All the Latest News from the Team
Irwin's Details online...
28/03/08: Details of new Team member Irwin Adair have been updated.
Cookstown Bed Push Raises £1,730
17/03/08: The people of Cookstown have pulled out all the stops to fill the buckets once again with the team collecting £1,700 on Saturday 15th March. The market goers where more than generous and with traffic moving slowly through the town centre everyone had the opportunity to contribute to the Kilimanjaro Challenge team. Once again, thank-you to everyone who supported the team on the day and helped out in any way. Watch this space for the next big bed push date.
Photo Album Updated
15/03/08: Check out our new look photo album. The new layout should make it easier to navigate through the ever increasing number of photos.
The 5 become 6... (and its another Irwin)!!
18/02/08: Irwin Adair from Kells has become the latest addition to the Kilimanjaro Challenge team to bring the group to an even six. No stranger to the Mournes and the great outdoors Irwin is looking forward to the friendship, fresh air and the challenge of a life time. Stay tuned for Irwin’s snapshot which will be uploaded soon. Probably the most confusing thing is that there are now two 'irwins' in the team... !!
Ballymena Bed Push Raises £1,626
17/02/08: Yet again the team have been left smiling after a hard days work in Ballymena. After the bed push and collection through the town, and after the pennies and pounds were counted it became apparent that the folk from Ballymena aren’t as ‘tight’ as some people make them out to be. In total £1,626.30 was raised. After a slow start in the morning, Irwin wasn’t too long in shaking off the local bike police and stepping out in the middle of the road to stop the traffic… only one work can describe the man of steel… ‘fearless’… although a few other words might have been used earlier on in the day!!!! Thanks again to Irwin for his hard work in getting the paper work organised for the day; and a massive Thank-You to everyone who helped shake the big red buckets at the passers by!!!
New Photos Uploaded
16/02/08: Take a look at the photos from the latest training walk in the Antrim Glens. Slieveanorra was our 'warm-up' at just over 500m. All in all a great day and a great experience walking in the snow, something we don't get to do very often here in Northern Ireland. See for yourself on the page called Feb 2nd - The Glens
Team Get Their Flights Booked
01/02/08: Today the team took another step in realising their ambitions to climb Kilimanjaro. After several weeks of search for the best flights the team can confirm they will be flying from Belfast International at 06:15 on the 1st of November 2008. The Aerlingus flight will touch down in Amsterdam before the boys board a KLM flight direct into Kilimanjaro. On the way home the flight will take a pit stop in Dar es Salaam in Tanzania before returning to Amsterdam and finally arriving back in Belfast early morning 12th November. The team are pleased to confirm these details as there has been much uncertainty with flights via Nairobi giving the current unrest in the country. A big thanks to Lorna Henry a Travel Counsellor from Ballymoney for all her help in getting the flights booked. Contact Lorna on 0845 058 7698 to get your holidays booked: http://www.travelcounsellors.co.uk/lorna.henry
Team Member Details Updated
07/01/08: Details of new Team member Kenny Moore have been updated.
Team PASS their 2nd fundraising target of £6k
14/12/07: After the achievement of passing the initial target of £4k for the Academy the team have done one better and passed their stretch target of £6k. As of today (Friday 14th) the team have banked £6,004.26 for the academy which is a remarkable achievement in the few short months they have been fundraising. Over the past month there have been two main events to boost the funds: A Clay Pigeon charity shoot at the Route Gun Club in Ballymoney and a bed push and collection on a wet and windy day in Coleraine. Once again the team would like to thank everyone for their hard work and continued support… The team will now set their sights on the next target of £8,000. Check out the running total on the ‘Fundraising’ page.
Its a Washout... but the Team Still Raise £925
08/12/07: As the Northern Ireland Water Service responded to more than 350 calls regarding flooding and as the CIS Cup final at Windsor Park was postponed due to a water logged pitch a few brave souls faced the elements on probably the wettest day in 2007 to raise £925.73 for the Kilimanjaro Challenge and the BCFC Academy in Kenya.
Coleraine was the venue for the latest bed push and street collection. The team always knew it would be wet; but I think we all underestimated just how wet it really would be. Wellie boots; water proof trousers and half a dozen pairs of socks were the order of the day; but it still wasn’t enough. The team would like to thank the generous people of Coleraine for their support on such a bad day. A genuine desire to give was mixed with the hint of a ‘sympathy donation’ due to the severe weather conditions experienced by the team. Needless to say it was a great test for the trekking gear and the Gortex jackets. While the rain bounced of the road a 'wise' man commented “Nothing is 100% waterproof”; but I think everyone collecting worked that out for themselves.
Even as the clock ticked towards home time and the call was made to head to the car; Irwin was heard to say “awh no, we’ll go for another few minutes yet” – Now that’s dedication. As the buckets were emptied (of both money and water) and the notes dried out of the radiator; it soon became apparent that it had been another successful day of fundraising for the Academy. Let’s just hope its a bit dryer in Cookstown in February.
A big Thanks to all who helped through the day; Irwin, Hannah, James, Heather, Glenn, Johnnie, Alzy, Kenny, Heather and Stephen.
PS: I suppose it could have been worse; Glenn could have had the camera with him!!!!
Kenny Moore Joins the Kilimanjaro Challenge Team
07/12/07: With Kenny as the latest addition there are now five members of the Kilimanjaro Challenge Team who will head to Tanzania in November 2008. Kenny (from Coleraine) is no stranger to trekking and hill walking and has accompanied Irwin on many trips around the UK and further afield. Not only does Kenny bring a wealth of trekking knowledge to team; he is also an experienced paramedic. The ‘older’ members of the team can now travel with the peace of mind that there will be someone to attend to their bad backs, arthritic pains and in-growing toe tails (mention no names). More details on Kenny to come soon! Hopefully this will prompt a few more folk who are ‘sitting on the fence’!!!!
Charity Shoot Raises £439
01/12/07: Members and visitors to the Route Gun Club in Ballymoney braved the wind and rain on Saturday 1st December to take part in a Clay Pigeon shoot to raise money for Stephen’s Kilimanjaro Challenge. Stephen has been a member of the club located between Ballymoney and Ballybogey for close to five years and was delighted with the help and support of the shooting fraternity. “We had an excellent day despite the weather and shooters travelled from across NI to support the fundraising event. In total £438.99 was raised for the Academy. I would like to thank all who attended and in particular those members who helped to make the day such a success; for those who organised the traps, refs and scorers and those who lent a hand tidying up.”
Every Spring the club hold several charity shoots and have raised in excess of £12,000 since 1995. Local charities have benefitted from the generosity of the Route shooters and this year £800 has been donated to Cheers Youth Club in Ballymoney and the Kidney Dialysis Unit at Antrim Area Hospital. Check out the shoot photos in our Gallery.
Current Amount: £20,410.17
