Jog On - Part I
On Sunday 22nd of August, among 10,000 participants were our four stand-out stars pacing their way from Tower Bridge to the finish line at the Cutty Sark, Greenwich.
We are hugely grateful to Peter Keenan-Gavaghan our Treasurer, Maurice Malone the CEO of the Birmingham Irish Association, Triona Dowd the Chair of CAILS and CAILS council member Brian Keane for their dedicated training, fundraising efforts and for representing the IYF UK every step of the way along the 13.1-mile course.
The fab four have raised over £8,000 to date and along with gift aid, this pushes the total towards £9,500! Our heroes!
Read more about their individual stories below and help us to celebrate their endeavours by going the extra mile towards our £10,000 target by contributing what you can to their fundraisers.
Save the date and register your interest here to take part next year on Sunday 4 September 2022.
Many use the Vitality Big Half as a warm-up to the Virgin Money London Marathon, meet our marathon runners in part two here.
Peter Keenan-Gavaghan
“I have seen exactly the impact the grants are having across GB and Northern Ireland in supporting youth who are facing an up hill battle to make a good life for themselves, through no fault of their own.”
Thanks to the support of his employer (Barclays), every donation made will be matched. 
Maurice Malone
“I am delighted to be given the opportunity to take part in the Vitality Big Half to raise funds for the Irish Youth Foundation. For many years they have funded organisations throughout the UK to allow us to support the young people in our community. Without this money, many of the projects aimed at supporting our young people simply wouldn’t happen.”
Triona Dowd
“This is an excellent charity and in a post covid world, is facing cuts / funding issues. Please support if you can.”
Brian Keane
“Despite the name, the Irish Youth Foundation helps much more than just Irish causes and also provides fantastic support to those less fortunate across Britain. Helping those who find themselves in difficult circumstances, providing them with an alternative path and respite is so important for our society.”
We are also grateful to Irish In the UK TV for sharing their stories in the lead up to the Big Half. Catch up on the special episodes below and learn more about the organisations the IYF UK supports.