Stars walk in Thailand for terminally ill children

Irish singers and television presenters have joined forces to complete a 50 kilometre walk in Thailand in a bid to raise funds to send seriously ill children on a special trip to Lapland.

Eurovision singer Brian Kennedy, Linda Martin, TV3’s Alan Hughes, former Miss Ireland Aoife Coogan and Amanda Brunker are appealing for people to join them on the fundraising walk taking place from September 27 to October 8.

Alan Hughes said if they could get 100 walkers to take part in the Thailand trip they could achieve their goal of sending all the long-term and terminally ill children on the lists in the country’s hospitals to visit Santa in Lapland this Christmas.

All of the money raised by the charity in aid of the Children to Lapland Appeal will go towards taking over 200 sick and terminally-ill children on the visit.

“If we can get 100 people to take part in the walk we will be able to raise enough to send all the terminally ill children or those on long-term hospital visits, who are in hospital two or three times a year, on the trip,” Alan Hughes said.

“We are going to have entertainment every evening on the walk in Thailand so we will be having fun as well as the serious side of it.”

The presenter, who also runs an annual Christmas Panto in Dublin, said the charity has been organising the trips for 21 years.

But he said every year it was forced to leave some deserving children behind due to funds and this season it was determined everyone would have a chance to visit Lapland.

Hughes said if people felt they were unable to take part in the walk they could also sponsor a child, at €650, for the Lapland trip.

“If they are told a few months in advance they are going, I guess it gives them something to look forward to while they are in hospital,” he said.

Around two planes are expected to be hired for the trip to cater for the children and their parents and nurses.

“It takes massive organisation to bring the children, many of whom are unwell and on drips, on the trip,” he said.

“But it is something they really want to do so hopefully we can achieve it and bring them all.”

Each participant in the walk is required to raise €3,500 for the appeal through a variety of fundraising methods. Information on the fundraising bid is available from the Children to Lapland Appeal at 01 2832555 or rommelunitedtravel.ie.