Derry's Monica McGuigan skydiving for Children in Crossfire

‘Rather her than me’. That was the first and last thought of Derry Now on hearing well known Derry singer, Monica McGuigan, had agreed to do a fundraising, 15,000ft skydive for local charity, Children in Crossfire.

Monica, along with several other Derry people, will be making the big leap on October 14 with Skydive Ireland, which is based in Garvagh.

For the past four or five years, Monica has taken part in Children in Crossfire fundraising events, which she laughed, “Usually involved walking”. This year she had not banked on the persuasive powers of Aishling Cunningham, Children in Crossfire’s fundraising co-ordinator.

Monica McGuigan who is skydiving for Children in Crossfire.

“I work in Doherty’s Bakery in Bishop Street,” said Monica, “and Aishling always comes in for her lunch.

“She came one day about five weeks ago and said, ‘We are doing a skydive’. Well, I laughed and said, ‘Good luck to you finding people to do that because no eejit is going to do a skydive’.

“A week later, she came back in and said, ‘Have you had a think about that?’ I said, ‘No. I’m not thinking about it. I am not doing it. I’ll walk for you but I am not doing a skydive’.

“Well, she came in last Monday and said, ‘This is the final time now I am going to ask you’ and I said, ‘I don’t know why you are asking me.’

“I don’t know if you know Doherty’s of Bishop Street but it is a small bakery / takeaway and if you have a conversation with one person, you are having a conversation with the whole shop.

“I looked round at the other people who were in the shop and I said, ‘She thinks I am going to jump out of a plane  and I am not, I am not,’” recalled Monica.

The next thing Monica knew was she had turned her back to make some sausage baps and as she turned back round, Aishling said, ‘So, that’s that?’

“I don’t know what came over me,” said Monica, “but, I just said, ‘‘Aye, that’s that. I’ll do it!’

Monica said: “There were two big burly men standing in the bakery and they looked at me and they said, ‘No, Monica. You’re not wise’ but I said, ‘No, I’m doing it’.

“I don’t know if it was the thought of how much I could raise for Children in Crossfire, which is a great charity, a great organisation. I do a bit of singing and people would know me and I thought they might support me which they have been doing.

“I set up an online JustGiving fundraiser on Wednesday night and I have already raised £400 of my £500 target.”
Monica’s fundraiser is: “I’m Skydiving 15,000ft for Children in Crossfire” and it is in memory of her late husband, Martin.

She said: “I used to sing with Martin. We were called Borderland. Now I sing on my own because I lost Martin 10 years ago to cancer.

“He had always joked about doing a skydive but I think he was half serious but 10 years ago, it wasn’t really that accessible. We were in America once and he said he was going to do a skydive while we were there but the opportunity never arose.

“I wonder if he was here now, would he do it or would he think I was a nut job for saying I was going to do it.”
Monica said she had been reflecting on why she was so drawn to fundraising for Children in Crossfire.

“I was born in 1962 and I grew up very happily in Creggan. It was a happy place. One of my earliest memories is the 1968 Civil Rights march. I don’t want to make this political but, the Troubles started and we were still in Creggan.

“One of my earliest memories is being taught by fellas at the bottom of the street how to make petrol bombs. I was six years old.

“I think about children who are six years old now, coming into the bakery to pick a wee bum and I have grandchildren, one of whom is six. I look at them and I think, ‘At six I was making petrol bombs that was ridiculous’.

“Then you think about these poor children that are in the likes of Tanzania and Ethiopia and all these different countries that are war-torn.

“They are carrying guns and they have no opportunities to build better lives for themselves or their families  or their children. What are they going to do? Are they going to grow up with guns in their hands and pass them down?

“I would do anything to help Children in Crossfire to give children a better start in life, a better education.”

Monica vividly recalled when Richard Moore, the founder of Children In Crossfire, was shot and blinded.

She said: “I remember Richard being shot when he was a child because we lived in Creggan. It  was awful, the thought there was a wee boy and he had lost his sight.

“Then you think about these children in all these other countries that can benefit from the funds raised by Children in Crossfire. It is nice to reach across and help others.”

Aishling Cunningham said Children in Crossfire helps some of the most vulnerable children in the world who suffer from the injustices of poverty.

She added: “Today, we work in Ethiopia and Tanzania, supporting life-saving healthcare and life-shaping education for children and families who need our solidarity: treating malnutrition; delivering medical care; providing safe, clean water; training teachers; building and equipping classrooms. Children in Crossfire's goal is to give hundreds of thousands of children hope for the future of possibility and opportunity they deserve.

“We are very excited to be partnering with Skydive Ireland in Garvagh to hold what promises to be an exhilarating event on October 14.”

Donations can be made to Monica's online fundraiser HERE.