our feet and legs at that point meant there wasn’t too much jumping around to celebrate!
“Allan and I are so proud to raise £1,221 in aid of NSPCC Northern Ireland, which will go on to help vulnerable children and young people across Northern Ireland. We would also like to thank the organisers of the challenge and everyone who helped us along the way and would encourage anyone to sign up for the challenge next year. It was a great experience and Allan and I will definitely keep up the trekking!”
Lauren Howard, Corporate Fundraising Executive at NSPCC Northern Ireland, said:
“We are delighted Marianne and Allan completed the marathon distance Giant’s Causeway Challenge. They showed incredible dedication through their training in the run-up to the event and amazing resilience completing the challenge, despite the difficult hot weather.
“We are so grateful to them for raising over £1,000 in aid of NSPCC Northern Ireland, which will help us to continue to support children and young people.”
To discuss other fundraising opportunities, contact NSPCC NI on 028 90351135 or email northernirelandappeals@nspcc.org.uk
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