Don’s run brings in €21,000 for Alzheimer’s

It was back to a familiar old stomping ground for marathon man Don Thornton on Friday night.

In 1997, Don was a key member of the Drogheda side which won the FAI Youth Cup, beating St Joseph’s 2-1.

Now, he was back at United Park to take the acclaim of Louth soccer fans for his running prowess.

Don recently completed his one-year running challenge -10k a day for 365 consecutive days.

He did so to raise funds for the local branch of the Alzheimer Society. And he has so far topped the €21,000 mark -much more than his target -- to help the branch’s quest to provide a new day care centre for the town.

Don was presented with a special commemorative scroll on Friday night by the branch to show its gratitude for his efforts and achievement.

Also on Friday night, a cheque for €1,000 was presented to branch chairman Noel Heeney and fund-raising chairman, Ann Shortt, by the Louth and Meath branches of the Irish Soccer Referees’ Society who opposed each other in a recent charity match.