Hundreds take part in 8th annual Offaly Camino Canal Way Walk for Self Help Africa

THE annual Offaly Camino Canal way walk took place on Saturday last to celebrate the St. Brigid's Day Bank Holiday weekend.

The Offaly Camino Canal way committee and friends hosted their 8^th sponsored walk in aid of Self Help Africa and =close on €20,000 has been raised for the charity's work in Africa, particularly for a project in Baringo in Kenya with some funds still coming in.

The organisers would like to thank everybody who took part and helped raise funds for Self Help Africa, especially the many participants from many parts of the midlands and beyond.

The event had a great turnout of participants and some extra four-legged friends who completed the 20km walk along the Canal from Tullamore to Croghan with the final few steps up Croghan Hill where St. Brigid's Holy Mass was said by Fr. Enobong, assistant Director of The Ceili Community in Kilbeggan.

Everyone finished the Canal Way Walk in plenty of time to be at mass at 2.30pm and to celebrate their great achievement of having completed the 8th Annual charity Offaly Canal Camino Way walk in aid of the work of Self Help Africa.

The Canal way walk brought the participants through the beautiful countryside admiring the colourful fields and impressive views the Canal way walked from Tullamore to Croghan Hill. Thanks to Buggys Coaches for ferrying people back to Tullamore after the walk and thanks to Aidan and Vanessa Shortall of Up Close and Personal Promotions for providing facilities at the start of the walk and on Croghan hill and to the staff of Tullamore Credit Union for providing water and refreshments along the Canal and Ballycommon Cake house and Ballycommon GAA for providing facilities and teas and coffees.

Thnaks also to Seery's in Dangan for sandwiches and teas and coffees and to the Molloy family, their neighbours and friends in Croghan and Peter Moore for providing a huge BBQ and refreshments and Holy Mass on Croghan Hill and for Fr. Greg and Sacristan for organising the. St. Brigid's Choir and facilities for the mass.

After a long morning everyone reached the last leg of the route making their way through the village of Croghan to the Molloy's House and Peter Moore's farm where everyone had a lovely spread of BBQ food with a much-needed hot soup, hot drinks and burgers as well as beverages supplied by the Molloy family and residents of Croghan village.

Laz Molloy and Ronan Scully, some of the event's organisers, along with Fr. Enbong represented the cause with heart-warming speeches at the start of the walk and also to finish the day during and after mass, reinforcing why the day was so important to them and to the work of Self Help Africa and what the money raised would mean for the people and families in Africa they help especially in Baringo in Kenya.

Specially said prayers and blessings were said at the Fiona Pender Memorial and The Aisling Murphy Memorial as the walkers walked past along the canal and said quiet prayers at each of the memorials.

Ronan Scully of Self Help Africa thanked all those who had supported the 8th annual charity walk, especially all the amazing wonderful committee members Laz Molloy, Siobhan Kelly, Nora Kavanagh, Aislinn Molloy, Vanessa Shortall, Tracey Dooley, Paul Galvin, Ricey Scully, the Molloy family and their friends and neighbours, Seamus Moore, Mark Plunkett and everyone who helped out in anyway and who organised this Offaly Camino Canal Way walk for the work of Self Help Africa who work in 14 countries in Africa and the developing world.

Ronan also thanked the people of all ages who participated in the walk and people and volunteers who helped out in any way to make it such a successful event. A big well done to everyone who supported the walk in any way.

They are already looking forward to next year where hopefully we can have it on St. Brigids Bank Holiday weekend followed by Holy Mass.

If you would like to support the work of Self Help Africa or organise a fundraiser for the charities work in 14 countries in Africa and the developing world please contact Ronan at ronan.scully@selfhelpafrica.org or go to www.selfhelpafrica.org or contact Ronan at (087) 6189094