One of the area’s biggest fundraising events, the Malin to Mizen Cycle held last August, raised a whopping €95,000 for the Liskennet Autism Dev-elopment Project run by St. Joseph’s Foundation, it was announced this week.
“We set out with the aim of raising €25,000 and to date we have €95,000 banked,” revealed one of the driving forces behind the event, Maurice Riordan.
The original idea of the cycle was to raise funds for a horse simulator for Liskennet, but following a huge response the organisers in conjunction with St. Joseph’s Founda-tion have identified other projects on which to spend the additional funds. The horse simulator is on the way, and the other projects now being supported with the surplus cash include a sensory room, a playground area that would be a calming area for children when they get to Liskennet, the purchase of accessory equipment and the provision of a sensory trail.
“The sensory trail was planned for four or five years down the road but is now fast-forwarded and plans have been drawn up and the base has been laid. “We have already allocated €35,000 from the cycle to go towards this project but it will probably cost more and we may look at doing another cycle to help complete it,” Maurice Riordan stated. The trail will be dedicated as the Dave Riordan Sensory Trail.
The event, organised by Team Dave Riordan Club,, saw 64 cyclists backed up by a 25-strong support crew complete the cycle, leaving Malin on August 10th and arriving in Mizen five days later. The group included six women and six cyclists over 60 years of age. Staging the cycle cost €40,000, which was met by corporate donations and by the cyclists and the support crew themselves. Every cent raised went to the Liskennet Project.
See photos on page 6.