'Climb for a Cause' hopes to raise €1m for Irish charities  

Limerick woman Joanna Clifford urges people to join climbs in Kerry, France, and Tanzania 

Climb for a Cause founder Joanna Clifford. Climb for a cause will host a series of mountain climbs starting this month hoping to raise over €1m for the Marie Keating Foundation, Focus Ireland, and basis.point.

A Limerick woman who has lost several relatives to breast cancer has urged people to join or support mountain climbs in Kerry, France, and Tanzania to fund change.

The Climb for Cancer hopes to raise over €1m for three charities that either tackle cancer or support other vulnerable groups, including children. The charities are the Marie Keating Foundation, Focus Ireland and basis.point.

Joanna Clifford said: "Those charities are deeply personal to us". The mother of two is 41 now, and at 20 was told she also has the BRCA cancer gene.

“I’ve been so well looked after,” she said.  “My maternal side of the family has been really, really unlucky with the number of family members they’ve lost (to cancer). 

"It was a large number and very close together.” 

She has male relatives with other types of cancer.  “We’ve had a significant amount of cancer and a lot of loss at very young ages,” she said.

Her husband and co-founder of the campaign, Niall, lost his sister to cancer.

Ms Clifford said since becoming a mother following gruelling IVF treatment, her urge to prevent early deaths from cancer has only become stronger.

“I don’t want any woman or parent to have to go through that,” she said.

She welcomed recent reports on increasing cancer survival rates in Ireland, but called for more research to make further improvements possible.

"We chose mountains because everyone has climbed or is climbing a mountain, some physical, emotional, personal, and we believe no one should have to climb alone," she said. 

They also give us back a sense of freedom that so many of us have lost on the treadmill of life.

The idea to include charities other than cancer support evolved as the campaign has grown over the past three years.

The initiative was set up to honour Niall's sister Fiona Cribben, who died from breast cancer in 2010.

He said: “Climb for a Cause was created to bring people together through challenge, adventure and purpose.  Each challenge has the power to unite people.” 

Several businesses are supporting the Tanzanian hike. The campaign has received support from Tánaiste Simon Harris, and former Republic of Ireland footballer Niall Quinn.

The Mount Blanc hike in France takes place on September 12, followed by the Kilimanjaro hike in October next year, for which they are still recruiting climbers.

In April the campaign tackles Carrantuohill in Kerry, a walk also still open for entry.

For more information see @climbforacauseireland on Instagram, or email [e-mail]