TWO close friends set off on an epic cross country cycle for Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin last week.
James Dowling and John Sheahan’s major fundraising cycle is in aid of the Major Burns Unit in the Southside hospital.
James is an area manager with Lidl and in September 2011, his daughter Kirsten was involved in an unfortunate accident, resulting in serious burns.
Kirsten required prolonged treatment in the paediatric Major Burns Unit in Crumlin.
Over many weeks, James saw at first hand the extraordinary work carried out by the nurses in the unit under testing conditions and tough surroundings.
There and then he committed to giving something back to the ward once Kirsten was on the road to recovery, and on Monday (March 25) James and his close friend John Sheahan embarked on their 32-county charity cycle in aid of the Burns Unit.
They are hoping to raise much needed funds so that the unit can continue to provide excellent treatment and care to kids with serious burn injuries.
James and John were accompanied by their support team throughout their 1,000 kilometre trip in a vehicle sponsored by TP Waters in Kildare Town.
Lidl threw their support behind James in his mammoth undertaking, and kick started his fundraising efforts with e3,200 – e100 for every county visited – as well as sponsoring the teams refreshments and cycling gear.
Lidl-breaks.ie has come on board too, and James thanked their partner hotels that agreed to sponsor Bed & Breakfast for him and his team.
To make a donation, send money to the following account:
“The James Dowling Cycle Account
?, Account Number: 37255427, National Sort Code: 93-32-44.