For the final leg of our European adventure, we have decided to complete the Camino Francés for our two chosen charities. We will begin on Tuesday 17th October, in Saint Jean Pied de Port, with the hope of finishing the 780km route in Santiago de Compostela, by the middle of November. Alan will be raising funds for the Jack and Jill Children's Foundation, while Aoife will be raising funds for the Aisling Project.

The Jack and Jill Children's Foundation

I have chosen this charity as I wanted to support the incredible amount of time and effort my sister Carol and brother-in-law Fergie have dedicated to fundraising funds for Jack and Jill, over the last ten years. They have briefly outlined below the significance of the Jack and Jill Children's Foundation in their lives and their everlasting gratitude towards the charity. (Alan)

Our little Emma was born on 1st of July 2013 - a full term baby from an uncomplicated pregnancy. However, soon after she was born, it became apparent that she was having difficulties feeding and breathing correctly. After extensive tests in the National Maternity Hospital and Temple Street Children's Hospital, it became clear that Emma's condition of encephalopathy of the brain could not be cured. We kept her as comfortable as we possibly could and with the help of the Jack and Jill Children's Foundation, we brought her home from hospital to care for her at home. Jack and Jill gave us the gift of time together at home as a family of 4, after months apart while Emma was in hospital. We made memories together at home with our baby girl and her brother Billy, before she sadly passed away at just 16 weeks old on 23rd October 2013. We can never fully repay Jack and Jill for the gift they gave us but we can keep them close to our heart. We have created a legacy for our little girl since she passed away to hopefully help other sick children and their families who are in the same position as we were 10 years ago. Smile Love and Remember Emma 

The Aisling Project 

I have decided to complete the Camino Francés in memory of my late Dad, Pat. For that reason, I have chosen a charity that he dedicated a lot of his time too and was consequently, very close to his heart - The Aisling Project. The Aisling Project is an after-school intervention for young, under-privileged children, based in Ballymun. It aims to provide education and life skills by providing purposeful activities, in order to enable each individual to reach their full potential. It focuses on the child’s holistic development, as well as encouraging full school participation and completion. (Aoife)

We would love if you could support us in any way possible over the next month. We will be documenting the adventure on Instagram - @camino_2023_ if you would like to follow along on our journey. Thank you so much in advance, Aoife and Alan #Camino2023

Thank you for taking the time to visit our fundraising page on iDonate.ie. We've chosen to fundraise for Aisling Project and The Jack & Jill Children's Foundation. All funds raised here will go directly to these great causes. We hope that you can help us by donating whatever you can. Simply click the Donate button. All donations are processed securely. You can also share our page using the Share options. This is a great way to show your support. Thank you!