Following the success of the inaugural ‘Lap the Lake’ cycle to raise funds for the RNLI’s local lifeboat station on Lough Derg, this year Lough Derg RNLI’s fundraising committee raised €24,000 with the popular charity cycle held on Saturday 6 May.
Some 304 cyclists took part in the event, a significant increase in numbers from last year with the new option to either complete a 120km route or a shorter 65km course. The longer route took participants on a full circuit of Lough Derg, giving entrants the chance to cycle through three counties, Tipperary, Clare and Galway. The shorter route took cyclists to just beyond Killaloe, to a turnaround point at the Twomilegate lakeside amenity park. Both routes gave participants the opportunity to delight in the outstanding beauty of the lake and the River Shannon. The event started and finished at Lough Derg Yacht Club where the RNLI lifeboat the Jean Spier is based.
The riders’ safety and well-being were a priority for the organisers and were well catered to; a large number of volunteers operated as First Aid providers, out-riders and marshals, with bike maintenance stops along the way, as well as comfort and refreshments stations. Cyclists and their families praised the attention to detail, safety and comfort, a compliment to the organisational skills of the Lap the Lake Fundraising Committee.
Niamh McCutcheon, chair of the Lough Derg RNLI Fundraising Committee and the ‘Lap the Lake’ Event Committee, said: ‘We would like to thank the cycling committee: Ena Butler; Veronica Plunkett; Hilda Hamilton; Laura Clarke; Jonathan Horgan; Joe Hughes; John Mac Mahon and Mike Molampy.
We want to offer thanks to the Nenagh Garda Síochána, the Order of Malta, North Tipperary Wheelers, Nenagh Dive Club and the sweepers who encouraged and helped cyclists around the route. We want to also thank Casa Street Kitchen for providing food, Noreen O’ Sullivan for providing refreshments and James Corballis, volunteer crew with Galway RNLI who provided the sound system for entertainment for the participants and their families on their return to Dromineer. Next year is the 200th Anniversary of the RNLI so great celebrations are planned’.
Christine O’Malley, Lifeboat Operations Manager at Lough Derg RNLI said: ‘Lap the lake was a fabulous event meticulously organised by the Fundraising team. Hundreds of cyclists enjoyed the beauty of Lough Derg while raising essential funds for the RNLI, a charity that saves lives on the water and works to prevent drowning’.
Laura Clarke, Lough Derg RNLI Fundraising Committee said: ‘There was tremendous anticipation and excitement leading up to the event, which could not have taken place without the support of the vast numbers of volunteers and of course the 304 cyclists and sponsors’.
RNLI Lifeboat volunteer helms Eleanor Hooker, Owen Cavanagh and Steve Smyth, crew members Doireann Kennedy, Joe O’Donoghue, Chris Parker, Ciara Lynch, Oisín Higgins and Ania Skrzypczynska worked in shifts throughout the day, bringing the lifeboat Jean Spier to the public harbour in Dromineer and to other harbours around the lake, and were pleased to answer questions about the RNLI, its life-saving work and of course the lifeboat itself.
Volunteers at Lough Derg RNLI Lifeboat Station who also contributed to the accomplished event included Aoife Kennedy, Lifeboat Administration Officer and Deputy Launching Authority at Lough Derg RNLI who assisted with the registration of participating cyclists and acted as liaison between the fundraising committee and the lifeboat station throughout the event, Chris Parker, Lough Derg RNLI Trainee Helm who acted as Safety Officer for the event, Peter Kennedy, Deputy Launching Authority and RNLI mechanic and Caleb Clarke, Honorary Treasurer who dressed the Yacht Club in RNLI bunting, Christine O’Malley, Lifeboat Operations Manager and Liam Moloney, Deputy Launching Authority.
The success of fundraising events of this magnitude is ensured by the generous sponsorship of local and national businesses and organisations. The fundraising committee thanked the following sponsors for their support: Rationel Windows and Doors; Java Republic Coffee; Gill Opticians, Dalkey; Lisney Sotheby’s Estate Agents; Aldi; Insomnia Coffee; Bord na Mona; Tipperary Water; Sherry Fitzgerald Talbot Auctioneers; Podumna Glamping; Frank Manning Wholesalers; Quigleys Bakery; Nenagh Tyre Centre; Keith Deane Eco Car Wash; Donie Comerford Crash Repairs Allglass; Little & Mc Clean; Arrabawn; Lough Derg Yacht Club; Killaloe Sailing Club; Iniscealtra Sailing Club; Le Boat Emerald Star Line; North Tipperary Wheelers; Tierney Haines Architects and O’Connors SuperValu.