2nd ANNUAL ERRIGAL TWEET-UP

Errigal Tweet Up Time!

It's time for the 2nd Annual Errigal Tweet-Up folks!

Once again a group of people will take part in the highest tweet-up in Ireland walking up the highest mountain in County Donegal, Errigal.  Errigal stands 2,464 feet (751 meters) high so this is no mean feat!

This year funds will be raised in aid of The Mark Pollock Trust.  (@mpollocktrust) and your old mobile phones accepted for The Little Angels School in Letterkenny.  Non-climbers can help raise money by bringing their old mobile phones (more below).

A little about Mark from his website The Mark Pollock Trust:

"For over a decade Mark Pollock was known as an inspiration, an adventure athlete competing in the world’s harshest environments despite being completely blind.

As part of regaining his identity after losing his sight he chose to take on spectacular challenges. He has survived the sub-zero temperatures of Antarctica as he raced to the South Pole over 43 days. He suffered the scorching heat of the Gobi Desert, completing six marathons in one week in “The Race of No Return”. He has competed in races on the frozen Arctic Ocean at the North Pole, through the desert lowlands of the Syrian African Rift Valley to the Dead Sea and at altitude at Everest base camp. He also has two Commonwealth Games medals for rowing under his belt.

In mid-2010, Mark’s business was thriving with a full calendar of motivational speaking events ahead. He was in the process of writing his second book and he was due to be married.

On the night of the 2nd of July 2010 everything changed. He fell from a second story window fracturing his skull, some ribs and breaking his back in a number of places. Mark was taken to intensive care where injuries such as bleeds on his brain and a suspected torn aorta one by one healed becoming less and less significant beside the fact that Mark could not feel or move anything below his belly button. An MRI confirmed damage to his spinal cord where two of his vertebrae had burst in the fall. Mark was transferred to the National Spinal Injuries Centre at Stoke Mandeville in England, where spinal surgeons stabilized the bones in his spine with metal rods.

Mark spent 7 months suffering an onslaught of kidney and heart infections, which brought weeks of temperatures and pain and a 3 stone weight loss. Mark’s bones eventually healed but medicine can do nothing to repair a damaged spinal cord and Mark was discharged to The National Rehabilitation Hospital in Ireland in February 2011."

The climb will also benefit The Little Angels School in Letterkenny who supply a much needed and valuable place for children and young people with learning difficulties.  From The Little Angels website:

"Little Angels School is a multi-denominational school which caters for students with moderate, severe and profound learning disabilities and students with Autism. Pupils range in age from 3-18 years. There are twelve classes, five junior (4-12yrs approx.) and five senior (12-18yrs). Little Angels School also has a Pre-school for pupils with Autism."

Climbers and hikers can bring along their old mobile phones and the money raised from selling them will go to The Little Angels School.

Even if you are not doing the climb you could come along to the carpark any time between 12 noon and 4pm and give in your old mobile phone ~ maybe even gather up old phones from friends and relatives and bring them too ~ every cent raised for The Little Angels is desperately needed so let's all row in and help by bringing our old phones.

Slimming World Consultants will  be providing the climbers/hikers with what will be a very welcome warm & healthy soup and some of their members will even be attempting the climb.

The Mountain Rescue members will be in attendance.

Please tweet this blogpost to your followers (adding @Errigaltweetup to your tweet) and link it to your facebook page so that as many people as possible join in.

My blogpost on last year's (the first) Errigal Tweet-Up HERE.

Directions to the meeting point in the carpark below Errigal HERE.

START AT: The carpark at the foot of Errigal

DAY & DATE: Sunday, 3rd March 2013

TIME: 12 noon

Any further information TEL: 086-3540300

NOTE: Everyone takes part at their own risk.

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