Friends of Aengus Lyons start campaign to ‘bring him home’
‘FRIENDS of Aengus Lyons’ are beginning a fundraising campaign that they hope can raise €50,000 to help their friend move home.
A number of his friends are undertaking the gruelling 650km cycle from Mizen Head to Malin Head next week to kickstart their new campaign.
Aengus Lyons is a 37 year old man from Ballygawley. In February 2014, Aengus was playing indoor football and his life changed forever. Aengus slipped and hit his head against the wall and damaged his spinal cord. Aengus suffered cardiac arrest. He spent the next four and a half years in the Mater Hospital, the National Rehabilitation Hospital and Sligo University Hospital. He is paralysed from the neck down.
The ‘Friends of Aengus Lyons’ group is a group of Aengus’ many friends who came together in November 2014 with the intention of fundraising for Aengus. To date they have successfully raised much needed funds for Aengus which has so far allowed him to purchase his own wheelchair accessible van. The group of friends raised this money by completing a ‘ Twin Peaks Challenge’ in 2015 which saw them scale the heights of Mount Snowdon in Wales and Mount Errigal in Donegal. In 2016 they held a successful ‘Mystery Movie Night and Giant Raffle’ and there have been table quizzes, and other events as well as on-going online donations. In July of this year, after 4 and a half years, Aengus left the hospital system.
He now resides in Woodhaven Therapy Centre on the Strandhill Road, Sligo. It is thanks to the amazing generosity of the people of Sligo, Ireland and across the world that Aengus can begin the process of building his own purpose built house. The Friends of Aengus Lyons have come together again with the intention of raising €50,000 which will ‘Bring Him Home’. This is the title of the ‘Friends of Aengus Lyons’ latest fundraising challenge.
Friends of Aengus – Bring him Home, fundraising kicks off with the first in a series of events on Thursday, August 23rd, where two of Aengus’ friends; Terence Cosgrove and Richard Kilfeather, amongst others, will take part in a 650 km cycle from Mizen Head to Malin Head. The cycle will be done over three days. On Day 1 they will cycle 220km from Mizen Head to Limerick. On Day 2 they will cycle 220km from Limerick to Sligo and on Day 3 they will cycle 200km from Sligo To Malin Head.
Friends of Aengus Lyons are asking the people of Sligo and the world to support the Mizen to Malin Charity Cycle and help Aengus with his new purpose built home project and donate what you can. Some funds have been raised, but Aengus will need an additional €50,000 to help cover the cost of the build. Each and every donation no matter how big or small will help and is appreciated. Donations can be made via www. friendsofaengus.com