Charity cycle raises over €32,000 in memory of Monksland girl

A special cycle fundraiser held on Friday, April 8 in memory of the late Laura Carroll from Monksland has raised €32,830 for the Children's Health Foundation at Temple Street.

Laura (12) passed away in Temple Street Children’s Hospital on March 28 2021 after suffering a brain bleed at the Carroll family home in Corrán Riada, Monksland two days earlier.

IN2, the engineering consultancy company that Laura's father Ian works for, organised a cycle challenge which saw staff from their Athlone, Dublin, Belfast and London offices cycle three set routes with the longest stretch from Dublin to Athlone, a 130km route.

Ian along with his wife, Lorraine, daughter Aoife and staff from the Athlone IN2 office cycled the greenway to Mullingar and back to Athlone. The money raised from the fundraiser will be divided across four key areas: life-saving equipment, medical research, patient and family supports and emerging hospital services.

The funding will enable Children's Health Ireland at Temple Street to purchase new and updated equipment such as CT scanners to help lower wait times whilst improving the quality of care provided to each child in the hospital.

It will also support paediatric research that will help pave the way for better, gentler treatments and cures for sick children today, tomorrow and into the future.

Along with this the money raised will help to provide a range of non-medical services tosupport children and their families while at Temple Street. Their pet therapy service brings dogs around the hospital for children to play with, which helps them de-stress and have some fun.

The funding will also assist CHI at Temple Street in the provision of ward renovations or new buildings.

The foundation previously supported the building of The Butterfly Suite, a private space where grieving parents can spend the last few precious moments with their child in peace and comfort.