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“When I originally took on the spinathon and tennisathon to raise money for Samaritans last year, I knew that donations were crucial to run the service,” says the Sutton lad.
Young Sutton in training…
ack in 2023, when the Arklow-based director of East Coast Samaritans, Damien Byrne, mentioned to local coffee shop owner Paul Sutton that the charity relied on fundraisers and charitable donations to do their work, it quite literally set wheels in motion.
ack in 2023, when the Arklow-based director of East Coast Samaritans, Damien Byrne, mentioned to local coffee shop owner Paul Sutton that the charity relied on fundraisers and charitable donations to do their work, it quite literally set wheels in motion.
Paul had been considering doing a charity cycle since the Covid lockdowns and felt this was the sign he needed to make it happen.
Paul had been considering doing a charity cycle since the Covid lockdowns and felt this was the sign he needed to make it happen.And so it was that the former Kindlestown Park man organised not only a Tennisathon run in conjunction with Arklow Tennis Club – where Paul is a member – but also a 200km cycle outside his own DECK coffee house to raise some much-needed moolah for the East Coast Samaritans.
This year, the lad is going one better – or 47km better, to be precise – as he cycles from the Cork Samaritans HQ to its Arklow HQ on Monday, May 13th. And all because a wag quipped at the end of that 2023 spinathon that Paul could have cycled to Cork.
“When I originally took on the spinathon and tennisathon to raise money for Samaritans last year, I knew that donations were crucial to run the service,” says the Sutton lad. “But I hadn’t realised to what extent. When I signed up as a volunteer, I was shocked to find out that everything needs to be fundraised for. It was a real eye opener as I had assumed that there would be some kind of government funding for such an important charity.”
Anyone one altruism?
Every 10 seconds, Samaritans answer a call for help. Day or night they can be reached and give support – no pressure, no judgement, and always there to listen. And it turns out the East Coast Samaritans’ running costs for providing that support all year round is €30,000 – which is the target Paul has set himself for his latest fundraiser.
“When I looked at the route from Cork Samaritans to East Coast Samaritans in Arklow, it came it at around 216km,” continues Sutton, “but then my wife, Linda, suggested that 247km might be better as one of the key messages that Samaritans want to share – that they’re there for you, 24/7. None of us know when we will need support, and it’s one less thing for people to worry about when they know they can call Samaritans anytime and someone will be there to listen.”
Taking place on Monday, May 13th, you can donate to The Big Cycle For Samaritans right about here and get involved with the fundraising too by emailing Paul here.
If you or someone you know needs support, they can contact [email protected] or 116123 at anytime, day or night.