Annual Offaly Canal Camino Walk for Self Help Africa to take place in January

The countdown is well and truly on for the 9th annual Offaly Camino Canal Way Charity Walk in aid of Self Help Africa.

The organisers are hoping for a massive response to the event this coming January as they celebrate their 9th Annual Offaly Camino Canal Way Charity Walk.

The events starts at the Fiona Pender Memorial along the Tullamore Canal Way at 8.30am on St. Brigid's Day Bank Holiday weekend, Saturday, January 31, for the Irish charity Self Help Africa and they have plenty of sponsorship cards to give out to anybody who would like to join in and walk a few miles for charity.

If you require a sponsorship card please do get in contact ronan.scully@selfhelpafrica.org. Or to register or set up a fundraising page for the event go to https://selfhelpafrica.org/ie/offaly-camino-canal-way-walk/ or further information at https://www.idonate.ie/event/OffalyCaminoCanalWayWalk2026

Also donations on the day of the event will be gratefully received and will go directly to the charity. Food and beverages will be supplied throughout the walk and organisers thank local sponsors for this.

After the walk there will be a special Mass at 1.30pm on Croghan Hill with Fr. Greg and the local Croghan St. Brigid's Choir for everyone and anyone and a BBQ and tea/coffee for all walkers.

It is advised to pack a change of clothes which can be transported to Croghan hill for you.

The walk begins at 8.30am sharp in the morning at the Fiona Pender Way memorial in Tullamore.

As walkers take their voyage along the Canal there will be water/snack stops and toilet breaks at Ballycommon and Daingean and people can join at any point along the way.

READ NEXT: Community outrage in Offaly as An Post service ceases without notice at large Spar

This walk will incorporate a spiritual journey for many as it is in conjunction with the Camino way (The Way of Saint James), our Canal Way walk is the way of St. Brigid.

All donations on the day of the event will be gratefully received and will go directly to the charity and this year we are collecting funds for a specific livelihoods and food security children's nutrition project in Malawi in Africa.

Self Help Africa is dedicated to ending hunger and poverty in rural Africa especially in East Africa in Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi and Zambia where some 26 million people are hungry and thirsty at this time and where someone is dying every 48 seconds.

In Africa some 250 million people, farmers and their families, suffer hunger and malnutrition, struggling in extreme rural poverty without enough food; left behind by rising economic growth.

Self Help Africa is a leading international development charity with an expertise in small-scale farming and growing family-farm businesses and has many agri-finance programmes and responds to emergency situations within the 11 countries they work in Africa.

They are motivated by injustice, by their expertise in small-scale agriculture, family-farm business and agri-business, and the opportunity they have to help small farmers change the lives of their families. Self Help Africa is also the charity of the Irish Farmers Association.

Also you can donate online at various facebook/social media fundraising pages set up by the participants taking part that has been set up with the online donation going to the charity.

Organisers would encourage everyone and anyone to take part, enjoy the beauty of nature, take in some exercise and do something very worthwhile for charity and also enjoy yourself in the company of your family, friends and other participants as you walk along the scenic Canal to Croghan Hill.

If you would like to be part of this special event or to make a donation towards the charity or to sponsor a participant for such a special charity cause please contact Laz Molloy on 0866778807 or Aislinn Molloy 0870688530 or Ricey Scully 086 8153047 or Paul Galvin 087 8375407 or Nora Kavanagh on 087 9945964 or Siobhan Dunne Kelly at 087 8557796 Mark Plunkett on 083 0459377 or Dave Kavanagh on 083 3720950 or Vanessa Shortall on 087 7936794 or Tracey Dooley on 087 9557160 to receive your sponsorship card or to make a donation to find out further information about this event.

Also if any company or business or individual wants to offer sponsorship they are looking for people or companies to sponsor one of the km’s of the 18Km walk.

READ NEXT: Medley of celebrations at New Year's Day parkrun at popular Offaly venue

The walk will maintain a pace which is suitable to people of all levels of fitness. Also if anyone would like to sponsor a kilometre of the 20Km walk we will be more than welcome. Please see details about the Offaly Camino Canal Way Walk Challenge 2026 and further details about the charities work on www.selfhelpafrica.org

You can also contact Ronan Scully on (087) 6189094, visit https://selfhelpafrica.org/ie/offaly-camino-canal-way-walk/ or email ronan.scully@selfhelpafrica.org