Novice runners raise £10,500 in memory of Kyra

THREE Drumquin siblings have raised a phenomenal £10,570 for Air Ambulance NI after participating in the Belfast Marathon.

The achievement is even more remarkable given that Honour (26), Andrew (25) and Calvin Nethery (23) hadn’t ran much more than 5km prior to taking on the 26.2-mile event in May.

The Netherys chose to support Air Ambulance NI following the death of their family friend, Kyra McKinley, who died following a road collsion near Omagh in 2018.

Speaking about the challenge, Honour said, “We know how valuable the AANI service is within the local community particularly in rural areas, where we are from, so we are delighted to be able to support them in this way.

“We are so delighted to have raised such an amazing amount of money for Air Ambulance NI and would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who supported our fundraising challenge!”

Grace Williams, area fundraising manager, commented, “We are delighted that the Honour, Andrew and Calvin decided to support Air Ambulance Northern Ireland, through their first ever marathon challenge.

“As a service we rely heavily on charitable donations to keep the medical team in the air, delivering critical care to patients who have suffered trauma throughout Northern Ireland – without continued support, the team simply couldn’t fly.

With a daily fundraising need of £5,500, we are so grateful to everyone who supported the Nethery’s fundraising efforts. I want to extend a huge ‘Thank you’ to Honour, Andrew and Calvin for taking on this epic challenge and for this amazing support!”

The HEMS team attend patients who are seriously ill or injured, bringing emergency pre-hospital care direct to the casualty with the aim of saving lives, brains and limbs. Air Ambulance NI work in partnership with the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service to provide this service.

You can find out more about the charity and help them to raise vital funds by visiting www.airambulanceni.org alternatively you can contact Air Ambulance NI directly by emailing info@airambulanceni.org or calling 028 9262 2677.