A BIG-HEARTED comedian is putting one foot in front of the other to raise funds for a beautiful little Carlow girl.
Finbarr Coveney will complete a gruelling 120-mile walk from Tramore to Navan this week in aid of Kayley Gaule, who has a form of Cerebral Palsy which affects her legs.
Kayley (6) has a condition called Diplegia, which means her legs are stiff, tight and very weak. Kayley, whose father Keith is from New Oak, cannot stand or walk alone and needs the help of a walker or wheelchair to get around.
Keith and his family moved to Navan last year but lived in Carlow for many years, where Kayley attended Holy Angels Day Care.
Kayley’s parents, Keith Gaule and Jacky Dunne, have decided to bring Kayley to America in October to undergo life-changing surgery.
The procedure will give Kayley the best chance of walking and standing independently, but Keith and Jacky must raise €50,000 before they can make their journey.
“We’ve just reached over half way. We’ve got €27,000 at the minute, so we’re doing pretty good, but we’ve still got half way to go,” said Kayley’s mum Jacky.
“It’s all starting to kick off, we’ll be organising lots of fundraising nights over the summer. The people of Carlow have been brilliant so far,” added Jacky.
Finbarr left his home in Tramore on Sunday and will make his way slowly but surely towards Navan over the coming days, along with his good friend Leon Sheehan.
The stand-up comic is taking part in a charity comedy night in the Ardboyne Hotel, Navan at 8pm on Thursday night (1 July) in aid of Kayley.
Finbarr and Leon arrived in Carlow last night and headed off on the next leg of their journey bright and early this (Tuesday) morning.
If you see the duo out pounding the roads today, make sure you drop some euros into their buckets. And strawberry sellers be warned: they’re after you too.
“We’ve a separate sponsorship card for the strawberry sellers on the side of the road, so we’re going to target them too. Even as little as a euro would make a difference,” said Finbarr.
Alternatively, you can donate to this very worthy cause online at www.helpkayleywalk.com.