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Ireland West Airport is delighted to announce that Croí, Hope House and The Jack and Jill Foundation have been selected by airport staff as its charity partners for 2019.

Every year, airport staff members have an opportunity to nominate a charity partner for the following year. The three charities with the most nominations are then selected as the company’s new charity partners.

A number of events will take place during the course of 2019 which will engage passengers and staff with the aim of raising as much money as possible for the three charities. The headline event for 2019 will again be the annual 5k runway fun run sponsored by Portwest, which will take place on the runway at Ireland West Airport on Saturday March 30^th at 5pm.

Runners and walkers will take-off down the runway at 5pm and complete a 5km course with a difference. All are welcome to attend what promises to be fantastic evening for all the family, raising much needed funds our three charities in 2019.

This year will be a particularly memorable year for the Runway run as it will be the last time a run will take place on the current runway which is due to be resurfaced in May 2019. The famous runway which was built in the early 1980’s has welcomed over 10 million passengers and this years run will be a historic one for those taking part. To celebrate there will be a number of prizes on the day for participants to have a chance of winning including flights to Barcelona, and Bristol.

Entry to the event costs €20 per adult and €5 for under-16’s. A special family rate of €40 will be available for families of 2 adults and 2 kids.  All participants will receive a race t-shirt and complimentary car parking and refreshments at the airport will be provided on the day. Participants can sign up and find more information by visiting www.irelandwestairport.com/runwayrun. The number of participants is restricted and those interested are advised to register early to avoid disappointment. 

Launching the charities of the year programme for 2019 and the annual runway fun run, Joe Gilmore, Managing Director, Ireland West Airport said “We are delighted to be partnering with three great new charities in 2019. This is the fourth year of our Staff Charity programme which has to date raised almost €100,000 for Irish charities. We hope to build on the success of the previous years and raise much needed funds for our three new charities this year who all undertake such fantastic work which really does make such a difference to the people that they support in our community. 2019 will be an extra special year as it will be the last time we have our Runway Run on the current famous runway, built in the early 1980’s, which is due to be resurfaced between May and July, so it will be yet another historic occasion for those taking part. historic occasion for those taking part. With the runway planned we look forward to supporting our three charities and to another successful year of fundraising”.

Commenting on the launch on behalf of the Runway Run sponsor, Portwest Ltd., Harry Hughes, Managing Director said “Portwest is delighted to be part of this annual charity runway fun run for the second year running. We are pleased to support these three fantastic charities and wish all participants the very best on the day.”

Neil Johnson, Chief Executive, Croí, the Heart and Stroke Charity said “We are delighted to be chosen as a 2019 charity partner by Ireland West Airport. We are so grateful for this support. Our goal is to lead the fight against heart disease and stroke, and our work in Mayo and the West of Ireland is making a real impact on people’s lives. Our programmes engage with patients, carers and members of the general public across a range of initiatives, including cardiac risk assessments; cardiac and stroke support groups; public health promotion; education events; and awareness campaigns. We look forward to working with the team at Ireland West Airport. Together, we will help to prevent disease, save lives and promote recovery & wellbeing.”

Jackie O’Connor, Corporate Fundraiser, The Jack and Jill Foundation said “The Jack & Jill Children’s Foundation are very grateful to the staff of Ireland West Airport for selecting us as one of their charity partners for 2019.  The Foundation works hard to deliver its service across the west of Ireland and beyond offering home respite hours and hospice at home respite hours to the very sick children under our wing.  To date we have helped over 320 families in Connaught. We have no doubt this partnership will help us continue deliver this vital service and we look forward to the year ahead”.

Dolores Duggan, Director, Hope House, said “We are absolutely delighted and so grateful to the management and staff at Ireland West Airport for choosing us as one of their Charity Partners for 2019 and we look forward to working with you all. This is a special year for Hope House in that we have just celebrated our 25th birthday. Over the past 25 years we have provided quality addiction services to thousands of addicted people and their families. You can be assured that monies raised through this fundraising drive by Ireland West Airport will help us to continue to provide our renowned quality service to the people of the West and beyond.”

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