Saoirse’s fun run to help Chernobyl kids

WEXFORD ROSE Saoirse Walsh is holding a 5 km run in the John F Kennedy Arboretum park on Sunday, January 20, for a Chernobyl Children’s Asylum in Belarus which she will be a volunteer in February.

The 2018 winning Rose of Tralee, Kirsten Mate Maher, and 18 other Roses including Saoirse, are travelling to Belarus to volunteer at the Vesnova Asylum for five days in February.

The run is in aid of Adi Roche’s Chernobyl Children International and all funds raised will go to the asylum.

Saoirse, from Campile, is a keen runner who raised over €1,000 for MS Ireland at the Dublin City Marathon last year.

She said she is excited to be hosting the 5km Wexford Rose Fun Run. ‘We will be staying in Vesnova Children’s Mental Asylum/Orphanage for the duration of the visit. We will also be visiting a few places to see how the charity helps victims in the community and to give us an idea on how people live over there.’

There are 170 children in the orphanage ranging in ages from four to 18 and some older children that are kept on to help out in the orphanage.

‘Like their ages, their medical problems range from severe deformities and mental issues, right up to mild mental effects with no physical problems. While there, we hope to show the kids some one-to-one love and attention which they so rarely get.

‘From running my own Creative Kids Summer Camp since 2010 [which focuses on art, music and drama], I’m really looking forward to bringing these skills to Vesnova and working with the children there. I’m really excited to be hosting my first run and hopefully raising as much as I did for MS Ireland in the Dublin Marathon when, people were extremely generous.’