Kildare firefighters climbed their own Mt Everest for children's charity

Firefighters from Kildare recently joined their colleagues from all over the country to climb the equivalent height of Mount Everest, a staggering 8,848 meters (29,029 feet), in aid of a children’s cancer charity.

All proceeds went towards Aoibheann’s Pink Tie (APT) on Saturday 30 October. 

Participating in teams of six, over 100 firefighters with the National Retained Firefighters of Ireland (NRFA), which has 2,500 members, gathered at Nenagh Fire Station in Tipperary from 10am to 10pm to take part in the Climb Your Own Everest Challenge.

During the week Olympic gold medallist, Kelly Harrington, and Mount Everest climber, Grania Willis, announced their support for the NRFA ahead of their climb. 

The uphill climb undertaken by the firefighters reflects the uphill battle families around Ireland are struggling with everyday when a child is diagnosed with cancer and undergoing treatment.

Stephen McFadden, a member of the NRFA, said about the event: "Now more than ever charity drives such as these need public support; the needs and the services of APT did not stop during the Covid crisis and restrictions."

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"Families all around Ireland continued to be supported by APT throughout the pandemic. So, please give generously and let’s break 2019’s fundraising figures."

The NRFA added that it chose this specific charity because of its mission, and in particular to support the charity’s long term goal for its Lighthouse Project.

Aoibheanns’s Pink Tie was established after the death of Jimmy Norman’s daughter Aoibheann.

Following 11 years of intensive fundraising, the charity purchased and renovated a house (Aoibheann’s Lighthouse) in Drimnagh, Dublin.

The APT Lighthouse Project is set to open fully soon as final restrictions lift, and the funds raised from the Climb Your Own Everest Challenge by the NRFA will go towards the maintenance of the house, which will in turn contribute to the charity’s long-term goal of funding even more accommodation for parents.

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Chairman of the NRFA Stephen McFadden, elaborated: "Our firefighters have a caring ethos, a spirit of volunteerism, and a need to achieve something real."

"Most people know somebody who has been touched by fire much like cancer so we the firefighters of Ireland are here to help with both current and future APT projects like this: the firefighters’ message to the people of Ireland is that we are here to help put the fire out on children’s cancer."

Anyone who wishes to donate to APT can still do so by clicking the below links:

• NRFA.ie donation link: www.nrfa.ie/donate.
• GoFundMe Page: https://www.gofundme.com/f/firefighters-climb-everest-aoibheanns-pink-tie.

If you have been affected by the issues raised in this article, you can call the Cancer Nurseline Freefone on 1 800 200 700 or you can visit the website of The Irish Cancer Society at cancer.ie.