By 
IN a way, Adrian Logan would rather be doing anything else on the morning of Saturday, November 29. A vertigo-inducing 150 feet abseil down Croke Park isn’t really his idea of a good time. Put it this way, he’s not doing it for the craic.
But the well-known broadcaster from Dungannon is setting aside his natural sense of trepidation all in aid of a very good cause – raising vital funds for Air Ambulance NI, a charity that requires an annual inflow of three million pounds to stay afloat.
For Adrian, there’s a sense of giving something back to a service that quite literally came to the rescue of a family member whose hopes of survival hung by a thread after he was gored by a bull at the Clogher Mart.
“I’ll tell you straight,” he explained. “My brother-in-law, Thomas Bowen, was gored at the Clogher Mart last May.
“He was given three minutes to live basically, and the air ambulance saved him. Whoever was monitoring the call sent the air ambulance and took him to the Royal Victoria.
“Thomas had very serious injuries but now he’s fully fit and well, thankfully.”
So while he’s rather nervous about the prospect of dangling in mid-air (it’s a ‘free’ abseil – no anchoring yourself to a wall), Logan will take the plunge alongside more than 40 other brave souls on what will hopefully be a relatively calm November’s day.
“I think Thomas stitched me up because they told him about this abseil in Croke Park and he said, ‘I know just the boy.’
“The air ambulance saved his life, so given I’m his brother-in-law, I couldn’t really refuse. I can’t say I’m looking forward to it – they’ve been trying to reassure me that the wind and the rain doesn’t affect things… to tell you the truth, I’m not particularly interested in getting all the details!”
At the coalface of Air Ambulance NI’s fundraising efforts in this part of the world is Aughnacloy man, Damien McAnespie. Damien himself isn’t partaking in the abseil – he quips that he’s still recovering from a 15,000 feet skydive in memory of his father Harry – but he’s wishing the best for all those taking the challenge at Croke Park.
“It’s a free abseil, so you’re not leaning against a building. You’re coming down from the Hogan Stand and relying on the rope to do everything. It’s the third biggest stadium in Europe and GAA fans will appreciate how high it can be at the top of the stadium.
“Fair play to everyone who’s doing it, including Adrian. He’s starting to think about it and he’s getting a bit nervous but he’s only too aware of the great work of the air ambulance.”
Another well-known participant in Tyrone GAA star Darragh Canavan, who is one of a ten-strong contingent from McAleer and Rushe getting themselves ready for the abseil.
“There’s ten members of staff from McAleer and Rushe taking part, and Darragh’s one of those people. It’s brilliant they’re taking time out of their busy schedules to support the charity – they’re long-term supporters of ourselves.
“It’s going to be different for Darragh, I’m sure.
“He’s no stranger to Croke Park but I’m not sure he’s ever thought about coming down it, so it’s something very unique and different for him too I’m sure.”
Ultimately, it’s about raising much-needed funds for a critically important service – keeping the helicopters flying comes at a cost, but it’s all worth it when lives are saved.
“It takes £3m a year to keep it going – the charity covers the two helicopters, the maintenance, insurance, fuel, pilots and the hanger costs. It equates to just over £8,000 daily, and it’s events such as the Croke Park abseil and ongoing support from our communities that hopefully help us reach this ambitious goal each and every year.”
You can support Adrian’s fundraising efforts here.
