Andy’s pedal power for children’s cancer charity

The Rathfriland man, now living in Moneyslane, has signed up for the ‘Chase the Sun Ireland’ challenge on June 21, and is hoping everyone will get behind his fundraising drive.

‘Chase the Sun’ is an annual cycle challenge on the longest day of the year, from sunrise to sunset, coast to coast, east to west.

A Rathfriland FC supporter and committee member, Andy and his sons Charlie and Archie are familiar faces at Iveagh Park, and this love for local sport has spurred him on to help local families affected by cancer.

He said: “I have chosen to support the Cancer Fund for Children which provides practical and emotional support to local children and their families impacted by cancer.

“Their specialist team provides support at home and in the community and in the hospital ward. They also offer free therapeutic short breaks at Daisy Lodge in Newcastle.

“This charity means so much to three local families currently affected by cancer. When you go to the football on a Saturday and see these people, and they are all good friends of mine…at the end of the day, I just thought I’d do something for them.

“When I talked to them about my challenge, they all agreed the monies raised should go to Cancer Fund for Children Daisy Lodge.

“Cancer affects the whole family and I decided over Christmas that it was my turn to step up and do something to help.

“I have started a Justgiving page and I hope as many people as possible can give me their support.”

Lorry driver Andy, who is a member of Banbridge’s Team Vision Racing (TVR) said the challenge - an epic journey of 209 miles - appealed to him as it will be gruelling and test him to his limits.

Andy will be one of over 200 participants starting off at sunrise at the historic Titanic docks in Belfast.

From there, he will travel along the dramatic coastal road and the Antrim Glens, heading inland to traverse forests, mountains and loughs.

The route then crosses the border and finishes along the Wild Atlantic Way beaches at Enniscrone in County Sligo at sunset.

Andy’s training regime is in full flow and he’s looking forward to saddling up for the 16-hour endurance challenge, when he will be joined by his friend, Stephen McNeill, originally from Seapatrick.

“Stephen is coming over from Manchester and he’s going to do it with me. We had talked about the challenge and he said he’d like to do it for the craic.

“I started my Justgiving page with a target of £500 and now it’s sitting at over £900. I’ll be happy with whatever I get and I’m so grateful for all the donations, messages of encouragement and support.”

Chairman of Rathfriland FC, Adrian Megaw, said: “As a community club we always try to go the extra mile to help local families and I am delighted and proud to support Andy in this mammoth challenge.

“Andy is a great Rathfriland FC man through and through and you can always hear him cheering on the mighty Whites.

“Now it is our time to cheer on Andy and we all wish him every success in this fundraiser for Cancer Fund for Children Daisy Lodge.”

Visit https://www.justgiving.com/page/andrew-smyth-1 to support Andy’s fundraiser.