Members of Windmill Wheelers Cycling Club in Elphin have raised more than €8,000 for the Sunflower Children’s Hospice, bringing the total amount raised by the club for charities and community initiatives to more than €100,000 since it was established in 2015.
The club raised funds through a combination of a members’ draw and the club’s annual Windmill Classic sportive, which took place in June. The Windmill Classic attracted 140 cyclists from across Ireland, who took on either the 60km or 120km route as part of the fundraising event.
The money raised will support the development of the Sunflower Children’s Hospice in Castlebar, which will provide specialist palliative care and support to children with life-limiting illnesses, as well as their parents, siblings, and wider families, across eight counties on the western seaboard.
Damien Devaney, spokesperson for Windmill Wheelers Cycling Club, said, “Windmill Wheelers are delighted to present a cheque for more than €8,000 to support Sunflower Children’s Hospice. We hope this donation will help Sunflower Children’s Hospice get one step closer to opening its doors and providing much-needed support to children and families across the west of Ireland.
“We would like to sincerely thank all of the club members, cyclists and supporters who contributed to the fundraiser, as well as everyone who helped in so many ways to make the Windmill Classic and the wider fundraising campaign such a success.”
Martina Jennings, CEO of Mayo-Roscommon Hospice Foundation, said, “We are incredibly grateful to the members of Windmill Wheelers for this wonderful donation and for choosing to support Sunflower Children’s Hospice.”
We would like to thank Damien, the Windmill Wheelers team, and everyone who took part, donated, or helped make the fundraiser happen”, she concluded.
Sunflower Children’s Hospice will be the first children’s hospice to be built outside Dublin, and the first of its kind to be constructed in Ireland since 2011. A site has already been secured in Castlebar, with the Government and HSE committed to supporting clinical governance.
Pictured at the presentation are Jim Keane, Brian Farrell, Marie Cox, Ollie McGuiness (board member, Mayo-Roscommon Hospice Foundation), Barbara Devaney, Damien Devaney, and Gary Brennan.
