West Cork Charity Cycle returns for second year

THE West Cork Charity Cycle in aid of the Irish Community Air Ambulance will return for a second year on Saturday, October 1.

Cyclists of all abilities will be getting on their bikes for the 60km fundraising event which starts and finishes in Skibbereen.

Last year’s cycle raised more than €30,000 for the Irish Community Air Ambulance.

Caheragh native Darren Lynch organises the fundraiser with the assistance of his close friends and family. Darren was airlifted to hospital in July 2021 after he was involved in a serious cycling accident.

He said the Irish Community Air Ambulance provides a ‘vital service’. “It is a vital service for the people of West Cork. Life can change in an instant whether you’re working on a farm, out driving, or playing sports. The difference in rural areas is that we’re so far from the hospital. On the day of our cycle last year, the crew was called to a serious road traffic collision in Bantry.

“We regularly see the helicopter in the skies above West Cork and it’s a reassuring sight to see,” he added.

CEO of the Irish Community Air Ambulance, Micheál Sheridan said fundraisers help them to expand their services. “We’re really grateful to Darren and everyone who is taking part in the second Friends of the Air Ambulance Charity Cycle. They are helping us to expand our services and reach even more people in rural Ireland. We now have more volunteer Emergency Medical Responders on the ground across the country, staffed by doctors who volunteer their time and provide hospital-level interventions at the scene. 

"By responding to the patient in the community quickly, the specialist doctors can intervene earlier and giving them the best chance of survival.” 

The charity works in partnership with the National Ambulance Service and is tasked to treat serious and life-threatening emergencies.

The organisation’s Helicopter Medical Emergency Service (HEMS) Air Ambulance is based in Rathcool, Co Cork with its Volunteer Emergency Medical Responders on the ground in Dublin, Mayo, Donegal, and Wicklow.

Registration for the second Friends of the Air Ambulance Charity Cycle takes place in the Skibbereen Carbery Showgrounds from 9am to 10.30am on Saturday, October 1. There will be a rolling start for all participants. The entry fee for the cycle is €50.