Rory’s Miles to Mayo 2 – Charity Walk in Aid of Cancer Fund for Children
Rory’s Miles to Mayo 2 – Charity Walk in Aid of Cancer Fund for Children
Today we hear from Child Maintenance Service colleague Alan Henderson who works within Northern Ireland Operations, about his recent volunteering experience supporting Rory Best in his second ‘Miles to Mayo’ Challenge in aid of Cancer Fund for Children.
“On the 16th of May 2023 I was part of the coordination team helping Rory Best and his wife Jodie complete a 330km walk from the Aviva Stadium Dublin, home of Ireland rugby, to Cong in Mayo. This is the planned site of a second Daisy Lodge, a custom-built facility to provide therapeutic respite for children with cancer and their families.
The challenge started at the Aviva Stadium and over the next 10 days took us through the eight counties of Dublin, Kildare, Laois, Tipperary, Limerick, Clare, Galway, and Mayo. The aim was to raise two million Euro to allow building work on the new facility to begin by the end of the year. I was part of a team of six responsible for traffic control and driving support vehicles to ensure the teams safety.
During the challenge we were joined by leading figures in the world of Irish sport and entertainment, as well as families who have used the facilities at Daisy Lodge. Throughout, the most inspirational people were the service users themselves. Children like Naomi, who walked from the Aviva to Crumlin with Rory. Then had to get her treatment. Penney who made her Holy Communion on the Saturday and joined the walk in her dress. Then there were two 15-year-old boys called Alex, who walked while talking about their personal cancer journeys. And the two Dan’s, only 4 years old, but showed what fight they had in them to walk a short distance to show Rory that they supported him. They were the stars that made what we were doing all too real.
Completing the 10 days was tough on the feet and legs, but the spirit within the group was amazing and kept us going, it is something I will never forget. The amount of people that came out to support and cheer the walk along the way gave it a great buzz and helped push you on that bit more. To know you played a small part in getting this facility off the ground is something that fills me with a huge sense of pride.
As I write this, the total raised sits around 1.1 million Euros, with the hope still to meet the target in the coming months. If you would like to donate, you can do so at rorysmiles2mayo.com or at cancerfundforchildren.com and follow the link to RorysM2M (unfortunately you cannot access the donation page from a work device). All help is greatly appreciated. Cancer Fund for Children’s mantra is that no child on the island of Ireland should face cancer alone. We can help make this happen.”
Included below are videos demonstrating the amazing work undertaken by Cancer Fund for Children and just some of the reasons why Rory, and Alan got involved with the charity.
My Friend Rory | Cancer Fund for Children | Adam's Story - YouTube
The Walk | Cancer Fund for Children | Rory's Miles 2 Mayo - YouTube
Daisy Lodge Site in Cong - YouTube