Motorcycle club hands over cheques

Motorcycle club hands over cheques

16 August 2017

THE members of the Mourne Motorcycle Club continued their charitable endeavours in 2017, running their 11th annual charitable event.

The event was held on June 21 outside Ballynahinch and the £8,000 raised have been shared between the Air Ambulance Northern Ireland Service and injured motocross rider Wayne Garrett.

Since the club began holding charity events in 2007, almost £80,000 has been presented to 22 different charitable causes.

Speaking about the charity choices Mourne Motorcycle Club Chairman, Billy McLarnin, said: “Every year we always arrive at the right charitable causes to benefit from the event. We don’t want the money that we raise to go into a big pot, but to be used locally.

“The Air Ambulance is for everyone and while we hope that we don’t need it, we know that it will be there. I have known Wayne since he was a boy and he started racing and we are happy to do anything that we can to help him,” he said.

At the cheque presentation Briege Mulholland, Air Ambulance Northern Ireland office manager, and Mike Patten, paramedic, spoke about the Air Ambulance and that the high-end work that they are now saving lives. Now patients who have suffered major traumas and head injuries can go straight to the Royal Victoria Hospital.

On the day of the event the Mourne club was helped by Ballynahinch Lions, Herron’s Country Fried Chicken and Cafe Rossi, along with Hugo Duncan who brought his road show to Ballynahinch to drum up support for the event. The event involved racing from motorbikes, classic bikes, quads and sidecars.