Staff and Commissioners from the Northern Ireland Judicial Appointments Commission (NIJAC) have beaten an ‘Olympic Summer Challenge’ to walk 750 miles over a 10-week period, to raise funds for charity partner, Northern Ireland Chest, Heart & Stroke (NICH&S).
Staff walked almost twice this, over 1400 miles, raising £465.50 for the charity.
Northern Ireland Chest Heart & Stroke provide care and support to anyone living with chest, heart and stroke conditions and fund ground-breaking research into better treatments, care and prevention. The charity also works to prevent these illnesses and provides Health and Wellbeing services to many organisations, as well as to staff at NIJAC.
Tonya McCormac, Chief Executive Officer, NIJAC commented:
“We launched our Olympic Summer Challenge at Stormont Estate in June this year with each staff member aiming to walk at least 7.5 miles a week; however, staff went above and beyond the challenge, walking double the miles suggested.
Northern Ireland Chest Heart & Stroke is our charity partner and we want to raise vital funds to continue supporting their valuable work, providing care to those who need it, educating people in schools, communities and workplaces about the early warning signs of the conditions, while encouraging everyone to enjoy healthy and active lives. Deaths due to chest, heart and stroke conditions, when combined, are the number one cause of death in Northern Ireland.”
In 2023/24 Chest, Heart & Stroke helped almost 3000 thousand people and organisations across Northern Ireland through care services.
Christine Duncan, Events and Marketing Manager from Northern Ireland Chest Heart & Stroke says:
“We are delighted NIJAC has undertaken Northern Ireland Chest Heart & Stroke’s ‘Olympic Summer Challenge’ this year to raise awareness and funds and to support anyone living with the conditions. In Northern Ireland as many as 1 in 3 people are living with a chest, heart and stroke condition; sixteen people have a heart attack every day. As a charity we rely heavily on donations to support our services and fund research. Almost 90 percent of our income comes from public donations. The funds raised through our partnership with NIJAC will enable us to continue to help the local community and provide life-changing services for people living with chest, heart and stroke conditions and their families.”