Ever heard of charity starts at home? I was one of the 350 bog runners who took part in a fun-filled adventure around Castlewellan Forest Park. On the 8th of October, it was time to get absolutely boggin’!!!
Bogs, swampy mud, bridges, underground tunnels, forests, lakes? Swam, ran, waddled? We did it all!
I recently started a part time job in a local café- ‘The Oakley Fayre’. When I started, the team were in the middle of organising a sponsored bog run for charity. The charity was ‘Cancer Fund for Children’.
We all live in a world where we think ‘oh it’ll never happen to me’. Every week in Northern Ireland three children or young people are diagnosed with cancer. Shocked? So was I… Together as a team, we managed to raise £1654 for Cancer Fund for Children.
So who exactly are they?
Cancer Fund for Children is the leading local charity that provides practical, emotional and financial support to children and young people aged 0 to 24 affected by cancer and their families. They offer free therapeutic short breaks to families from Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland at Daisy Lodge in Newcastle Co. Down and self-catering breaks at Pine, Birch and Oak Cottages in Coleraine. Their team of specialists offer support basically anywhere- at home, in the community, on the hospital ward, in their short break facility and during residential breaks at their purpose-built Narnia log cabin. The Cancer Fund for Children charity understands the impact cancer has on the whole family. They support children who have been diagnosed with cancer as well as their siblings and parents. They also offer support to children whose parent has been diagnosed with cancer.
Why are Cancer Fund for Children needed so much?
Every week in Northern Ireland, another three children, teenagers or young adults, aged between 0-24 years old, are diagnosed with cancer. Cancer Fund for Children understands the devastating impact a cancer diagnosis and treatment can have on the whole family and that beyond the essential clinical care there is a family life that needs to be rebuilt, supported and guided. The team of experienced specialists at Cancer Fun for Children help families cope with the impact cancer has on their lives and they support them throughout life, both during and after treatment, and sadly in some cases, bereavement.
Why not get involved or donate?
The children and families that the charity support are at the heart of everything they do. It is up to us in the public to continue to donate a bit of time out of our hectic lifestyles to step back and think ‘one day this could be me facing this horrific illness?’ or ‘it could be someone I love and care about that it happens to’. With this in mind, there are various ways in which we can donate to this amazing charity that is in the heart of our homes in Northern Ireland.
Cancer Fund for Children organise a wide range of different events that you can get involved in. There is anything from ‘Winter Woolly Walks’ to ‘Funsie in a Onesie’ workdays. Click here to check out their website to get involved in some of the events for this amazing cause.
Alternatively if you don’t have enough time to take part in an event, you can simply donate via telephone on 028 9080 5599 or via their website by clicking here.
Check out this short video below to see exactly what the bog run entailed… why not give it a go yourself?
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Aimee Rourke is a final year BSc in Communication, Advertising & Marketing student at Ulster University. She can be contacted on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aimee-rourke-593013109/