Local man to carry a telly on his back during Regeneron Great Limerick Run

MANY people would struggle with taking part in a fun run wearing just shorts, t-shirt and sneakers.

But one man will run 10 kilometres tomorrow with a 32-inch television strapped to his back as well!

Chris Culhane, who lives in Bruree, is taking part in the fun run section of the Regeneron Great Limerick Run to raise money for Cliona's Foundation, which supports parents of children with life-limiting or chronic complex care needs.

Chris hopes that it will raise awareness of the financial struggles that families caring for a sick child face in the Mid-West.

He's been an avid supporter of Cliona’s for many years, regularly taking part in events in support of the foundation.

Speaking about his unique idea Chris - who hails from the city - said: " am conscious that it has been a year since the documentary was featured on Virgin Media however its message is timeless and it can be watched on Cliona's website at clionas.ie. I really thought it would be good to do something different for the Great Limerick Run by carrying this 32 inch TV and showing the documentary. I want to highlight the issue and the amazing work of Cliona’s Foundation”.

Cliona’s has been helping families nationally and in Limerick and the Mid-West since 2008. To date the foundation has provided financial assistance to 207 families in the Mid-West region alone and over 1,200 nationally.

Speaking about the importance of raising awareness for the organisation, co-Founder and voluntary chief executive of Cliona’s Brendan Ring said: "So many of these families have experienced, and continue to experience, the significant non-medical costs of caring for a child with a life-limiting condition. The cost of living is crippling families who are already devastated by their child’s illness. We must do all we can to help them. It has never been more urgent to work even harder for the forgotten families Cliona’s work with. We are so grateful to Chris for coming up with this unique idea to raise awareness of the crisis”.