The family of a Co Fermanagh teenager who died after being crushed by a tractor in a workplace incident are to take on the Belfast marathon to raise funds for the charity which came to his aid.
Trainee mechanic Neil Graham, 17, died after the incident involving the tractor while on a work placement in Enniskillen.
A court issued fines to two men and a farming business last month after they admitted health and safety breaches which led to the Garrison teen’s death.
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Now Neil’s family are set to take on the Belfast City Marathon in May in memory of their son and brother, in a bid to raise funds for Air Ambulance NI.
Neil’s mum Joy said the family are forever grateful for the ‘heroic’ actions of the charity on the day of the fatal incident in 2018.
“We are forever grateful for the heroic efforts of Air Ambulance that day to save his life and we know everything that could be done was done,” Joy said.
“Our ambitious goal is to raise enough to cover the costs of Air Ambulance NI for one day which is £5,500.
If anyone can contribute whatever they can afford in memory of Neil and to support the service, it would be greatly appreciated.
“It is such a vital service to have, particularly in rural parts of Northern Ireland.”
The Graham family will take on the marathon relay a few weeks before the fifth anniversary of Neil’s death, with his parents Joy and Eddie joining siblings Cherith, Jonathan and Rebecca in the fundraiser.
“The only experienced runner in our family is Cherith who completed the London marathon last year, she is completing the longest leg of the event at 7.4 miles,” Joy added.
“She has encouraged the rest of us to come onboard, so we are building up our distances atpresent in preparation for the event.
“This will be the longest by far that the rest of us have ever run.”
Air Ambulance NI Fundraising Manager Damien McAnespie said the charity is humbled by the support the Graham family have given to them.
“We are humbled by the continued support to Air Ambulance NI Charity by the Graham family,” Damien said.
“This will be a very special and emotional day for them all but one they can look back on in years to come and say together ‘We did that for Neil’.
“I would ask anyone who knows the Graham family or the entire Fermanagh community to support their efforts in any small way over the next few weeks.”
To support the Graham family’s fundraising efforts, you can visit their JustGiving page here.
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