On what would have been his mother’s 81st birthday, and just days after being awarded the accolade of Institute of Fundraising NI Volunteer of the Year, Portrush man Marcus Christie is launching a 50-day countdown to yet another personal challenge. Marcus aims to walk the length of Ireland, from Cork to his hometown of Portrush in 15 days, an average daily mileage of 27 miles, more than a marathon every day. You can support Marcus’ Cork 2 Port challenge by donating through his JustGiving Page here: https://rb.gy/yzkjwa .
In honour of his late mother, Joan Christie CVO OBE, Marcus has also set himself the goal of raising £20,000 through this event, funds that will help the Helicopter Emergency Medical Service team deliver urgent pre-hospital care to another five individuals.
Following the sudden loss of his mother on New Year’s Day 2023, Marcus was inspired to support Air Ambulance Northern Ireland—the service that responded in an effort to help her. Though she tragically passed away, Marcus chose to channel his grief into purpose. Since that moment, he has become an outstanding volunteer, fundraiser, and ambassador for the charity, making a profound and lasting impact, which was recognised at the Institute of Fundraising Awards event held last Thursday 19th June in the Titanic Hotel, Belfast when Marcus was named ‘Volunteer of the Year’.
To date Marcus has raised approximately £45,000 for the charity Air Ambulance NI that has become close to his heart, taking on a series of events, fundraisers, and personal challenges. These have included a gala ball for 200 people and climbing Kilimanjaro, the highest African peak in 2024; and the three highest peaks in England, Scotland, and Wales in just over 21 hours in 2023.
Marcus commented, “I know the value that Air Ambulance NI brings to local people who are having the worst day of their lives. Being able to make a positive difference keeps me going and mum was very charitable, so it is lovely to keep her memory alive and hopefully make her proud. Everyone keeps telling me how challenging the distance will be; but I wanted to take on something even more testing than I have done before. Fourteen marathons it is!”
Kerry Anderson, Head of Fundraising at Air Ambulance NI, said, “”We’ve had supporters’ cycle around Ireland before, but this is the first time someone is attempting it on foot! Marcus seems unfazed by the challenge so far, but it’s certainly not for the faint-hearted. We hope that many friends, family, and colleagues will join Marcus for sections of the walk to keep his motivation up along the way and of course donate https://rb.gy/yzkjwa. It was wonderful to see Marcus’ commitment to Air Ambulance NI recently recognised with the award at the Institute of Fundraising and we thank him for all he does.”