Coleraine's Oliver joins NI women's captain on a 'Walk to Scotland'

Marissa Callaghan boarded the ferry to Scotland with fellow fundraisers to support the rising costs of taking 100 deserving children to visit Santa.

Marissa proved she was a star on and off the pitch as she joined over 150 fundraisers onboard Stena Line to raise funds for the Northern Ireland Children to Lapland and Days to Remember Trust (NICLT).

The famous midfielder and fellow walkers raised almost £10,000 for NICLT which will take 100 children living with life-threatening and life-limiting conditions to Rovaniemi this December – the first trip there in three years due to Covid restrictions.

This year the cost of the trip, approximately £750 per child, has increased substantially to accommodate the cost of living crisis and surging fuel costs.

Marissa, her wife Paula and son Quinn were part of the squad to walk the mapped circuit onboard the 2.5 hour journey.

She said: “We had a brilliant day on the Stena Line. I think the Walk To Scotland is such a fun day out for all the family to enjoy and a great way to raise funds for the Northern Ireland Children to Lapland and Days to Remember Trust.”

Marissa became ambassador for the charity during lockdown when attempts to fundraise were severely restricted.

Fourteen-year-old Oliver Dickey from Coleraine, who lives with a type of cerebral palsy that impacts his mobility, also undertook the Walk to Scotland for the third time. He also completed the challenge in 2017, 2018 and 2019, raising thousands of pounds.

Back in 2019, Oliver and his good friend Ethan Pollock undertook the challenge in a bid to raise £1000 for the charity but instead exceeded that figure raking in over £10,000.

Oliver Dickey, who has also been on the Lapland trip, said: “I’m very glad the Lapland trip is back this year because it is such a brilliant experience and I will never forget my time there. I know to get all 100 children to Lapland, and their families and all the equipment costs a lot of money and even more this year. This is why I want to do the Walk to Scotland again, to make sure dreams can come true for many other children.”