Staff from the Northern Ireland Judicial Appointments Commission (NIJAC) are partnering with charity Northern Ireland Chest Heart & Stroke on an ‘Olympic Summer Challenge,’ to raise vital funds and awareness of chest, heart and stroke conditions.
To mark the Olympic Games in Paris this summer (Friday 26th July – Sunday 11th August) NIJAC staff will aim to walk 750 miles over a 10-week period; that’s the approximate distance from NICH&S Headquarters to the Eiffel Tower and works out at an average of 7.5 miles a week.
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, which is warmly welcomed and appreciated.
Tonya McCormac, Chief Executive Officer, NIJAC commented:
“We launched our Olympic Summer Challenge at Stormont Estate and are looking forward to the challenge of collectively walking 750 miles over 10 weeks to support Northern Ireland Chest Heart & Stroke and the fantastic work they do. 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 is undertaking 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.”
Photo Caption: Staff from the Northern Ireland Judicial Appointments Commission (NIJAC) launched their ‘Olympic Summer Challenge’ at Stormont on Tuesday 18th June with Christine Duncan, Events and Marketing Manager from Northern Ireland Chest Heart & Stroke.
NIJAC staff aim to walk 750 miles across 10 weeks to raise funds for the charity.