Ten cyclists raise thousands for suicide charity

Ten cyclists raise thousands for suicide charity

27 April 2022

TEN local men who cycled 400 miles from Mizen Head in Cork to Malin Head in Donegal have raised £13,550 so far for the Downpatrick charity, Suicide Down to Zero.

Led by Annacloy joiner Peter Ritchie, the men succeeded in cycling 100 miles each day over four days, starting off on Easter Monday.

They arrived into Malin Head exhausted but elated to be welcomed back by their families and representatives of of Suicide Down to Zero.

For many of the men — Donnan Ritchie and Seamus Carvill from Annacloy; Nicky Casement, Drumaness; Gerard Grant, Ballynagross; Eamon Dalton, Raholp; Lenny Smyth, Ardglass; Brendan Duffy, Killough; and Marty McIlmail and Niall Montgomery, both from Bright  — it was the first time they had cycled such a distance.

Peter explained: “It was really tough, more mentally challenging than physical and going over the Cork and Kerry mountains at the beginning really exhausting. 

“We got rained on for three of the days and that was tough. In the end, it wasn’t the problem with our legs but it was hard to get comfortable on the seat.”

He said that the cyclists encouraged each other on with a lot of banter and verbal abuse from support car driver Liam McConvey.

“We all got a touch of it from Liam, no-one was spared the insults,” joked Peter. “But it was really helpful in keeping us all going.”

As each of the men have known someone who has died by suicide, they decided to set a target of £10,000 to raise funds for the Downpatrick-based charity, Suicide Down to Zero.

They believe that the final total may be £15,000 or over. 

Peter initially decided to complete the cycle alone, but soon after chatting to family and friends, he found that nine more people, including his brother Donnan, wanted to join in. 

He paid the group’s thanks for the support from lead sponsors, Braidwater Homes, MG Construction, Ritchie and McClean Mortgage Solutions, Scullion and Green Solicitors, Russell Car Sales and Quinn Estate Agents. 

Jill Gordon, secretary of Suicide Down to Zero, praised the men for their amazing effort.

“I was delighted when Peter got in touch to tell me about his idea,” she said. “Their efforts have been amazing in terms of organisation and preparation. They are completing this event at their own cost, committed to raising as much money for the charity as possible.

“Their dedication and fundraising efforts have been humbling. This money will help raise awareness, provide training for local people to support those struggling with thoughts of suicide, and help us campaign on behalf of our community.”                                                   

There is still time to donate by visiting https://localgiving.org/sdz-length-of-ireland-cycle-2022