Ballymena man set for Olympic Stadium relay

BALLYMENA man Darren Hayes broke out his trainers and got on track to represent JP Corry Building Supplies at the NSPCC Gold Challenge relay at the Olympic Stadium on Sunday.

Having been selected to join the Keylite relay team at the official Olympic Stadium test event, where celebrities, team GB legends and Gold Challenge fundraisers will warm up the track ahead of the Games this summer.

Speaking last week Darren said it was “hugely exciting”: “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I’m delighted that my employers, JP Corry Building Supplies, selected me to take the company’s place on the Keylite Gold Challenge Team.

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“We’ll get a look at the Olympic Stadium, enjoy a great event, and hopefully not shame ourselves in the actual relay!

“Of course everything comes at a price, so now we’re going to have to fundraise extra hard for NSPCC Northern Ireland! It sounds like a strange way round to do things, but the Olympic event will be a good start to our training for the Keylite Gold Challenge in September.”

The Keylite Gold Challenge will see businesses from across Northern Ireland’s construction industry take part in a grueling 201.2 km challenge, combining some of the most demanding cycling and running routes in the country, over the weekend of 8/9 September 2012.

Keylite and friends aim to raise £25,000 to help children and families across Northern Ireland who are in need of NSPCC’s help and support.

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NSPCC corporate fundraising manager Claire Quigley said that the Olympic event was a fitting way to mark Keylite’s significant contribution: “As an added incentive to raise as much money as possible, Gold Challenge participants were given the chance to run the Olympic Stadium 100m track in front of a cheering crowd of 20,000 people. Thanks to the fantastic event planned for this September, we were only too delighted to offer a place to Keylite and their trade colleagues.

“Now it’s just a case of ‘on your marks, get set, and go raise lots of money to help NSPCC provide services for vulnerable local children!’”

The Keylite Gold Challenge’s £25,000 fundraising goal could pay for the delivery of a therapeutic programme for sexually abused children and young people in one of NSPCC’s local service centres for three months.

Sexual abuse damages children emotionally and psychologically. Sexually abused children may act out through violence or withdraw into themselves; they may self-harm or become suicidal. They often find it difficult to build healthy relationships with peers and adults.

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Through programmes such as ‘Letting the Future in’, delivered at our Craigavon and Foyle service centres, the NSPCC will give therapeutic help to sexually abused children.

We will help children understand their abuse and explore and express their feelings about it, and learn how to keep themselves safe.

Together we can help shape a society where abuse doesn’t go unchallenged, where children are empowered to seek out help, and where every call for support can be answered.