Army pulling power to help charities
MEMBERS OF Wexford’s Army Barracks will take part in an artillery gun pull for charity later this month.
The group of 30 to 40 soldiers, from the 3rd Infantry Battalion, will work in teams of six to pull the gun from Enniscorthy to Wexford, to raise money for two organisations - the Jack and Jill Foundation, and the Marie Keating Foundation.
Representatives from both charities recently attended a launch for the event which was held in Wexford Army Barracks.
The event takes place on September 22, starting at 10 a.m. and Comdt Enda McDonald explained that each member had a sponsorship card while they were also encouraging people to donate directly to the charities.
‘We chose these two charities because of personal relevance. One of our members was suffering from cancer and another member’s child has been sick so we chose both of these charities in solidarity with them.’
He explained that a gun pull of this type hadn’t been done since the 1990s, explaining that the gun was an antique unit and newer artillery guns were a lot heavier.
Cmdt McDonald expects the pull to take around five hours at a steady pace, pointing out that he had walked 20k with scouts during the summer and that had taken around four hours. The group will pull the gun in full military regalia.
They plan to start in the ALDI carpark in Enniscorthy at 10 a.m., proceed through the town, across the bridge and on to Wexford where they will make their way through the town and back to their barracks.
The key aim is to raise funds and awareness of the two nationwide charities.
‘We just want to do as much as we can for the charities. It’s one little burst for a couple of hours. You never know when you might need the help of these organisations.’