National: €30k hopes for three charities as volunteers take on 'mammoth cycle'

A TARGET of €30k has been set for a group of eight volunteers who will cycle across the country for charity.

A group of 8 volunteers from Dalata Hotel Group, Ireland’s largest hotel operator, set out on a 1,100-kilometre cycle aroundIreland in aid of The Marie Keating Foundation, Air Ambulance NI and Leukaemia Care. 

With a target of €30,000, the volunteers will stop in a number of counties along the way including Limerick, Cork, Sligo, Wexford, Derry and Belfast. Funds raised will support the early detection of cancer. 

They set out at 7am on Wednesday, September 6 from the Maldron Hotel Dublin Airport. They aim to finish  on Friday, September 8, in the Clayton Hotel Burlington Road, Dublin.

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Niall Macklin, Dalata Hotel Group Senior Manager and cycle team leader, spoke of the three charities being close to the hotel group hearts’. He said: “We’re thrilled to embark once more on this journey around Ireland in aid of our new partners. 

“This event underlines our continuous dedication to making a positive impact within the communities where our hotels are situated. We believe together, we are not just raising funds, but also inspiring positive change,” Mr Macklin said.

This is the fourth year that this cycle takes place and it forms part of the annual Dalata Digs Deep initiative, which involves numerous fundraising activities at all 52 of the Group’s hotels across Ireland.

These fundraising activities have raised €1.77 million over the past 7 years. The Group currently has 31 owned hotels and operates Ireland’s two largest hotel brands, the Clayton and the Maldron Hotels.

Saying that the Marie Keating Foundation is “so grateful” for the support, Linda Keating, Founder and Director of Fundraising the Marie Keating Foundation, said: “The Dalata Group are so dedicated to running events and raising as much money as possible for the Marie Keating Foundation, and their support is allowing us to be there for so many people and their families at every step of their cancer journey.

“They are also allowing us to reach the most underserved communities to bring vital information and advice to increase awareness and support the early detection of cancer. It is going to be a truly special Dalata Digs Deep Month.”