Events being held in Fiona’s memory
A local cancer support charity will benefit from a fundraising cycle challenge being undertaken in memory of the late Fiona Lee, a mother of four who lost her fight with cancer last August.
Her husband Con is taking on a gruelling three day cycle challenge with nine friends and some € 7,000 has already been raised with proceeds going to the Sligo Cancer Support Centre at Wine Street.
And, four other friends of Fiona ( 53) who sang with the centre’s choir are walking the Sligo camino in another fundraiser in Fiona’s memory.
Con and his cycling friends are setting off from Strandhill at 8am on Thursday, June 22nd, heading along the coast for Westport before cycling on to Galway on the 23rd with the return to Strandhil on Saturday, the 24th.
“It’s for a very worthy cause and to date some € 7,000 has been raised for the centre with more coming in all the time which is just fantastic.
“We have set up an online account where donations can be made. It will be a special and emotional journey and I’m so glad with the support shown for the event by my friends in cycling,” said Con, a retired Garda who lived with his wife and four children at Drinaghan, Knocknarea.
Con is a native of Ballyshannon, like his late wife, but spent nearly all of his Garda career stationed in Sligo.
The other cyclists taking part in the gruelling 500k challenge are Dominic Quinn, Willie O’Neill, Tom Heneghan, John Molloy, Sean Callagy, John Prunty, Rose Tully, Kerill Watters and Kevin McMorrow with Gary Rooney of Gary Cycles providing backup support.
Donations can be made through everydayhero.com/wildatlanticchallenge.
And four cancer survivors, Caitriona McGoldrick, Maria Campbell, Delores Carr and Sheila Gallagher who are part of a choir called Something to Sing About Sligo will traverse the Sligo Camino trail on July 1st in memory of Fiona and another member, Jo More Jones who also lost her fight with cancer.
The four women are also raising money for the Sligo Cancer Support Centre also along with North West Hospice and have set up a go fund page, Walking in Memory of Fiona and Jo where donations can be made.
Caitriona said:“We lost Fiona and Jo who were two members of the choir last year and decided to walk the Sligo Camino on July 1st in their memory whilst raising much- needed funds for charity.
“Our chosen charities are Sligo Cancer Support Centre and North West Hospice because they cared so well for both Fiona and Jo and their families during their illnesses.
“Fiona and Joe loved singing and were popular members of the choir which is made up of people who have been diagnosed with cancer, are undergoing treatment or who are on the road to recovery from it. We meet every Wednesday at the Sligo Cancer Support Centre at 7pm and there’s about 25 of us.
“We have sang with the Garda band in the past and every year we organise a fundraiser at St Joseph’s Church.
“Fiona and Jo are greatly missed. Right up to their last month or so they were singing with us.”
Some 600 or so will take part in the Sligo Camino 34km walk on July 1st from Dromahair to Coolaney.