Gallant Challenge aims to breach €500K mark in 2023
A Cornafean man who raised €34,000 for a sponsored walk in aid of St Christopher’s Hospice in Cavan has paid tribute to the people of Cavan for their generosity.
Ciaran Weir organised the Gallant Walk, which is held every October bank holiday weekend, and is in its 17th year of collecting vital funds for the hospice. During that time, it and has raised €470,000 in total.
“Cavan is unbelievable for giving money to charity, especially to the hospice. We couldn’t have done it without them. People are very supportive of it because they know it’s local. We’re hoping to break the half-a-million barrier next time.”
He says the hospice is a fantastic facility for people to have in Cavan. The hospice is set to upgrade its facilities in 2023 to deliver a new 16-bed, state-of-the-art hospice on the outskirts of Cavan Town.
“We’re very lucky to have it here. Going forward with new development, it will be a great facility to have. It’s a place that everyone hopes they won’t have to go to, but it’s vital to have in the community. It hits home with a lot of people. Cancer has an impact on a lot of people. It’s like a pandemic of its own.”
Ciaran says he named it Gallant Challenge for two reasons - both of which centre around courage.
“I named it after the Gallant John Joe Reilly, who was from Cornafean, everyone in Cavan knows who he is. It also fits in with the patients in the hospice. They all have to show incredible strength and character with their brave battle against cancer.”
Ciaran says he is most grateful for all the help and support he has received from people in the area.
“We started off with 100 people but now there’s over 250. The people who got involved at the start are still involved. I’ve got lot of great help over the years, William Hughes has been with me since the start, he’s my co-organiser, and I’m lucky to have him. We’ve got a lot of good people to help us with things like road signs, stewards, making tea... The build-up is very busy, because we you don’t know how many participants we’ll have.”
Ciaran says participants are free to donate as little or as much as they want on the day of the Challenge.
“People pay in cash, it is a voluntary donation. They get a medal and hot food, a lot of walks are very professional with chips and timers. We haven’t gone that way yet, we’re open to going that way in the future.”
Ciaran says that, while the conditions can be rough, it’s a small price to pay due to the funds raised.
“It’s in October so the weather can be rough but people accept it. You have to think of the poor people in the hospice, who would love to come out and do the walk. It makes you realise how lucky you are.”
The Department of Health pledged €1M in funding for the new hospice development last year, planning permission for which is outstanding.