Extreme North – The QUEST – 4 Half Marathons in 4 days

Do you want to join us in making a difference? We've set ourselves the challenge to complete the Extreme North 'QUEST' - 4 half-marathons in 4 days around Inishowen, on 15th-18th August.

We are raising money in aid of 3 local charities and every donation will help. Thank you in advance for your contribution to these causes that mean so much to us.

I, Seamus Mc Closkey and Paul Lynch will be doing the Extreme North 'QUEST' - 4 half-marathons in 4 days, for 3 very special charities - Foyle Hospice, Foyle Search & Rescue and Foyle Down Syndrome.

The charity which I have chosen specifically is Foyle Hospice. They do amazing work treating patients with life limiting illnesses, ensuring they are comfortable and pass peacefully. My sister passed away in the care of the Foyle Hospice 5 weeks ago therefore I hope this fundraiser will be a token of appreciation for the great work the staff provide.

Paul has chosen Foyle Down Syndrome Trust as his charity. FDST support and empower children and young people with Down Syndrome from birth to adulthood, to lead full, meaningful and productive lives and to help them reach their full potential, ensuring they take and enjoy their rightful place in community.

Paul’s daughter Ruby attended FDST for several years. She loved music therapy, play therapy, the sensory room and lots of other activities where she was always made feel so welcome. The support that FDST provided to Paul’s family was invaluable. After Ruby sadly passed away in 2018 they have remained involved with FDST and we are delighted to have an opportunity to fundraise for them.

Collectively myself and Paul are friends and colleagues at Foyle Search and Rescue. This charity was established with the aim of preserving life in and around the River Foyle 24 hours a day 365 days a year.

We never knew each other before joining Foyle Search and Rescue. I am from Dungiven and my background is I work as a Software Consultant and I am also an on-call Fire Fighter. Paul is an Engineer originally from Wicklow but now settled in the city. Collectively we have 11 years of service to the community. As with all our colleagues we have a shared passion and devotion to help people in their time of need.

One colleague in the rescue service showed me this quote: ”As you grow older you will realise you have two hands, one to help yourself and the other for helping others”. This has stuck with me since I read it, as it really captures the ethos of being a volunteer with Foyle Search and Rescue, taking time from your own personal life to help others.

There really isn’t any greater a feeling than being able to say I helped that person. For me personally it’s something my parents encouraged, as they both showed me that example in life which is where my determination to help people comes from. Paul and I are both coordinators with FSAR. I’m currently the boat coordinator and look after training volunteers on boat and jet ski whilst Paul is currently the sonar coordinator and is on our pager team which responds to emergency calls 24/7.

At Foyle Search and Rescue we average 300 calls a year to people in and around the river. The volunteers commit an enormous amount of hours to help provide an amazing service.

The 3 charities we have chosen are truly special and each in their own right provide great services to the community. It’s fair to say that economic changes and lifestyle changes mean that it’s harder for charities to get money, therefore we hope that making them beneficiaries of our event will help them and us continue to do the job we do.

We are hugely excited about the event and we would like to express thanks to everyone who has supported us, it really is greatly appreciated. There is no doubt that this will be our toughest challenge yet, but we will push through it knowing that we are doing it for 3 great causes. We are by no means super athletes, in the last 12 months we both joined STAR running club who have also been fantastic in helping us achieve our running goals.

On the final day (Sunday) of the event we will return to Derry to do a few extra miles for our charities. Starting at the Foyle Hospice passing Foyle Down Syndrome before finishing at Foyle Search and Rescue (approx. 5 miles). This will be an open invite to anyone who wishes to join us and celebrate these truly amazing charities.