Maghera family's 100 mile walk challenge for Charis raises more than £23k in memory of Donal Convery

The loss of a loved one is devastating, and the Convery family from Maghera sadly faced the loss of their beloved husband, father and brother Donal in February this year.

Donal was a much loved member of the local community and a proud member of C.L.G Watty Graham, An Gleann football club.

Donal was a long-time supporter of Charis Cancer Care, having completed a 5-peak challenge for the charity in 2021 raising £11,075.00 for the cancer charity based outside Cookstown.

Donal loved that money raised for Charis went direct to those who are being or have been affected by cancer.

PICTURED ABOVE: The late Donal Convery.

When the family decided to complete a fundraiser in his memory, there was no question as to which charity to raise money for, given Donal’s dedicated support for Charis.

As Donal was a keen walker, it was a fitting tribute to arrange a fundraising walk in his memory.

With the support from friends and family, the Converys decided to undertake a 100 mile walk in May for Charis, walking every day that month to meet their 100 mile target.

They chose a range of walks, many of which were Donal’s favourite walks, including a walk at Lough Fea, seven miles outside Cookstown, where Charis is situated.

The majority of walks were around Donal’s beloved Watty Graham Park where he was the caretaker before he passed away.

Initially setting a target of £1,000 the family were overwhelmed and delighted by the local community response, with many neighbours and club members joining for their daily walks.

The fundraising finale was a coffee morning on June 2 with incredible support from the local community with donations of raffle prizes and treats for the coffee morning.

Due to the incredible support, the Convery family smashed their target with a final amount of £23,288.90 raised for Charis.

ABOVE: The finale fundraiser was well supported by the community.

The family would like to pass on their immense thanks and appreciation to everyone for their support. A true testimony of the high regard Donal was held in by the people of Maghera and beyond.

Charis Cancer Care opened its doors in March 2010 as a purpose-built complementary care centre for people going through their cancer journey by offering services and support which complements their medical care, but also helps them to cope better with the impact of cancer and its treatment on the lives of the person with cancer, plus their loved ones.

Its services are aimed at helping people to manage the impact of cancer, the side effects of treatments, the emotional impact of a diagnosis, the impact of surgery and changed body image and bereavement support when a loved-one has died from cancer

Each year Charis provides approximately 8,000 services to 1,200 people from across Northern Ireland and provides a range of services to support with the emotional, physical and psychological impact of cancer to those going through cancer, their family and those bereaved by cancer.

Services include counselling, complementary therapies such as aromatherapy, massage and reflexology, yoga, mindfulness, relaxation, healthy eating workshops and financial advice.

Charis also has a therapist trained in Emmett technique which is a light touch therapy aims to help with pain relief. All these services are provided free of charge.

Charis relies on the generosity of the public to fund their much-needed services. One session of counselling or complementary therapy costs £45.

For further information on getting help from Charis you can call on 028 86769217 or visit their website here