Derry man to run Belfast marathon to raise funds for Derry Well Woman

On Wednesday, Derry Well Woman welcomed Chris to their meeting at St Columb’s Hall to show their appreciation and encouragement for his fundraising efforts.

Rhonda Murphy, General Manager of Derry Well Woman, said it was wonderful to see a young man from the city championing their work.

“We are right behind him and want to support him as best as we can,” she said.

“It is really encouraging and inspiring, particularly given the negative press around males, to see a young man stepping up and recognising the importance of giving women a voice. We support women of all ages in this city, and his commitment means a great deal.”

At the heart of Derry Well Woman’s mission is taking meaningful action for women’s healthcare. Rhonda Murphy explained:

“We provide all aspects of healthcare for women. As a community‑based organisation, we offer a wide range of support, from mother‑and‑baby programmes to one‑to‑one counselling, mental health support, and gender‑specific clinics for menopause and endometriosis. We also run many different support groups.

“Whatever we identify as a women’s health need in the city and surrounding areas, we work to provide it. We are a listening organisation, we listen to what women need and what they want, and we do our best to respond and support them. We are also involved in extensive research around women’s health.”

Chris McCay said he hopes his efforts will help create some positive news around men in the North. He said: “There has been a lot of negative press and rightly so. It’s important for men in our society to recognise that many women don’t feel safe. I’m sure your mum, your sisters, at some point they’ve felt unsafe in this city. As young men, there isn’t a lot we can do except change our actions or raise awareness. So we’re doing this to highlight and support a vital service that can never have too much funding.

“Young men's statistics show that we are the people who are unfortunately doing all the negative aspects towards women. As young men, why would we not raise awareness? News travels fast for once it would be good if good news travelled fast.

“I think that there is an onus right now for guys to step up.”

Kearney Law Group has also stated that Derry Well Woman is their chosen charity of the year, they said: “We are thrilled to partner with Derry Well Women as our Charity of the Year for 2026.

“As a firm we are incredibly proud to support such an essential organisation, one that has been championing women’s health, wellbeing, and support in our local community for decades.”

Derry Well Woman said they are planning to travel to Belfast to support Chris on his marathon with banners.

If you’d like to support Chris, you can donate here: https://gofund.me/2004c2405

The race will start at Stormont at 9am and finish in Ormeau Park on Sunday, May 3 2026.