Billy Lord: the schoolboy who raised over €35k for Cuan
The Anglo-Celt Community & Sports Awards, in partnership with Mannok and Kingspan, will take place this Thursday evening in the Cavan Crystal Hotel. Billy Lord is a finalist for Volunteer of the Year...
Billy Lord, the 12-year-old who cycled 123km to raise money for Cuan Cancer Care, hardly needs an introduction as a nominee in the Volunteer of the Year award category.
The sixth class pupil was also nominated in this year’s national Young Humanitarian of the Year Awards.
When he travelled to Dublin for the ceremony last week, Tánaiste Simon Harris introduced himself to the young fundraiser he had read all about and praised Billy for his endeavours for cancer sufferers.
When Billy’s mum, Stephanie, had to undergo cancer treatment last year, she says Cuan “were fantastic” supporting her and her family throughout.
“They run a brilliant children’s programme, which Billy and his brother got a lot out of,” Stephanie told the Celt.
Originally, Billy who is a keen cyclist with Breffni Wheelers, decided to ride 100 kms to raise €1,000 for Cuan Cancer Support Services. At most, he would’ve cycled 60km or so with his club.
Then, Stephanie worked out that the exact distance between the Cuan Centre in Tullymongan to the Beacon Hospital in Dublin, where she received her treatment, is 123kms, so it was decided Billy would take on that route for the charity that had helped the Lord family when they needed it.
It took Billy seven hours with mum riding in the support car and making sure he had food and rest breaks, but he was still ahead of schedule when cyclist friends came to meet him at the 100km mark at Lisgrey House.
And when he and his dad approached the Cuan Centre, cyclists, well-wishers and friends were there to cheer him on the last stretch of his epic undertaking.
The iDonate page set up for people to contribute to the fundraiser totalled a massive €35,578 for the local support charity. And even better news is the fact that Billy’s mum, Stephanie is now cancer-free.
When the Celt asked Billy if he was proud of his achievement done in his mum’s name, he played it down as “it’s good, yeah.”
But super-proud Stephanie knows that what her child did will benefit so many Cavan families like hers in and to her that’s “enormous”.
Cuan offers a range of free complementary counselling and therapies to people or family members who are on their cancer journey.
With special thanks to our partners and sponsors in these awards - Mannok, Kingspan, Sherry FitzGerald Declan Woods, Cavan Crystal Hotel, Dovida, Kyte Powertech, CICS Silo Clean and Joe Rowley Windows