Three of the staff from the Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast are undertaking a fundraising drive for charity Air Ambulance NI in this years’ Mash Direct Belfast City Marathon on 30th April 2023.
Mark Carey, Michael Sheriff and Paul Tyrell are passionate about the Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS). They work as part of the helipad team at the top of the RVH, helping the charity AW109 aircraft as it comes in to land most days. Mark and Paul are also experienced pacers for the marathon too!
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Mark Carey said, “ We all feel privileged to be able to help the HEMS crew land safely on top of the hospital on the helipad whenever they need to, 365 days of the year. Outside of the day jobs, Michael, Paul and myself enjoy running and have been running the Mash Direct Belfast City Marathon for many years.
"As pacers of the race, Paul and I help the runners keep track of how they are doing, perhaps help them keep going and maybe even achieve their personal bests. We’ll be pacing the route in 3hours and 45 minutes, so the training has started for that! And this year we’ve taken on an additional challenge of supporting the air ambulance charity – raising funds to help keep the aircraft flying.
You can see their video here Raising money for Air Ambulance NI - YouTube and support them through their online fundraising page here Mark, Michael, Paul in Belfast is fundraising for Air Ambulance Northern Ireland (justgiving.com)
Air Ambulance NI is the sole charity partner for the Mash Direct Belfast City Marathon and Kerry Anderson from the charity explains more, “This is one of the biggest sporting events for 2023 and quite literally when ‘You Run, We Fly’! But we realise a full marathon distance isn’t for everyone. You don’t need to take on 26.2 miles to be part of this wonderful event. There is the 8-Mile Walk and Team Relay which has distances from 4.2miles to about 7miles. So don the trainers and sign up now at www.belfastcitymarathon.com or if that isn’t for you please join our cheerstations on the day!”
Kerry Anderson, added, “When you register online you’ll be asked if you’d like to support Air Ambulance NI. Please tick the box and we will be in touch with your digital fundraising pack and invite to the airbase. Funds raised will help people in your community for whom the worst has happened. Every day the medical team are needed on average twice per day.”
You can register now for the 8-Mile Walk, Team Relay, Half Marathon and Full Marathon at https://belfastcitymarathon.com/
Further information is also available from Air Ambulance NI www.airambulanceni.org/upcoming-events/belfast-city-marathon/, by calling the charity on 028 9262 2677 or emailing belfastmarathon@airambulanceni.org
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