Tyrone man recognised for raising money for lifesaving charity

A Sixmilecross man has been nominated for a major award for his fundraising efforts for Air Ambulance Northern Ireland after they helped save his life.

Leonard Mullin, 51, fell down the stairs at home in June 2022, sustaining a severe spinal injury and losing consciousness. Neighbours, family, and emergency services rushed to his aid, with the Air Ambulance flying him to the Spinal Unit at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast.

When Leonard woke six days later, unable to move and surrounded by medical equipment, it marked the start of a long and challenging rehabilitation journey.

He spent three months in the Royal Victoria Hospital, where he relearned basic functions like breathing independently, swallowing, and sitting upright.

This was followed by a four-month stay in Musgrave Park Hospital under the care of their occupational and physiotherapy teams.

In January 2023, he moved to Fairfields Care Centre in Cookstown, where he continues to make progress.

Today, Leonard has regained some movement and sensation, and has gone from a push wheelchair to a chin-controlled chair, with a joystick-controlled wheelchair now on order.

His determination, combined with the support of his care team, has inspired his fundraising mission for Air Ambulance Northern Ireland – an organisation that costs £6,850 per day to run and relies entirely on donations to run the helicopter.

Leonard set himself a deeply personal fundraising challenge this year: handwriting a heartfelt letter of thanks to the Air Ambulance Northern Ireland team.

The letter, which expressed his gratitude for their incredible service and dedication, took several months to write and was  delivered to the team that helped him on the third anniversary of his accident.

Leonard has raised £18,720 to help keep the service running.

As a result, he has been named a finalist in the 2025 JustGiving Awards.

Leonard said: “I’ve never been nominated for an award before, so this is beyond exciting. Air Ambulance Northern Ireland does such fantastic work, saving lives daily. They can reach people in rural areas that regular ambulances might not get to in time, and I’m proud to do my bit to keep them flying. If my story can inspire even one person with a similar injury to keep pushing forward, then it’s worth it.”

Leonard is one of 20 people to be named as a JustGiving Awards finalist this year, after over 18,000 nominations were made by the general public.

To be nominated, entrants had to have used JustGiving to raise money for a charity or personal cause over the last 12 months.

The winners will be chosen by the public, with voting closing on August 31.

You can vote here for the winners of this year’s JustGiving Awards.