Last August, we said goodbye to our hero – our main man. But in truth, we had already begun that heartbreaking journey a few years earlier, when Dad/Granda Pat was diagnosed with dementia. From that moment on, we lost a little piece of him every day.

He was a gentle giant who always put others before himself. In honour of that, and in the spirit, he lived by, we as a family want to give something back. We hope that by doing so, we can help others who are facing this cruel disease.

It feels only right that we begin our challenge on what would have been his 88th birthday.

His children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren will take part in a 24-hour Spinathon, starting at 8.30pm on Friday 7th August at St Colmcille’s GFC, Grange. This will be followed on Saturday 8th with a night of music, a raffle, and most importantly – plenty of craic, just the way he would have loved it.

We would be so grateful for your support, whether that’s making a donation to Dementia NI via our page, calling in to cheer on the cyclists, buying raffle tickets, or joining us for the music and craic.

Every bit of support is truly appreciated.