In Aid Of Mental Health UK
Laura Curley is organizing a charity walk on the 11th of April in memory of her aunt Kathy O’Callaghan who sadly passed away in October, 2020.
Laura, who is originally from Cork, Ireland, has lived in Lanzarote for eleven years. She first moved to Lanzarote when she was in her late teens and stayed until she was 21. Then she went back to Ireland for one year, then moved to London for years Then she decided she wanted to move back to Lanzarote.
She is raising funds for Mental Health UK as it was a charity that her aunt Kathy used to raise funds for in London, where she managed pubs in London for years. Kathy suffered with depression for many years herself. People always said she was the life and soul of the party and for such a small person she had the biggest heart. She was more like a sister and a best friend than an aunt to Laura.
The link for donations is: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/laura-curley2. Any donation is welcome, no matter how small.
Laura is choosing to walk from Puerto Calero to Playa Blanca following the Coastal Route, as her aunt and uncle bought a villa there. Their plan was to move to Lanzarote permanently in the next few years. Hopefully Laura’s uncle will still move over to live Kathy’s dream for her as she loved Lanzarote so much. Her heart was always here.
Laura’s husband Allan is going to do the walk with her, he has been her rock during these trying times. She says that anyone that knows her will know she doesn’t do any exercise whatsoever, so this will be a major challenge for her!
A few more people are joining them: their good friend and neighbour Richie Clarke, Jane Hayden, Karen that works with Laura and Sue from The Hardcore Hairy Hikers Klub https://www.facebook.com/HHHKlub. They would also love for as many people as possible to get involved. If you wish to do so, please contact Laura via Facebook https://www.facebook.com/laura.connell122 or by emailing her on lollanzarote12@gmail.com.
They still don’t know how early they will be leaving on the day but Laura reckons it’ll be early in the morning, about 8am. It will take about seven hours to complete the 30Km route. You will be able to follow their progress on social media as they will post updates every step of the way.
If people just want to share the fundraising page on social media that would be great, too. Laura knows it’s hard for everyone right now. “I know a lot of people are struggling mentally at the moment so we are just trying to raise awareness that it’s ok not to be ok”, she says.
Also, Laura would like to thank the Irish Pub “Finnegans Wake” https://www.facebook.com/lanzaroteirishbars in Puerto del Carmen who, on top of making a cash donation, will kindly supply water for all the walkers on the day of the walk.
Mental Health UK Registered charity number 1170815. You can find more information about the work they do on their website
