Local company, MACE, a long-term supporter of health charity Northern Ireland Chest Heart & Stroke (NICHS), has pledged to undertake a ‘75-mile challenge’ this year to support and celebrate the charity’s 75th anniversary.
Swim, walk, cycle or run, participating MACE stores across Northern Ireland will each cover 75 miles of distance to raise awareness and money for the local charity.
Kickstarting the challenge, staff across 8 MACE stores will embark on their 75-mile challenge with a static cycle this Summer. This inaugural cycle will take place at the MACE Mount Alverno on Springfield Road, with staff from MACE Toome and MACE Sion Mills stores following suit.
Musgrave NI recently celebrated raising £250,000 over 5 years for NICHS. This extraordinary amount, raised by both MACE and Musgrave MarketPlace, has ensured that the charity can continue to support over 3,000 chest, heart and stroke survivors across Northern Ireland each year.
Funds raised from this year’s 75-mile challenge will go towards supporting the charity’s one-of-a-kind COVID recovery service, established in April 2020, to care for local people suffering from long COVID.
To date, 178 people have availed of the service.
Declan Cunnane, CEO of NICHS, says “I am extremely proud of NICHS’s response to the impact of the recent pandemic. We have established a unique service that supports people, physically, mentally and emotionally through their long-COVID recovery. But, it is only thanks to the generous support of both the public and organisations like Musgrave NI, that we are able to run such a service and meet the needs of our local community."
Mary Cassidy of MACE, says “We have supported NICHS for the last 5 years. Over that time, we have been continually inspired by the charity’s dedication to local people suffering from chest, heart and stroke illnesses. As the charity celebrates this significant milestone, we wanted to take on a unique challenge and involve as many of our stores and staff as possible. Musgrave NI is an organisation that is firmly rooted in the NI community, so we are delighted that every penny raised through this challenge will go towards getting local people back on their feet.”
Jackie Trainor, Head of Income Generation at NICHS, says “It is important to remember that nearly 90% of NICHS’s research and care services are funded exclusively by donations. We are so grateful for the ongoing generosity of Musgrave NI who, over the years, has ensured that thousands of people affected by chest, heart or stroke related conditions have received the support and care that they deserve.”
To find out more about ways to support NICHS, as a business or as an individual, visit www.nichs.org.uk
