Family of Derry man who died in hillwalking accident to raise funds in his memory

The family of a Derry man who died in a tragic accident in Donegal are tackling the Waterside Half Marathon in his memory.

Brian Campbell, a well-known and popular bus driver, tragically died while hillwalking in the Poisoned Glen in April.

Among the emergency services who responded to the incident was Donegal Mountain Rescue.

In a bid to thank and raise funds for the Donegal Mountain Rescue Team Brian’s son Caomhán and his partner Erin Smyth, along with Brian’s niece Orlagh McLaughlin and his nephews Aaron and Sean Starrs and Martin Creswell will tackle the 13.1 mile challenge on Sunday.

Caomhán’s friends Adam Woodrow and John Paul Doohan will also run while Brian’s wife Donna and daughter Nicole will be there supporting the team during the race.

Speaking to DerryNow, Brian's son Caomhán heaped praise on the Donegal Mountain Rescue for the care and compassionate support they received following his father's death.

“They (Donegal Mountain Rescue) were absolutely brilliant,” Caomhán said. “They explained everything to us. They explained the whole rescue and how they never left my father's side the entire time.

“It was really comforting knowing they were with him for hours and wouldn't leave him. They also came to thewake and the funeral.”

Caomhán added: “They're a brilliant service that don't get any funding so they deserve every penny.”

With less than a week to go until the big day, Caomhán said training has been going well and that everyone is looking forward to the race.

“It was at my father's funeral that kind of decided to do something like this in his memory and we're all looking forward it now. There's an iDonate page set up so people can still donate for such a worthy cause.”

If you wish to support the Half-Marathon run in memory of Brian Campbell, please visit: https://www.idonate.ie/fundraiser/OrlaghMcLaughlin