UPDATE: Embury Close residents give back with walkathon challenge

Embury Close residents have been participating in a walkathon as a charity fundraiser.

UPDATE: Embury Close residents give back with walkathon challenge

By I Love Limerick Correspondent Sophia DiBattista

Residents living at Embury Close have recently ended their marathon challenge and has rasied money for Alone, Barnardos and Milford Care Centre.

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Embury Close is a non-profit sheltered housing complex for the elderly. Located in Adare, Embury Close is one of the 270 members of the Irish Council for Social Housing.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, residents have been on lockdown within their premises. The times have been tough, but the residents’ grit has been tougher, showing optimism for the future and support for each other. The support shown to the residents from the community of Adare has been fantastic and the residents feel lucky. For this reason, they want to give back something and feel they could use the remaining time of the lockdown to raise some much-needed funds and at the same time promote health and wellbeing with daily exercise.

They have taken this support outside their houses and developed a walkathon challenge to promote health and wellbeing.

The walkathon began on Wednesday, April 22 and lasted for 13 days. Every day from 9 am to 7 pm, the participants walked for 30 minutes, each at a different time. Altogether, they walked the distance between Adare to Dublin and back again, equaling about 412 kilometres.

The 20 participants who took up this challenge, each with a different mobility level, are extremely proud of their accomplishments. Even though everyone is social distancing or self-isolated during this period, they have proven that communities must stick together to make the impossible achievable.

A GoFundMe page was set up in order to collect all the funds raised for the three charities: Alone, Barnardos and Milford Care Centre. They have raised over €7,000.

Simon Baker, Manager at Embury Close, took videos of residents walking around the grounds of the place. He talked about the isolation period and encouraged people to continue their great progress, saying, “Don’t let us lose the focus as a nation. We have all done so well to date. Let’s stay home and stay safe.” 

Simon, the famous Irish amputee footballer and coach, feels privileged to have worked alongside these residents. Even renowned coach and former footballer Damien Duff has sent in his own video showing his support to the participants.

Residents popping champagne as they celebrate the completion of their walkathon.

Simon continued saying how the Embury Close residents have truly provided light through this period of darkness. He said, “As tough as it has been, the support shown to the residents from the community of Adare has been fantastic and the residents feel lucky.”

Now that the residents are out of their lockdown, they are able to be more mobile than before, however, they must social distance wherever they go. They cannot go to shops or public places, but Simon is hopeful for a future with less restrictions. He said, “It’s a step in the right direction, and I am so so proud of their motivation.”

About the charities:

ALONE is an independent charity that works with 1 in 5 older people who are homeless, socially isolated, living in deprivation or in crisis.

Barnardos’ deliver services and work with families, communities, and our partners to transform the lives of vulnerable children who are affected by adverse childhood experiences. 

Milford Care Centre provides the highest quality of care to patients or residents, family and friends, both in the areas of Palliative Care and Services to the Older Person. 

For more information on Embury Close, click here.