Over £10,000 now raised in memory of Aodhán and Oran

They have raised in excess of £10,000 for a number of brilliant charities including Zest-Healing The Hurt, Foyle Search and Rescue, Clic Sargent and the Anthony Nolan Trust.

Aodhán was aged 19 when he tragically passed away in July 2018. Órán died from a rare blood disorder called severe aplastic anemia in November last year. He was only 18.

Both had been pupils of St. Columb’s College which helped organise the fundraising event.

Moira and Gerry O’Donnell, Aodhán’s parents, said: “It gave us great comfort to see so many people of all ages take part in this event to remember our Aodhán and Órán in spite of the restrictions in place due to the current health crisis.

“To see social media filled with photos and videos of people taking part was amazing. It is brilliant so much money has been raised in the boys’ memory and the money will be used to help many young people in the future.”

A spokesperson for the family of Órán Boyd said: “Losing Órán is still very raw for us.

“We were delighted to see the wider community come together in different circumstances in memory of Órán.

“We took great comfort from hearing so many people speak highly of Órán.

“We are grateful for events like this as it helps us knowing that those charities who provided for Órán and his family during the journey are able to continue to support other families just like us.

“We would like to thank everyone for making this event happen, especially St. Columb’s College, Gavin McShane and St. Mary’s Slaughtmanus GAA.

“We are so grateful to everyone who made donations and the businesses who donated refreshments.”

Gavin McShane, from Slaughtmanus GAC, who organised an event at their home ground said: “The support we received on the day was amazing.

“We’ve reached out to our community quite a bit over the years and they never let us down.

“We were very grateful to the College staff and MacLarnon team for coming out and also the O’Donnell family as they made the occasion that bit more special.

“We’ve certainly honoured the memory of Órán and Aodhán which was the most important thing.”

A spokesperson for St. Columb’s College said: “We have been blown away by the response to this event in memory of two sorely missed past pupils.

“The number of people that took part and the amount of money raised is unbelievable considering the current pandemic.”

Organisers have said that people can still donate to the charities chosen by the boys’ families, Zest-Healing The Hurt, Foyle Search and Rescue, Clic Sargent and the Anthony Nolan Trust through their online fundraising account accessed via the following link: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/stcolumbs-college?utm_term=RPrXgExVk