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UFU conquer five peak challenge

The Ulster Farmers’ Union staff have put themselves to the test and climbed five peaks, across six counties, in one day. All to raise money for the charity Air Ambulance NI. The UFU has set an ambitious goal to raise £100,000 in its centenary year for this life-saving charity.

UFU president Ivor Ferguson said, “It was a tough challenge but well worth it. We were on the road for 19 hours, walked 14 miles, took roughly 40,000 steps, and climbed a combined height of 4593 feet. Roughly twice the height of Slieve Donard. Donations are still coming in but we have raised over £11,500 with this walk and are well on our way to hitting our £100,000 target.”

UFU staff started at 7am on Slieve Gullion in county Armagh, then made their way to Cuilcagh in county Fermanagh, Sawel between the borders of counties Tyrone and Londonderry, Slemish in county Antrim and finished at Slieve Croob in Co Down at around 11pm. “Our members are all across Northern Ireland, which is why we wanted to take on a challenge in our centenary year that would see us visit every county,” said the UFU president.

The aim of the day was to raise money for the charity Air Ambulance NI, a service that is vital for rural communities. Mr Ferguson said, “The air ambulance gets help to hard to reach places fast. It is a crucial service for rural areas; already it has been call-outed to a number of farming incidents. The charity needs to raise around £2.5 million pounds a year to keep it operational. One call-out to an emergency costs on average £5,500 pounds.”

If you would like to show your support and make a donation, contact UFU HQ on 02890 370 222 or go to centenary.ufuni.org and click on ‘Donate.’