Up and running....well, walking to be exact!
So after a fair bit of time in the planning, 'Redhead300' is GO!! 'Redhead300' is a 'ginger-inspired' fundraising walk from Derry to Crosshaven in County Cork in August of this year.
The walk aims to raise €5000 (and hopefully more) for the Irish Cancer Society and is timed to coincide with the Irish Red Head Convention which is normally run over the third weekend in August every year. Unfortunately for a variety of reasons, most notably a lack of sponsorship, the convention has had to postpone this year but undeterred we will still land, or rather drag our weary legs and blister-laden feet into the beautiful village of Crosshaven on the 18th of August 2017.
The convention has been a major supporter of the Irish Cancer Society and has raised over €30, 000 since it began seven years ago. It is our intention to keep that fundraising tradition alive and make a not insignificant contribution to those fundraising efforts as a result of our walk.
We also want to keep our love affair with the convention and Crosshaven alive, so much so that many red headed supporters will gather irrespective of the walk on Saturday 19th August to raise a glass, such has been the impact it has made in everyone's lives. A real sense of community and friendship has grown over the years and not to be re-connecting on the third weekend in August, well the gap it would leave, would be as traumatic as losing the esteemed Carrot-throwing contest on the village green.
Now 'Redhead300' is actually a bit misleading, it should actually be 'Redhead318', as in 318 miles, but like an episode of 'Beverly Hilly 50210' (did I get that right?) it doesn't quite roll off the tongue so 'Redhead300' won out easily. And as the world has the 'Indy100' then we can have the 'Redhead300'. Vroom, Vroom I hear you say!
As you can probably guess driving to Crosshaven from Derry would of course be the normal, logical, sensible, sane, safer and definitely drier experience but of course no-one will donate money if you drive. So, a walk would seem to resonate better with people and throw a few pound or euro at yee if only out of respect for the madness that is walking 318 miles.
Back in 1990 I walked to Irish Peace Institute in Limerick in a similar bold effort to raise funds for a Cross-Community group in Derry, the SOLAR Group. After being accompanied to Strabane I was left on my own - yes, I walked on my own - an amazing experience it was for all sorts of reasons (a blog for another day) including conversations between horses (yip you heard that right) but financially it was a bit of a disaster.
The idea of walking knocking on doors during a 230 mile walk with a full rucksack on your back sounded like a great idea at the time but looking back, it was nuts! Not only that, but on your own without any kind of support in the days of no internet or mobile phones and having to book your accommodation more or less at the start of everyday? It was crazy but it was memorable.
So memorable in fact that I decided that I wanted to do the walk again or something similar for the 25th Anniversary of the walk. And so my love affair with the Irish Red Head Convention and my desire to recreate the walk made it up the proverbial 'm-isle' (see what I did there) and became Mr & Mrs 'Redhead 300'. Not a patch on being the King and Queen of the Redheads but a notable achievement nonetheless.
And so there you have it, a potent-combo of love for red-headed love and desire for walking the length of Ireland has proved irresistible.
This is the first blog of course and many more will hopefully follow, luckily we're using our feet to get to Crosshaven so no blisters shall deter us from at least punching out a few lines every now and again.
I hope you can find your way to supporting us, either by donation, resources, advice, networking or otherwise. Check the home page to see what we need and how you can help us.
So until the next time, spread the love, the gingerness and of course, spread the word! 'Redhead300' rocks...or is it walks!
