A ‘Giant’ effort for three local charities

SEVERAL members of Omagh Accies and their friends are planning on tackling a mountainous challenge this weekend in an effort to raise money for three charities.

Mervyn Edgar, Stewart McCain, Ali Beckett, Adrian Hamilton, Gary Dickson, Jason Armstrong and Peter Alcorn started their quest at 6am this morning (Friday, August 8th) when they took their first steps during a 36 hour challenge to walk up to Darach: The Guardian Giant of Mullaghcarn at the top of the Gortin Glens and back down again 17 times, covering around 120 kilometres and a vertical ascent greater than Mount Everest’s 8850m in the process!

Over the last two years, the group of friends have raised over £20,000 for local charities by completing a range of endurance challenges, but this year’s odyssey is their biggest one yet.

With such an ordeal ahead of them, the friends are hoping that members of the general public will come along and join them for a leg or two of their mammoth hike this weekend.

They plan to start each leg every two hours and they would be more than happy to accept any help and support on offer.

“It will be tough, but as I keep saying to myself ‘it’s only walking’ but when you’re talking 17 times up and 17 times down and around 120 kilometres, the legs will be hanging off you!,” exclaimed one of the participants, Mervyn Edgar.

“It will definitely be a challenge but we’re hoping that when it’s a walking challenge you’ll get more people to come and do a leg with you.

“Having someone different walking with you for part of it, you have something different to talk about rather than the same six or seven people trying to make conversation for 36 hours!

“It should be good though. If we can get a lot of people involved, families and stuff, it will help.”

Anyone interested in making a donation to their fundraising efforts in aid of the three local charities – Young Lives Vs Cancer, NI Children’s Hospice and MND Association NI – can do so by visiting https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/thegiantchallenge or in person on the day.

“The charitable donations we have made in the past have been greatly appreciated by all who we have supported,” added Mervyn.

“If you can make a donation, no matter how small, we know that it can be put to great use by these charities to help people in our community,” the group said.