Laurels Cycle Crew raise €32k for charity

THE LAURELS Cycle Crew handed over cheques for CHI Crumlin and brain injury support charity Headway after raising over €32,000 from their fundraising cycle events.

The group handed over the two cheques at a community event at The Laurel’s Pub on Sunday, February 6.

The Laurels Cycle Crew was first set up in 2009 by Laurels bar manager Damien Long and head barman Denis McCarthy and has gone on to raise over €1 million for CHI Crumlin through their annual fundraising cycles.

In 2019 the group celebrated passing the €1million mark and in 2016 they won the charity event of the year at the Irish Healthcare Awards.

The crew host two cycle events annually – Galway to Dublin in Spring and the Christmas Santa Cycle from Phoenix Park to Clondalkin Village.

Due to Covid-19 restrictions, the events were cancelled in 2020, but came back with a bang in 2021 with some adjustments when restrictions eased, raising an incredible €32,207 for the two charities.

With the relaxing of some restrictions in September last year, spirits were high as the annual event returned on September 18. Hundreds of cyclists set off from the Laurels Pub making their way to Kinnegad in County Westmeath and back, raising €25,076 for a multi-sensory room in St Michael’s Ward in CHI Crumlin.

December 5 saw nearly 200 people donning Santa Claus costumes cycling around Clondalkin, raising €7,131 for Headway Ireland.

“We were delighted to be back after Covid and to see the community come together to do these events and do some good,” Denis McCarthy told The Echo.

“It’s great to be back together as a community – it was a great year to do this and people were very happy to get out and to work together, enjoy themselves and raise money for charity.

“One of our charities was CHI Crumlin, which we have worked with since 2009, and we also worked with Headway this year which is an acquired brain injury charity, and they have a base in Bawnogue.”

The crew held a virtual cycling event in 2020, which was the first year where the cycle was being held in aid of Headway, which has a personal connection for one member of the Laurels Cycle Crew, Derek Cummins, who suffered an acquired brain injury after a stroke seven years ago.

“Derek is very active with Headway, so we wanted to support Derek in his work with them,” said Denis.

Now that the crew are firmly back on their saddles, the wheels are already in motion to prep for the next big event which will take place in September this year.

“We will be having our annual Galway to Dublin cycle which will happen for the first time since 2019, and that will be taking place the weekend of September 24 and 25,” said Denis.