Johnny V. Good

Hayden & co 10MAR15

o, after Chappie’s Challenge, the mad swim, the gigs, the craic, the crazy, ND all that sweet, joyful, heartfelt fundraising, Johnny Hayden is within a lick of varnish and a drop of sweat from living something very close to his dream.

Papa’s got a brand new shed, and it’s going to change everything…

Johnny can have fun here, with his kids, with the missus, with the mother. He may even be able to build up enough speed in the kitchen to knock one of them clean off their feet. Nice.

Heading out back with Johnny, his youngest, Hope, tagging along, the grass has just been sown, and the workshops just beyond have that beautiful freshly-cut wood smell. And there’s that space again. The larger room will be for Johnny’s Mungrel work, as he sets about designing and building bigger, better, faster, lighter and stronger wheelchairs. Just like the one he built for local hero Ciaran Clifford, and his brother Joe. In the smaller room, Johnny will be designing and making surf boards, an early love of his.

So, there’s going to be a lot of joy inside these walls, and some glorious breakthroughs too. Only trouble is, can’t really see a space for Johnny to park that gold-plated, flame-splattered Ferrari he bought just last week…

In the meantime, a few words from Johnny…
I’d like to thank everyone involved with the renovation of our home, my world is smaller generally, limited to accessibility in the town and, of course, weather. But having a bigger space in the house and the cabin allows me to play with the kids indoors, and the new garden… The cabin offers me the space to work on projects that I have had in mind for a few years since my injury. By working on these projects it will help improve my mobility and health. One of which is the pushbike for Joe and Ciaran Clifford; we have one made, and now we are designing and building another for overseas use. Ciaran has an intellectual disability and Joe runs with him in marathons, and they’re now planning to do this in other events in Europe. We are hoping to bring this sport to other carriers, to promote outdoor living for everyone. I myself am working on equipment for extreme sports for people with disabilities, and will hope to make them soon – mainly downhill biking and kite surfing. My aim is to promote and encourage extreme sports for the disabled, as I feel it brings communities together and hopefully creates a sense of well-being for those taking part.

The building and reconstruction at home would not have happened without a lot of community support, and all the tradesmen that reduced or donated materials and time. On this front, special mention must to to Stephen Roche, who put in 12-hour days and saved us thousands of euros whilst never skimping on the quality. If anything, Stephen’s work went far beyond our expectations – so, talk about going beyond the call of duty.
I have a list of everyone involved in the building process below. If you see any of these fine people out and about, buy them a pint. Or two.

Stephen Roche – S Roche Construction
Simon Dowdall – Dowdall Electrical Services
Jonathan Reid – Homecare Heating & Plumbing
Sean Day- Sean Day Plastering Services
Alan Connelly- Connelly Fibre Glass Roofing
Paul Moorehouse – Leinster PVC
Jordan Murray- Jordan Murray Haulage
Tom Graham – Concrete Pump Hire
Kilsaren – blocks & concrete
Neil Curtis- steel fabricators
Matt Britton- flooring
Barry Thornton – plumbing supplies
Alex Kemp – installing windows
Philip Flynn, John Flynn, Keith Doyle – fitting floors in cabin
MC Hire Tool & Plant Hire
Smiths Building Supplies (Walkinstown)
Grand Design – window suppliers
loghouse.ie – timber cabin
George Jones – for planning and council work
Noyeks (Finglas)
Redmond Electrical Store (Gorey)
Blacklion Building Supplies

Think that’s the lot. If I missed anyone, I’ll get you on the next round.