Galway via Kildare in dad's epic charity cycle
Paul Dixon will cycle to Galway via Kildare for UK charity, Both Parents Matter
A Liverpool dad is cycling across Ireland to Galway via Kildare to raise funds for a charity back home called Both Parents Matter.
Fifty-four-year-old Paul Dixon, who hasn't seen his own daughter since 2019, took on the epic challenge to help single fathers in a similar predicament, who often face exorbitant solicitors' fees in custody cases following separation.
Both Parents Matter provides information and support to separated parents to ensure a child's right to a relationship with both parents.
The charity provides support through its national helpline, website, internet forums, branch meetings and parent support workshops.
In the run-up to Father's Day, we caught up with Paul in Robertstown, Co Kildare, when he was preparing to cycle onward to Edenderry, and eventually Galway.
At this stage, Paul had already benefitted from the hospitality of locals from Hazelhatch and Sallins, one of whom, he says, even bought him a pint of the Black Stuff.
“I'm cycling across Ireland to raise money for Families Need Fathers in Liverpool, because the way the system is set up over there, the mother gets legal aid and the father has to pay for a private solicitor. It's something like 100 quid an hour, and come on, who's got this?, you know?
“It's not a fair fight if the mother's got like a professional legal team, it's just not fair. So if I can help maybe five fathers see their kids, then I've changed lives. It's been 2019 since I saw my daughter now, so I know first-hand the pain behind it.”
Paul hopes to raise up to €30,000 through a GoFundMe page which was set up as part of his challenge to cycle and camp across Ireland, finishing up in Galway with a pint of Guinness with his dad.
Taking the ferry to Belfast last Sunday, Paul says that he took a train down to Drogheda, cycled to the Hill of Tara, through Clonee in Co Meath, to Lucan, Adamstown, Hazelhatch, Sallins – where he was caught in a thunderstorm - and onto Robertstown, where he stopped for this interview.
As much as he is enjoying the Irish hospitality, though, Paul says there hasn’t been one day that it hasn’t rained!
Next port of call, he says, is Edenderry, from where he'll journey towards his final destination of Galway.
“The people so far have been really friendly. One man even gave me €20 and told me to get something to eat for my trip. But I'm 70% Irish anyway!
“My plan is to get to Shannon, then find a route that gets me to Galway. And then that is mission completed, because I don't think I'll be cycling back!
“My dad is obsessed with The Quiet Man, so I said I'd meet him in Galway for a pint when I'm finished. It’s tough going so far, but if I can help even one dad through doing this, then it’ll be worth it.”
Both Parents Matter, formerly known as Families Need Fathers, is a UK national charity founded in 1974 that focuses on supporting children and families affected by separation or divorce.