Tractor run organised by Pres de la Salle, Bagenalstown raised €13,000
TY students Niall McDonald and Sean Mathews, who organised the Presentation de la Salle Bagenalstown vehicle run in aid of the school and Éist Photos: Michael O'Rourke Photography
A TRACTOR run organised by two transition-year students at Presentation de la Salle College in Bagenalstown has raised €13,000 for Éist Cancer Support Centre and the school.
The fundraiser’s organisers, Sean Matthews from Cloneen and Niall McDonald from Old Leighlin, approached the school principal Michael Hickey at the start of the school year in September with the idea of putting on a tractor run to raise money for the school and for Éist, which offers free, practical services and emotional support to anyone affected by cancer.
“The two boys were brilliant. They have had their boots on the ground, getting letters out and contacting every business in the locality, and the lion’s share of the sponsorship came from that,” said principal Hickey.
“They are two exceptional young lads. They put in an awful lot of work and we are very proud of them. TY is a year that gives students the opportunity to look outside what we are doing in the classroom, and they really took advantage of that opportunity and got their teeth into this project,” he added.
The run took place on Sunday 10 May, when a convoy of 100 tractors and other vehicles set off on the route, which began at Carlow Concrete Tanks, which generously supplied the use of its yard for the day.
Sean and Niall were ably assisted by their parents Lisa and Clive Matthews and Eilish and Sean McDonald, as well as the school’s parents’ council.
Fellow PDLS student Sean Hanlon, who has experience in running social media pages for his father and renowned horse trainer John Hanlon, manned the cameras and drones during the run and produced an excellent video recap of the day, which can be viewed on the school’s Instagram page.
“I would like to thank the whole school community that helped out with this event, as well as the sponsors, donors, volunteers, supporters, marshals and the Civil Defence and gardaí,” said principal Hickey.
The idonate page will stay active until the end of the month for anyone who wishes to contribute.
*More photos of the tractor run in this week's Nationalist.
