Dad Mark’s 200km cycle to help fund sensory playground
By Aimee Walsh
A LOCAL man is training to complete an ultra-distance 200km cycle to raise funds for a magic garden and sensory playground for children with autism.
Mark Finnerty from Tallaght is attempting a mammoth task of completing a 200km cycle to raise funds to build a playground for the Autism Spectrum Disorder unit at Scoil Aoife in Citywest. Mark’s daughter Lily is one of twelve pupils at the ASD unit.
Chris and Mark
“They have been slowly building up the unit with autism specific stuff. The main thing that they are missing is the playground, because the kids cannot go into the main playground as they get overwhelmed with the noise.
“My wife and I were talking before Christmas and came up with the concept of doing a fundraiser for the school. In the background, the school was thinking of doing a fundraiser, but they didn’t know what to do- it was just perfect timing.” Mark told The Echo.
As children with autism can become overwhelmed in crowded places, some of the kids at the ASD unit can not visit the main playground on break time. Mark says a sensory playground and magic garden will allow the kids at the ASD unit to experience normal play time and social interaction.
“It means they can go outdoors. If you remember your own schooldays, your favourite part of your day is when you could get out of your classroom and run around and play football or hopscotch with your friends, but these kids don’t have that. They have a couple of scooters that they just go around in circles at the moment.
“It will bring on their social interaction with other kids in the playground. It gives them a safe environment and it will let the kids be kids.
“Social interaction is linked into adulthood, and we want them to be able to explore and learn. We are trying to build a place where the kids can go out and explore and be safe.” Mark explained.
The cycle is scheduled for June 26 and will see Mark and his friend Chris take on an 11-hour cycle, stopping only for a quick lunch.
“It’s an ultra-distance event. I will be doing 200km in one day on a bike. Me and my friend Chris are doing it. We are training six days a week, up at 5am before work and then in the evenings.
“We do the distance cycle on the weekends, which is very difficult as you have to stick within 5k of your home at the moment, so we have to go around in one big circle around the house. We started in January and we will finish in June, with the cycle pre-planned for June 26.”
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