The Concern annual walk up Scalp mountain was a great success and the Concern Volunteers, who organised the event, were delighted with the whole day.
Weather conditions were favourable, while cloud cover at the very top of the mountain added a sense of adventure to the whole walk.
There was a special emphasis placed on family participation for the year’s walk and many family groups took part. The McLaughlin family open up their land each year for the walk. Michael McLaughlin farms the land where the event takes place. His father Henry has allowed the Concern event on his land for many years.
“We are always pleased to host this event every year,” he said.
“We are used to life on the mountain but it gives people a chance to appreciate the countryside and enjoy the great views. Normally I like to take part myself but I was particularly busy shearing sheep. The family was represented by my sister Kathleen McCallion who likes to take part every year.”
One of the youngest walkers was seven-year-old Aidan Conway. “My brother Patrick and my cousins from Belfast have done the walk up the mountain many times,” he said.
“This year was my turn. I was a bit nervous but I found it was not too tough. I was very excited about going into the clouds. I really enjoyed the bar of chocolate when we reached the top.”
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Cora Morrison, one of the Concern volunteers, completed the walk with her brother Frank and sister Breida. She then settled down to count the donations the walkers had made: “There were about two hundred people taking part. They donated well over £2,500. This is typical of the generosity of local people who have contributed to our various appeals over the years. The walk also highlights the work of Concern Worldwide. Concern has a presence in 26 countries around the world which find themselves in enormous difficulties due to a variety of causes: climate change, natural disasters and war. One example is the desperately poor desert country of Chad.
"Half a million people have fled to Chad from the war in Sudan. Concern provides food, shelter and medical supplies to these families. The contribution of Concern in many disaster situations like Sudan is only part of their work. In the longer term, the main aim of Concern’s work is to strengthen food security. Lack of food destroys the lives of individuals especially children and holds back the development of whole societies The contributions donated on the walk will help in a small way to alleviate the problems these families face.”
Concern’s public fundraising executive Isabel Brennan also got her walking boots on to scale the Scalp. “An amazing day for all involved. I thoroughly enjoyed my trek up into the clouds and getting to meet the other walkers. Congratulations to all those taking part and to the Derry group who organized the event. We are delighted so many walkers chose to support the work of Concern Worldwide in tackling extreme poverty in the world’s poorest communities. It would not be possible without the compassion and generosity of our supporters. There is still time to donate online on the Derry Scalp page at justgiving.com.
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