‘Taekwondo 5’ tackle marathon

Instructor William McLaughlin will run the anchor leg for the club’s relay team which also features Emmett Young, Kelly-Ann Sweeney, John Sweeney and Martin Hinch for the annual event on May Day Monday.

And it’s hoped that the quintet will raise around £500 for Aware Defeat Depression.

William explained why the club, which meets twice weekly at Coleraine West Community Centre at the Rope Walk, chose to support that particular charity.

“We spoke about a number of charities, with the main focus on it being local to Northern Ireland,” William said.

“We chose Aware Defeat Depression as we felt it was an illness that isn’t given enough attention.

“Most people feel the weight of depression during their life but unfortunately there are those who struggle to cope.

“We felt that here is a martial arts club willing to stand against depression.”

Emmet and John will run around seven miles each with Kelly doing three miles, Martin five and William the remainder.

William added: “We never set a target for how much to raise but are hoping to get about £500 between the club and charity.”

Maine Soft Drinks in Ballymoney is generously providing the team T-shirts for the marathon in conjunction with their new water range Maine Refresh.

Maine Refresh is a natural fruit flavoured water, with no added sugars and comes in Forest Fruit, Lemon & Lime, Strawberry & Kiwi flavours as well as a Natural Water.

William, who works for the company as a brand manager, expressed thanks for their support and is also grateful to family, friends and colleagues who have provided sponsorship for their marathon effort.

Aware Defeat Depression has been working since 1996 to support all those in Northern Ireland affected by depression. The charity has a network of over twenty support groups in rural and urban areas across the country, which are run by our trained volunteers.

Anyone wishing to sponsor the team can do so by visiting their justgiving page at www.justifying.com/ColeraineTKD