In memory of Marian O Reilly

On June 24th this year Frank Corvan, Joe Grandinetti, Andrew Siddle and Aidan Delaney are taking on the chase the sun Ireland challenge, this is an epic 209miles with 3400m elevation in just 17 hours, we leave Belfast port at sunrise 4:45am and will aim to finish before sunset on the west coat in Enniscone at 22:13.

The Cavan Monaghan Palliative Care Fund was started in 1993. Initially, the idea was to provide funds for the purchase of equipment for the newly formed Palliative Care Team for County Cavan. Having set goals, the next priority was a vehicle to raise the money and in the early years a very well supported Golf Classic was run annually. In 1999 the Palliative Care Team's remit was expanded to include county Monaghan and thus the Fund became the Cavan Monaghan Palliative Care Fund.

The support the Fund received and continues to receive from the people of Counties Cavan and Monaghan can only be described as heroic. These same people are the real heroes of the success of the Fund as without their support the Fund would be a well-intentioned failure. More important, the Palliative Care Team, whose work and dedication to their patients and their patients' families, would have had to deal with the now too familiar complaint of "Budget Cuts" without the Fund's help. All funds are placed at the Team's disposal, to be used as they see fit, in the Care of those dealing with an end of life diagnosis.

Apart from the annual Fund Raising events a considerable amount of money comes from the relatives and friends of people who sadly, have had to avail of the service or ordinary people who see it working in their own communities, on a daily basis. Many individuals, community groups and factory social clubs etc. arrange their own fundraising events to show their appreciation for the trojan work done by the Specialist Palliative Care Team.

Twenty eight years on, the Fund's resources are used for many different needs. Equipment still plays a significant part in what is provided but in addition the Fund is now in a position to help the palliative care patients and their families in other ways i.e. taxi services, financial assistance in cases of hardship, provision of night nursing, automatic stair lifts, home help and indeed any other requirement identified by the Team.