12/10/2021

CAFRE Staff Raise Thousands For Air Ambulance NI

CAFRE Agriculture Education staff at Greenmount Campus have raised £3,250 for the Air Ambulance NI charity by taking part in the 2021 Dragon Boat Race on the River Lagan.

Commenting on behalf of CAFRE, team leader, Joe Mulholland said: "When we accepted this challenge we were about to return to face to face teaching with face masks and social distancing still in place and it was really great to have a sense of working together on something at a time when we were having to remain relatively separate from each other."

On the day the team of 15 staff put in a fantastic effort, winning both of their heats and finishing in fifth place out of fifteen teams entered in the race.

Joe added: "Air Ambulance NI provides an essential service that helps people right across Northern Ireland and has saved lives thanks to its highly responsive ability to access people in need quickly and efficiently. CAFRE engages with students and agri businesses from right across Northern Ireland and many in remote rural locations so our agriculture education team are delighted to be able to support the Air Ambulance NI, a partner of the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS)."

Kerry Anderson, Head of Fundraising at Air Ambulance NI, said: "£2million is needed in fundraising every year to keep the Air Ambulance flying so the medical team can treat trauma patients. This includes funds from community events, Club AANI members, gifts in wills and partnerships with local businesses. We rely heavily on the support from businesses and we are thrilled with CAFRE's final total. Every donation could save a life. It's not only the medical crew who save lives, but the people who support the charity."

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