Rathowen climbers reach the heights in Lust for Life fundraiser

A group of friends from Rathowen have presented a €5,000 cheque to Ray Carolan for the A Lust For Life charity, funds they had raised on hikes up 10 of Ireland’s highest mountains.

They took on the hikes as a 12-month challenge, and the night at Connaughton’s in Rathowen gave the lads a chance to thank everyone who had supported them and to celebrate their achievement with family and friends.

The bulk of the funds were donated via GoFundMe, and when the collection on the night was added, the final contribution to the charity was €5,471.

The funds will go towards the development of the A Lust For Life early prevention mental health schools programme. To date, it has reached 145,000 primary school age children in Ireland and it aims to equip them with the tools they need to take care of their own mental health and wellbeing.

Noel Murphy from Mullingar Lions Club was a special guest on the night, when the group thanked him for the generous €1,000 contribution from the Lions Club to their fundraising.

Those in attendance on the night were treated to great entertainment by ‘Do the Yoke’ and also enjoyed some lovely cooking from the BBQ.

The Rathowen group would like to sincerely thank everyone who made contributions, sponsored prizes, joined in their climbs, attended on the Sunday evening, February 2, and those who helped in any way.

They offered special thanks also to the Connaughton family, who hosted the night.

The photo gallery below shows the hikers on a number of their trips. They were usually a group of six, including Marty Connaughton, Alan Maguire, Darren Grimes Andrew and Nicola Whitney and Olive Connaughton.