A group of Orangemen from Killylea are taking to the saddle to cycle from the Co Armagh village to Newcastle – and scaling Slieve Donard – in aid of a leukaemia charity.
Organised by Killylea District LOL No. 7, the event has been organised to raise funds for the Leukaemia & Lymphoma NI charity, after the wife of a member was diagnosed with leukaemia last year.
The cyclists will be leaving the village at 7:30am this Saturday (April 20) and it’s expected that there could be upwards of 20 taking part, alongside others who are travelling to take part in the hike.
The cycle is around 45 miles in distance, but those interested in taking part in the climb will meet at the Slieve Donard car park, with the first group leaving at 12 noon and the second group at 1pm.
A JustGiving page has been created to raise funds for the charity, with over £1,100 having been raised so far.
It’s the second year of cycling fundraisers for the district, as last year they raised over £6,000 for Huntington’s Disease Research in a 100-mile cycle around the 11 District Orange Halls in Co Armagh.
Ashley Marshall, the Secretary of Killylea District, explained: “We did a cycle last year and the money raised then was for Huntington’s Disease, because one of our members within the district died of that particular disease and we thought to do the event to commemorate his life and also do something for the charity.
“The guys who did the cycle last year decided they were going to go this year again. Just before Christmas one of our members’ wives was diagnosed with leukaemia and is going through treatment. We decided then we would do it for Leukaemia and Lymphoma NI.”
Last year’s ‘Coronation Cycle’ took place on April 15 and saw 13 cyclists make the 100-mile round journey between the 11 District Orange Halls – Killylea, Keady, Newtownhamilton, Bessbrook, Markethill, Tandragee, Lurgan, Portadown, Loughgall, Richhill and Armagh.
Ashley hopes that these events will help increase awareness of the positive activities undertaken by the Orange Order in the community.
“It’s certainly something we are thinking of doing in the future because we feel sometimes the Orange Order gets a bad name and everybody thinks it’s just about the Twelfth of July. We’re also an organisation that’s interested in people and we think the two charities we have supported to date are worthwhile.
“Other charities are worthwhile as well so why not go out and try to support them?”
You can donate to this fundraising initiative by visiting the JustGiving link here.
