Northern Ireland Circumference Bike Challenge 2008
Congrataulations to Martin, Jim, John and Mark from the Police Ombudsman's Office who raised over £1600 pounds on their cycle run around Northern Ireland. This was a magnificent achievment and, in addition to money collected en-route, sponsorship continues to roll in.
These four fit men cycled around the coast and border of Northern Ireland – a total distance of about 380 miles – in under four days to raise money for the Northern Ireland Association for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus (NIASBAH). The challenge began on Friday 29 August when the four - John Larkin, the Police Ombudsman’s Director of Investigations, Deputy Senior Investigation Officer Martin Brennan, and Investigation Officers Mark McConnell and Jim McIlveen - set off from Belfast on the first leg of their clockwise circumnavigation of Northern Ireland.
The initiative was inspired by four-year-old Hannah Black, daughter of Stephen Black, who is also an investigator in the Police Ombudsman’s Office.
Hannah has spina bifida and hydrocephalus, and Stephen says ASBAH’s support has been invaluable to her, as well as to himself and his wife Fionnuala.He said he was delighted that colleagues in the Police Ombudsman’s Office were giving up their free time and taking on such a difficult challenge to raise funds for the charity. “I don’t know how we’d have coped without ASBAH’s help, and this is our way of saying thank you for everything you’ve done for us,” said Stephen.
But while fundraising was the main objective, Stephen also hoped to raise awareness of ASBAH so that other families affected can access the services they provide.
“I remember when we were told that Hannah would have spina bifida and hydrocephalus,” said Stephen. “We went for Fionnuala’s 20 week scan and the doctor broke the news to us that Hannah would never walk. But then he told us that she would also be brain damaged. “When we heard those words we thought the worst – we knew we could cope with her not being able to walk, but brain damage was a whole lot more worrying.”
Stephen explained that it was only when a consultant put them in touch with ASBAH that they began to realise that in most cases hydocephalus doesn’t cause severe brain damage. “In fact, it is often called the hidden disability and in most cases, unless you knew someone was affected, you would have no indication from their behaviour that they had the condition,” said Stephen. “Thankfully that is exactly how it has worked out for Hannah. She’s just an ordinary little four-year-old girl, except she uses a wheelchair to get about. She’s in her second year at Fleming Fulton nursery school and her recent school report described her as happy, sociable, outgoing and chatty.”
The support provided by ASBAH to the family over the past four and a bit years has included access to support workers who have been able to educate them about the condition. ASBAH has also advised about the range of grants that are available, and provided help with filling in the “mountains of forms” required to access them.
In addition, they have put Stephen and Fionnuala in touch with a support network of other families affected by the condition, and have organised summer barbeques, Christmas parties, parents meetings and the Wheelie Club for kids in wheelchairs. “And if we’re having a bad day, we can just ring our ASBAH support worker and chat to her,” said Stephen. “They have been there for us throughout, they have been great.”
John Larkin, the Police Ombudsman’s Director of Investigations and one of the four cyclists, said Hannah was “a fantastic little girl and a real inspiration.”
And guess who was at the start to see them off? Well Hannah, of course and to prove it, there she is in the photo with her four fit men.
Anyone wishing to sponsor John and his fellow cyclists can do still so through their donations website, which is http://www.justgiving.com/martinbrennan1.
Footnote: Stephen, his wife Fionnuala, Fionnula's mum, Hannah and her brother and sister accompanied the cyclists throughout the four days of their ride and were the back-up team doing the collection en route.
Posted 01 October, 2009 06:45:46 GMT