Out on a limb Daunting trek to elderly mother

Mary Radleigh, 61, from Sandbach in Cheshire, grew up in Northern Ireland. Her mother, sister and brothers still live there.

Ms Radleigh’s mother, who is 97, lives in her own home and Ms Radleigh’s brother looks after her full time. She suffers from poor mobility and sight issues.

Ms Radleigh, a former carer and now part-time exam invigilator, tries to visit at least three times a year. This gives her brother a much-needed break.

Ms Radleigh prefers to take flights from Liverpool Airport to Belfast International Airport. She frequently travels from Heathrow to Belfast when this is not possible. She fears that the pause on short-haul flights with British Airways will make it difficult to secure flights, and she will be forced to travel by water if she wants to reach her family. She will have to drive from Cheshire to Holyhead in Wales, then catch a ferry to Dublin before making the journey to her mother’s home in Banbridge, County Down.

Ms Radleigh has previously taken ferries to Ireland from Scotland, which is a long journey by car from Cheshire. “Ferry travel is expensive. I much prefer to fly,” she said.

“There’s no way I could rely solely on ferries to get me to Northern Ireland.

“My mother is not great on her feet, can no longer drive and has poor eyesight. If anything happened to her, then a flight would be best as she is Catholic and would be buried within three days.”