It’s full steam ahead for the North West 10k following the announcements of the three charities that will benefit from this year’s event.

Entries have officially opened for the 2024 North West 10K run/walk taking place on Bank Holiday Monday the 6th of May in Letterkenny.

The charities Kilmacrennan, Termon, Gartan, Churchill and Trentagh Community First Responders, Cara House and Letterkenny Community Childcare Centre were named during Monday evening’s launch in the Mount Errigal Hotel.

The 27th annual North West 10k was officially launched by the 2023 women’s winner Noeleen Scanlon.

The Letterkenny AC runner praised the incredible atmosphere and the community effort that makes the run/walk such a success each year.

Over the next 12 weeks, the chosen charities will be out in force, fundraising and increasing awareness of the vital work they do supporting people across Donegal. The overall total raised since the Northwest 10k started in 1997 is now €932,000.

As the committee eyes the one million mark in the next couple of years Chairperson Neil Martin said it is a remarkable achievement for the volunteers to have supported almost 40 local causes.

He also expressed his appreciation to the five sponsors: DonegalDaily.com, Brian McCormick Interpsport, Century Cinemas, the Mount Errigal Hotel and the Value Centre.

Mr Martin acknowledged the work done annually by the Gardai under the direction of Sergeant Eunan Walsh who worked closely with the 10k Traffic and Route Management members Neily McDaid and Brendan McDaid.

Mayor of Letterkenny, Cllr Kevin Bradley said that he had no doubt that this year’s event will be a success as the Northwest 10K continues to grow. Cllr Bradley told his own very personal story of what the charity meant to him as he battled a very serious weight problem a decade ago. He credited the 10k with helping him on the road to significant weight loss after he first started walking the event.

Representatives of each of the three charities expressed their delight at being selected and outlined how the funds raised will benefit people in Donegal.

Claire McGrenra spoke on behalf of Kilmacrennan, Termon, Gartan, Churchill and Trentagh Community First Responders, while manager Martina McGinty was talked about Cara House and Eoin Gildea represented Letterkenny Community Childcare Centre.

Kilmacrennan, Termon, Gartan, Churchill and Trentagh Community First Responders are a new group setup at the end of last year with the aim of helping members of the public that suffer cardiac arrest or other medical emergencies. They are raising money to facilitate the installation and maintenance of AEDs for public access in the areas that they cover.This will be achieved through the CFR Group’s trained volunteers. The Group will provide CPR/AED/CFR training to interested members of the public.

The work of Cara House includes activities, courses and interest groups as well as services. It proves a valuable resource for the whole Letterkenny community from young to old, especially at periods in their lives when individuals are vulnerable. Cara House welcomes everyone with respect, offering peer support, friendship and acceptance. It is socially inclusive, with high quality services and activities offered at a rate that makes them accessible to all. They hope to raise finance to acquire a vehicle for doing deliveries and other essential work in the local community.

Letterkenny Community Childcare Centre CLG has been in operation for over 40 years. They are a Centre of Excellence and have 157 children attending daily, supporting 128 families. LCCC is the only full day Community Childcare Centre in the town of Letterkenny. Currently they have a waiting list of 500 children and hope to relocate to increase capacity. They are committed to building a new facility to benefit the Community.

Last year three charities benefitted to the tune of €9,000 each. Chairperson Neil Martin said so many worthy causes have been able to use the money raised from North West 10k to enhance the quality of the services they provide. He also acknowledged the current North West committee for their endeavours.

Mr Martin said: “So many worthy causes have been able to use the money raised from North West 10k to enhance the quality of the services they provide.

“I want to thank the current North West committee for their endeavours since planning started for the 27th event back in November.

“We have a very dedicated team who have worked very diligently so I’m confident that we are on track to make Monday 6th of May a very successful event for the three charities and for the people of the North West who have supported us so well. So l would encourage as many people as possible to support these three charities. You can walk or run. So enter early on online and avoid the queues” Mr Martin said.

Noeleen Scanlan said it was a great honour to be invited to officially launch the 2024 North West 10k Charity Run & Walk.

“It’s a fantastic event that has raised so much money for many charities over the past 26 years. I was delighted to win the race last year. It had been on my bucket list for sometime. It was great to see such a big turnout last year and the support from the public around the route is fantastic. Hopefully we will see the same again on May 6th.

“It’s a great community event so I would just encourage runners and walkers of all standards and ages to enter. Supporting the charities is what it is all about.”

People are now being urged to get registered, get training and get the word out to support the Northwest 10k charities of 2024. Online entries are now being taken for May’s event by going to https://www.njuko.net/nw_10k_2024 where runners and walkers will find all the information required.

Sponsorship cards are available from committee members and the benefitting charities.

North West 10k unveils three local charities to benefit from 2024 race was last modified: February 13th, 2024 by Rachel McLaughlin