Four employees from Tyrone company CEMCOR have raised over £52,000 for Air Ambulance NI Charity following a ‘Six Day, Six County’ cycle around the entire province.
John Sinnamon, David Cuddy, Graeme Barnes and Sam Lee (also known now as “The Flyin’ Lions”) work at Cookstown based cement production company CEMCOR and came up with the idea of the fundraising event after John had a mountain biking accident, requiring the assistance of the air ambulance in 2023. Shift Supervisor at CEMCOR, John Simmon said: “Understanding first-hand what an important service the Air Ambulance is, I was delighted my colleagues and employer were so supportive in helping me give back to those who came to my rescue last year.”
Setting off on a very wet and windy day morning on Sunday 25th August, The Flying Lions began their massive 500-mile cycle challenge. From there, the four cyclists cycled around all six counties in six days before arriving back to a homecoming event at their workplace on Friday 30th August.
CEMCOR Managing Director, David Millar commented “Our local engagement and support is so important to us at CEMCOR. As a business we operate globally but we never lose sight of what support we can provide to those within our community. We encourage all our staff to come forward with ideas around fundraising just as John, David, Sam and Graeme have done. I am extremely proud of the four lads and everything they have achieved. I would also like to thank all the staff at CEMCOR, along with our customers and suppliers who supported the Flyin’ Lions either financially or by volunteering for various events. To hit the initial target of £25k would be haven been amazing, but to over double it to over £52k is just something else!”
Damien McAnespie, Fundraising Manager at Air Ambulance NI, said, “I cannot thank enough for what John, David, Sam and Graeme have achieved and raised for the charity. The team from CEMCOR approached us in September 2023 with a very ambitious fundraising idea of doing a cycle and for the next eleven months, these four men dedicated their time, focus and energy entirely to the campaign. From improving their personal fitness levels to prepare to cycle 80-100 miles a day, carrying out street collections, organising internal staff fundraisers with their colleagues to gaining sponsorship from local companies and donations from the community. Throughout this time, they were also continuing to manage their work shift patterns at CEMCOR and manage their own personal and family life too.
Their donation of £52,918 to Air Ambulance NI will fund our service for over seven days, potentially saving the life, brain or limb of fourteen individuals in the region following a serious trauma or medical incident. I would like to thank all the businesses, hotels and individuals who supported their fundraiser in any way. Their commitment and support for our charity is greatly appreciated and should be commended by everyone. it is not only our medical team who saves lives but those who support our service.”
The charity Air Ambulance, in partnership with the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service, provides the Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) for the region. The service brings urgent medical assistance to anywhere in the province, operating seven days a week for 12 hours per day. The HEMS team attend patients who are seriously ill or injured, bringing emergency pre-hospital care direct to the casualty with the aim of saving lives, brains and limbs. The aircraft can reach anywhere in Northern Ireland in approximately twenty-five minutes. As a local charity, Air Ambulance NI aspires to raise £2.5million each year to maintain and sustain this service so public donations are crucial.