Thank you for taking the time to visit my fundraising page on iDonate.ie

I've chosen to fundraise for Family Carers Ireland and The Alzheimer Society of Ireland. All funds raised here will go directly to these worthy causes.

The help Family Carers Ireland and The Alzheimer Society of Ireland gave to our family during my Mam's illness, God rest her soul, was invaluable and it definitely helped us keep Mam at home for as long as we did.

Even if it was just for a hour or two, here or there, it enables the carer to go to the shops, the chemist, the doctor, even for a walk to clear your head etc..  All the simple tasks we take for granted under normal circumstances, which are not possible if you do not have someone to step in for you while you are absent.

Apart from being physically there for you, the advice and support you receive from their home care assistants is invaluable.

There are 1000s of families across Ireland urgently in need of assistance to help them care for their loved one. One of the many side-effects of the pandemic is that charities have been completely under supported due to government funds being directed elsewhere.

Towards the end of 2019, I was thinking of what I could do to help raise some badly needed funds for Family Carers Ireland and The Alzhemier Society of Ireland and it was suggested to me, probably jokingly, that I should grow my beard for a year and get sponsorship for that.

Not one to shirk a challenge and to up the stakes, I decided to agree to grow it for 2 years.

I will be coming to the end of the beardathon challenge in mid 2022.  I can tell you I won’t be sorry to see the end of the scraggly beard.  By the time I take the hedge trimmers out, it will be around 8 to 9 inches long. There has been many an itch, much dinner stuck in it, a lot more grey present than I imagined and with the heatwave in the Summer of 2021, it felt like I was wearing a furry coat on my face!!!

But if we can raise a few quid for these most worthy of charities, it will have been well worth it. Roughly speaking, every 12 euro we raise will provide 1 hour of support to a family, just like mine and yours, who are currently in desperate need of assistance.

Any donation, no matter how small, will be going towards providing critical aid for families looking after loved ones and will greatly assist in their ability to keep their family member at home for as long as possible.

I hope you can help.  Thanks in advance, Barry