Sister of County Derry crash victim launches Air Ambulance NI fundraiser in his memory

The sister of a County Derry man who died in a road crash last month has launched a fundraiser in aid of Air Ambulance NI in an effort to help save lives.

Aidan Clarkin lost his life in a motorbike accident on the Lisnamuck Road outside Draperstown on May 4.

Tragically, the popular businessman died just one day before he was due to celebrate his 44th birthday.

In his memory, Aidan's sister, Louise Donnelly, has started a fundraiser for the Air Ambulance charity, which attended the scene of the single vehicle crash.

Initially, Louise had hoped to raise £500 however donations have already exceeded £2,000 and she hopes to raise as much as possible in a bid to save more lives.

Speaking to Derry Now, Louise said: “I never thought about the Air Ambulance Northern Ireland service much before, until my brother Aidan's death. They worked with him but he had sadly already passed away due to his injuries.

“Since my brother passed away, there have been so many accidents in different parts of Northern Ireland, and well before my brother's passing, that the Air Ambulance has been dispatched to.”

Aidan, who was affectionately known as 'Aidy', ran his own business, My Car Keys NI, and was 'very well thought of' in the Draperstown community where he was from.

“He is remembered for his smile and laugh, he was a very kind person who helped other people and he has always had a love for motorbikes from he was young,” said Louise.

The Air Ambulance Northern Ireland is a local charity that works in partnership with the NI Ambulance Service and they need the support of donations through fundraising to keep them going.

Louise explained: “They can be airborne in five minutes to provide medical intervention at the scene and this is the difference between life and death. They are the quickest way to get a person to the hospital. We live in the rural area of Draperstown, but most places in Northern Ireland are rural areas. Without this team, there would be more deaths.

“Without us as a community raising money for them, we are helping save people's lives, because they can't do their job without our support.

“The Air Ambulance NI need to raise £5,500 a day as they can be dispatched on average twice per day.”

Louise continued: “I started this fundraiser in memory of my brother and our community has been absolutely amazing in supporting this cause but there are other communities throughout Northern Ireland that have gone through the same where someone's family member or friend has needed this service.

“I want to thank every single person that has donated so far and I hope other communities will help with the fundraiser as it's not just about my brother, it's about us as communities that really need this service, we need this as we all have families and friends that could some day need this service.”

Donations can be made here