Derry GP to lead 6,000 mile ‘Cycle of Hope’ for Children in Crossfire

Dr Joe McEvoy is assembling a team to cycle a combined 6,000 miles to mark the distance between Derry and St Luke’s Hospital in Wolisso, Ethiopia which Children in Crossfire supports.

The fundraiser will take place over a four week period between Wednesday, July 8 and Saturday, August 8.

Dr Joe has been a long time supporter of Children in Crossfire and witnessed the life changing impact they are making for children when he visited Tanzania a number of years ago.

He said the plague of locusts currently sweeping through Ethiopia and destroying crops in its wake motivated him to organise the fundraiser.

It will be linked to St Luke’s Hospital in Wolisso where Children in Crossfire funds the therapeutic feeding unit and children with severe acute malnutrition receive life-saving treatment.

“This facility will be more important than ever once food shortages and famine hit, as they inevitably will,” Dr Joe said.

“As a keen cyclist, I want to put together a group who will cycle the distance between Derry and Wolisso – a total of 6,000 miles – and raise vital funds for this great cause.

“6,000 miles is a huge distance, so I am appealing to local cyclists to sign up and take part. Participants in the Cycle of Hope are welcome to choose whatever number of miles they can manage over the four weeks of the challenge.”

He added: “Anyone who would prefer to walk or run miles to help us out is welcome to join in too. The more people we have signing up, the more likely we are to hit our target and the more we’ll raise, so please get involved.”

Children in Crossfire Chief Executive, Richard Moore said the organisation is ‘very grateful’ to Dr Joe for taking on the challenge.

“His enthusiasm and energy makes him the ideal person to lead this effort for us. I encourage the public to take part and help make this challenge a huge success.

“Children in Crossfire are determined to do all we can to support our long-term partner, St Luke’s Hospital through the locust plague and the humanitarian crisis it is creating, especially alongside COVID-19.

“Our goal is to save the lives of very vulnerable children and Joe’s Cycle of Hope will help us to achieve exactly that.”

To sign up visit Dr Joe’s Cycle of Hope on Facebook, call Shauna O’Neill on 028 7127 8947 or 07597 747940 or email [email protected]