Ireland West Airport announces charity partners for 2020

Ireland West Airporthas has announced that the Childhood Cancer Foundation, The Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust and Sensational Kids Charity have been selected by airport staff as its charity partners for 2020.

A number of events will take place during the course of 2020 which will engage passengers and staff with the aim of raising as much money as possible for the three charities.

The headline event for 2020 will again be the annual 5k runway fun run sponsored by Portwest, which will take place on the runway at Ireland West Airport on Saturday, March 28, at 5 p.m. Runners and walkers will take-off down the runway at 5pm and complete a 5km course with a difference.

All are welcome to attend what promises to be fantastic evening for all the family, raising much needed funds our three charities in 2020. This year will see the runway fun run take place on the new runway which was completely resurfaced in 2019.

Entry to the event costs €20 per adult and €5 for under-16’s. A special family rate of €40 will be available for families of 2 adults and 2 kids.

All participants will receive a race t-shirt and complimentary car parking and refreshments at the airport will be provided on the day. Participants can sign up and find more information by visiting www.irelandwestairport.com/runwayrun.

To mark the special event, all participants who register online to take part will be entered into a draw to win two return flights to Majorca, our newest destination with Lauda and Ryanair which starts on March 31.

The number of participants is restricted and those interested are advised to register early to avoid disappointment.

Launching the charities of the year programme for 2020 and the annual runway fun run, Joe Gilmore, Managing Director, Ireland West Airport, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with three great new charities in 2020.

"This is the fifth year of our staff charity programme which has to date raised almost €150,000 for Irish charities and we hope to again raise much needed funds for our three new charities this year who all undertake such fantastic work in our communities and the funds raised really do make a difference.

“With the newly resurfaced runway now fully operational and ready for our annual runway run we look forward to supporting our three charities and to another successful year of fundraising”.

Commenting on the launch on behalf of the Runway Run sponsor, Portwest Ltd, Orla Hughes, Senior Commercial Manager, said: “Portwest is delighted to support Ireland West Airport on their 5k charity fun run for the third year running. We wish every success to the three charities involved and to all participants on the day.”

Karen Leigh, Founder and CEO Sensational Kids, stated: “We see first-hand the effect that delayed support can have on children’s lives and their future. Timely intervention is key.

“As a not for profit, we rely on the community’s help to continue to provide our therapy services and we are so grateful to Ireland West Airport for their support and choosing Sensational Kids as one of their charity partners for 2020. We look forward to working together this year to continue to help the children and families who need our vital services”

Colin Bell, The Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust, said “We are delighted to be chosen by Ireland West Airport, along with Childhood Cancer Foundation and Sensational Kids, to be their charity partners this year. We look forward to working with the team at Ireland West Airport and are very grateful for their support."

Laura Cullinan, Director at Childhood Cancer Foundation, said: “We are delighted to be one of the chosen charity partners of Ireland West Airport for 2020.

"This year more than 200 children will be diagnosed with childhood cancer in Ireland and sadly one in five of those children will not survive. As a non-government funded organisation we rely on the generosity of public donations to fund our vital support services for families affected by childhood cancer.

“We are currently funding projects in children’s wards in three hospitals in the western region, helping to improve facilities for families whose children attend a local hospital, outside of the Children’s Health Ireland at Crumlin, for their cancer related care. We hope to expand this project in the western region in 2020/2021.”