Local lads pedal round NI to raise a quick £4k

Four members of Scarva based Velo Club Iveagh took to their bikes in the vision4kids, Long Way Home cycle challenge, and raised £4,000 for proverty stricken children in Kenya.
By The Newsroom
Published 27th Jun 2014, 07:49 BST
VC Iveagh members Dan, Gordon Mark Shilliday, Paul Jackson the Long Way Home organizer, Jonny Cromie and Davy Cartmill on the completion of the three day, 365 mile lap around Northern Ireland event.VC Iveagh members Dan, Gordon Mark Shilliday, Paul Jackson the Long Way Home organizer, Jonny Cromie and Davy Cartmill on the completion of the three day, 365 mile lap around Northern Ireland event.
VC Iveagh members Dan, Gordon Mark Shilliday, Paul Jackson the Long Way Home organizer, Jonny Cromie and Davy Cartmill on the completion of the three day, 365 mile lap around Northern Ireland event.

Dan Gordon, Mark Shilliday, Jonny Cromie and Davy Cartmill cycled a gruelling 365 mile lap of Northern Ireland over just three days.

Day one took them from Dungannon to Belfast covering 133 miles via Armagh, Newry, Kilkeel, Newcastle, Portaferry, Bangor and Newtownards with an overnight stop at the Corrs Corner Hotel. Day two was a hilly 129 miles from Belfast to Londonderry via Larne, Cushendall, Cushendun, over Torr Head, Ballycastle, Bushmills, Portrush, Portstewart and Castlerock.

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The third and final day covered 103 miles from Londonderry to Dungannon via Strabane and Enniskillen.

In all, 45 cyclists took part and raised £21,000.

As the vision4kids team are all volunteers and cover running costs via other supporters, 100% of all donations made to the event will go directly to projects working amongst the boys and girls. These projects are in a small Kenyan village called Kiambururu where a vision4kids team member and local man called Samson leads the work.

As a Christian children’s charity, it is the team’s aim to show God’s love through practical supporting and giving focusing on Education, Health and Poverty relief.

In Kiambururu, the team work closely with four primary schools and have helped through providing uniforms, shoes, Bibles and books; installing water tanks to collect rain water for drinking; repairs and maintenance; extra tuition for some of the children; supporting a school meals programme; conducting Bible lessons and RE classes and have also set-up a child sponsor programme for some of the poorest and orphaned of the village.

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The funds from the event will be used on new school uniforms and shoes, the construction of two new classrooms at Blessed Hill Academy and a new roof on the existing buildings, the school meals programme for 50 children at Kiambururu PS for the next 12 months, new water tanks to collect rain at Blessed Hill Academy. Mithandi and Njuno Primary schools.

God willing the team plan to run the cycling event again next year as Long Way Home 2015. Keep up to date at www.vision4kids.org.

The four VC Iveagh members extend their thanks to all who supported them.

Related topics:KenyaBelfast