Thanks for taking the time to visit Orla Dunlea and Vanessa Bainbridge's JustGiving page in aid of the Irish Cancer Society and if you have donated already THANK YOU SO MUCH.

Orla and Vanessa are taking part in the Paris2Nice charity cycle in September 2021 to raise funds for the Irish Cancer Society. We will be cycling from Paris to Nice which is over 700km over 6 days. We are self funding all the trip costs (flights, accommodation, food etc) so 100% of your sponsorship will go directly to the Irish Cancer Society.

Orla and Vanessa have been friends for 30 years, having met as students on their first day in UCD Law in 1992.  Vanessa initially signed up to Paris2Nice after heavy 'canvassing' by Orla for the challenge (some of you will have previously experienced this approach and may understand that sometimes the only option is to give in!).  We have been training together over a number of months with our friend Kathy Kavanagh (who is also taking part) and the Paris2Nice cycling group.  More information on the challenge can be found at www.paris2nice.com

We have chosen to fundraise for the Irish Cancer Society as we know lots of people affected by cancer including Vanessa's mum, Maria who passed away in 2009 (and her aunt, Kate and uncle, John), Orla's grandfather, Pop, and our friend, Emma Keane as well as many other friends including some brave survivors.  We know many of you have also been affected by this awful disease - the statistics are that 1 in 2 of us will be affected by cancer at some stage.  

The Irish Cancer Society is a community providing vital support to those affected by cancer in Ireland through advocacy, support services and research.  Since 2010 the Irish Cancer Society has invested Euro 20m into research that has led to hundreds of discoveries with findings published in international peer review journalism making this knowledge available to researchers worldwide.  The Society receives only 3% of its funding from the Government and relies on donations to carry out its services.  For more information see cancer.ie

Our combined fundraising target is Euro 15,000.  We would really appreciate it if you could sponsor us for our challenge.  No donation is too small and together we hope to smash our target. We are bowled over by everyone's extreme generosity so far - thank you.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

Thank you very much for your support and please check in here for updates on our training and the cycle. Paris2Nice2021 !