Muscular Dystrophy Ireland (MDI) members, Paddy & Claire Hickey, are planning to walk over 200km from Dungarvan to their home town of Enfield this July to raise awareness about the neuromuscular condition, Bethlem myopathy, and raise funds for Muscular Dystrophy Ireland.
The walk is inspired by Paddy and Claire’s son Ollie, who was given the diagnosis of a muscular dystrophy called Bethlem myopathy when he was four years old. Bethlem myopathy is a rare condition affecting the skeletal muscles and connective tissue. The whole idea for the fundraiser was driven by Ollie – first and foremost to raise awareness about the condition and secondly to raise funds for Muscular Dystrophy Ireland.
The #Walk4Ollie is now in its second year. Last year’s walk, from Castlebar to Enfield, raised over €30,000 and projects associated with Walk4Ollie in 2023 raised over €45,000 for MDI. These monies contribute towards a fund which MDI members can apply to in order to support their personal circumstances, such as education, the arts and general well-being.
This year’s walk will start from Dungarvan on Tuesday 16th July and will finish in Enfield on the 20th. In order to make the walk as accessible to all who would like to join, the walk will be along the Waterford Greenway and River Barrow.
The schedule & route is as follows:
Tuesday 16th – Dungarvan to Waterford City via Waterford Greenway
Wednesday 17th – Waterford City to Graiguenamanagh
Thursday 18th – Graiguenamanagh to Carlow Town
Friday 19th – Carlow Town to Monasterevin
Saturday 20th – Monasterevin to Enfield
For information on the walk, visit the Instagram page: walk4ollie
To donate: www.idonate.ie/walk4ollie24
For information on Muscular Dystrophy Ireland: https://www.mdi.ie/
