Eleven members of staff from across Corries Farm Butchers’ Belfast, Dundonald, Holywood and Newtownards shops recently took to the skies and completed a sponsored skydive in aid of Northern Ireland Chest Heart & Stroke (NICHS), which has raised a staggering £7857 to date for the local health charity.
On Sunday 5th June the Corries team were brave enough to complete an exhilarating 15,000ft tandem skydive at Skydive Ireland, Garvagh. This was the latest fundraising activity for the family run business who have been supporting NICHS since 2019.
Julie Hope, Stock and Compliance Manager at Corries explains; “We started our partnership with NICHS after our father, Will Corrie Senior, suffered a heart attack in January 2019. Dad received excellent care following his heart attack and we wanted to raise funds for the charity so that other people affected by cardiac conditions could access support services on their journey to recovery. Thankfully dad has made good progress since his heart attack and recently celebrated his 70th birthday. This milestone birthday was even more poignant for us as dad feared he may not reach it after his own father passed away from a heart attack at the age of 64.”
The idea of the skydive came from Daniel McClelland, Corries Area Manager. Daniel, who has a fear of heights, took part in an abseil fundraiser for the charity a few years ago, but decided this wasn’t quite enough of a challenge so suggested a skydive to his colleagues.
Daniel says; “The skydive was the next step in my attempt to overcome my fear of heights and it provided the perfect opportunity to raise vital funds for a fantastic charity. The skydive was an amazing, once in a lifetime experience. We would like to thank everyone who supported us and gave so generously. We can’t believe the total has reached £7857 so far and the fact I have now conquered my fear of heights is an added bonus! We would love to hit the £9000 mark for NICHS by 9th July however so if anyone would like to support us they can visit our Just Giving page at justgiving.com/team/teamcorries.”
The skydive was a real team effort with everyone at Corries helping each other through the challenge. Johnny, a butcher at Corries, decided to take part in support of his colleague and explains; “Daniel inspired many others in the company to join the skydive team. We couldn’t let him face his fears alone! I must admit the freefall was a bit scary but after that I really enjoyed it, it was an amazing experience. The scenery was breath-taking and as someone who loves walking in the Mournes I really appreciated it. It was even more rewarding to do the skydive in support of NICHS. I’m glad to have played my part in raising this money for a great cause.”
Regina Cox, Partnerships Manager at NI Chest Heart & Stroke adds; “We are very thankful to receive this wonderful donation from Corries Farm Butchers. Today, there are over 335,000 people living with a chest, heart or stroke condition in Northern Ireland - that's one in five of the population. Nearly 90% of NICHS’s care and prevention services and research projects are funded exclusively by donations so fundraising efforts like Corries’ are vital for our charity and what we can achieve. The money raised by our supporters enables us to continue to help the local community and provide life-changing services for people living with chest, heart and stroke conditions and their families.”
To find out more about ways to support Northern Ireland Chest Heart & Stroke, as a business or as an individual, visit https://nichs.org.uk/how-you-can-help
