Milan Half Marathon in aid of Youthlife and Little Orchids

Myself and a group of my friends will be running the Milano Half Marathon on the 24th November in aid of two charities close to my heart, Youthlife and Little Orchids.

Youthlife is a charity based in Derry providing vital, free support to young people aged 5-25 who have been affected by bereavement, separation, divorce or loss of a significant person. In August this year, my younger cousin, Kían Dawson-Kirk and his cousin, Eoghán Dawson sadly lost their lives in a car accident aged 16 and 20 respectively. As well as providing well needed funding for the great work Youthlife do in helping roughly 200 young people, the money we can hopefully raise can be used for the timely support of those who knew and loved Kían and Eoghán. Visit www.youthlife.org for more information on Youthlife.

Little Orchids is a charitable children’s centre providing crucial therapeutic intervention and support for 2-4 year old children with complex needs and their families. These children are unable to attend other early years settings due to their high needs. The money we can hopefully raise for Little Orchids will go towards the general upkeep of the under-funded centre as well as specialised equipment and training for the parents of the children. This vital community service also happens to be managed by my angel of a mother. For more information on Little Orchids, see www.littleorchidscentre.co.uk.

If you can, please donate whatever you see fit to support what I believe to be two more than worthy causes. If you’re not able to donate, don’t worry, sharing the link for the fundraiser/charity websites is just as important to raise awareness and funding for these two important services.

Thanks in advance to those who choose to donate or spread awareness,

Ruairi