Torrent cyclists ‘cheque-out’ with £38,000 for worthy causes

THE huge effort by the cyclists of the Torrent CC club in conquering the 380 miles ride from Mizen to Malin raised a staggering £38,000, that has been split equally between Sperrinview Special School and Air Ambulance NI.

Both organisations were delighted with the fantastic donations of £19,000 each, that were presented in a night of celebration for the dedicated bikers at Gervin’s Bar in Coalisland.

The club members were thrilled to hear that Sperrinview School is putting the money towards a new pod class to be used as a sensory room that will be named the ‘Torrent Room’.

The school currently caters for 146 pupils with severe learning difficulties, from pre-school to 19 years-old. The Torrent Room will incorporate the most up to date equipment that will greatly enhance the learning experience of the young people.

Air Ambulance NI is a charity that provides the Helicopter Emergency Medical (HEMS) service for the region. The air borne medics attend the worst trauma and medical incidents across the region every day of the year.

Damien McAnespie who accepted the donation on behalf of Air Ambulance NI, explained that it takes £2million a year to keep the service operational, that is £5,500 a day.

Since its inception in July 2017 until December 2021, it has been tasked over 3,000 times, an average of two call-outs per day. Over 245 of those call outs were to the Mid Ulster council area.

Paula McGurk of Torrent CC said, “The cycle was an outstanding success from start to finish. Everything went like clockwork with good weather and cycling conditions.

“We are delighted with the donations and had a great night. Representatives of Sperrinview Special School and Air Ambulance NI explained how the money will be spent and they were very grateful.

“It is a great honour that the new classroom pod will be named after the cycling club. As well it was lovely to hand over the cheque to the Air Ambulance on their fifth anniversary”. The cyclists were also presented with inscribed plaques in recognition of their incredible efforts in completing the marathon journey. Paula added, “We had a lovely night with family and friends. It was great to hand over the cheques to two very worthy causes”.