Newcastle woman’s charity fundraiser will support the vital work of Air Ambulance NI
By Julie McLaughlin
A LOCAL woman is abseiling down the Europa Hotel in Belfast this weekend to raise money for Air Ambulance Northern Ireland.
Newcastle resident Elaine McClelland has decided to undertake this feat as a way to raise money for the charity in memory of her cousin Jamie Marks.
Eighteen-year-old Jamie, from Downpatrick, sadly passed away in February of this year after a car accident on the Ballylough Road, Castlewellan.
“He was the youngest of the family – the youngest cousin,” Elaine said. “It was the first real tragedy that the family had.”
She said that she wanted to do something to try to help those who assisted Jamie after the accident.
“The Air Ambulance were on scene and were really good and tried to save Jamie, but couldn’t,” she said.
“He had just left work on a Friday afternoon, because he worked in Walter Watsons.”
“It was tragic,” she said.
Elaine saw a few months ago that the Air Ambulance Northern Ireland were doing this fundraising abseiling event on Sunday, so she decided to get involved.
“The Air Ambulance is a charity and it wouldn’t survive if it didn’t have people’s donations. It’s a charity that you might need one day,” she said.
Elaine said that although she is the one doing the abseiling, so many of her family members and friends have also been getting people to contribute to support the Air Ambulance in his memory.
“I have to thank my family and close friends for helping out.
“They took it into their workplaces and got sponsorships that way,” she said.
Elaine said that doing this fundraiser is one way for her and her family to show their support for Jamie’s parents, who reside in Downpatrick, and his siblings.
“We love Donna and Patrick and family and want to say how much we care for them,” she said.
Elaine, who works as a building supervisor at a local school, resides in Newcastle with her husband Gerard McClelland and their two teenage children.
This is Elaine’s first time doing a fundraiser like this and also her first time abseiling.
She said that she is not worried about actually going down the 50 metre-high building and will just do what she has to in order to raise the money in memory of her cousin.
“I’m just going to go and see what happens. Life’s too busy,” she said, adding, “I’ll not look down. I’ll just continue on with it.”
On Saturday past, Elaine, Gerard and Elaine’s father, James McQuillan, of Belfast, who have all been raising funds, had the chance to tour the Air Ambulance facilities near Lisburn to find out a bit more about the work of the charity.
They were also able to present a cheque for the £1,443.50 that they had raised so far.
Elaine would like to thank everyone who has donated so far for their kindness and generosity.
She plans to continue fundraising until the end of the month to help Air Ambulance in their mission.
For those who would like to donate to the fundraising efforts, they can donate online via Elaine’s GoFundMe page at Gofund.me/29f17c43 or donate directly to Elaine or her family members who have sponsorship forms.