Thank you for taking the time to read our fundraising page

Our story

On the 22nd February 2024 our close friend Gareth Smith tragically passed away at the age of 29. We met Gareth on our journey to becoming Chartered Accountants and ended up forming a lasting friendship due to his wonderfully unique sense of humour, charisma and kind nature. We shared the highs and lows of exams, the euphoria and despair of football and the many other memories which won’t be forgotten. He was one of life’s true characters who lived it to the fullest and didn’t let his severe heart condition stop him from achieving his goals. He always had a smile on his face and showed incredible empathy for others. We have both learned a lot from him and certainly take that with us going forward. With Darragh already in Sydney and Daniel booked to fly to Melbourne in September, we both want to raise money in honour of his memory and take his story to the other side of the world.

The Challenge

On November 16th 2024 we will both be running the Queenstown Marathon in New Zealand. All our fundraising for this marathon will go to a local charity in Northern Ireland, the Heart Trust Fund at the Royal Victoria Hospital. This will be the first marathon for Daniel and a significant increase on the 10km.

Why the Heart Trust Fund.

As mentioned, Gareth suffered from a severe heart condition and he was treated by doctors and nurses at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast when he was younger. By the age of eight Gareth had undergone three major heart surgeries. The third and final operation was very complex but luckily it was a success which gave him the future years he would have with his family and friends. Without this we would not have met Gareth.

The main objective of the Heart Trust Fund is the financial support for the vitally important work of treating patients in the Medical Cardiology Centre of the Royal Victoria Hospital, and the equally important work of research into heart disease carried out there. Throughout the years the charity has funded the adaptation of two parts of the hospital into research laboratories and the establishment of a new consultant post with the emphasis on cardiac research.

We thank you again for reading our fundraising page. Please give what you can. Any and every single donation, whether it is small or large will go a long way to enhancing patient care and ultimately saving lives for patients with severe heart conditions. It will mean a lot to Gareth’s family and friends.

Gareth. Gaz. G. This one is for you brother.

Thank you.

Daniel and Darragh

#Run4Gareth