Coleraine to Cork - Terry’s cycling challenge raises £18.5k for mental health charity
A Causeway Coast man has raised £18,500 by cycling from Coleraine to Cork for a mental health charity named in memory of his son.
56-year-old Terry Geddis raised the incredible sum to support local mental health services through the Coleraine-based charity Zachary Geddis Trust by completing a mammoth 342 mile cycling challenge.
Terry underwent months of training for the immense task of cycling the length of Ireland to raise both funds and awareness for the plight of mental health struggles and suicide.
After suffering some setbacks in a previous attempt, Terry set off from his home in Coleraine at 6am on August 1 and reached Cork three days later, completing this colossal journey by bike.
This is Terry’s seventh cycling fundraiser in aid of The Zachary Geddis Trust, the charity set up in memory of his son, Zachary Geddis, whose tragic passing through suicide aged 20 in 2017, inspired Terry, his wife Louise and daughter Yasmin to campaign for and provide better mental health services.
Terry said: “I would like to share my appreciation for everyone who has supported my journey and has donated to the fundraising page. I am overwhelmed by the generosity of the local community in raising £18.5k for our charity, which shows the understanding of how important the provision of local mental health services is to our society.
“My goal was to raise not only funds but also awareness; the cycle was difficult to say the least, but it was worth it if it has reached people in our community who are struggling with their mental health and are able to reach out and get the support and help that they need.
“If this challenge helps even one young person speak up earlier or feel less alone, it will have been worth every mile.”
CEO of The Zachary Geddis Trust, Yasmin Geddis said: “My father has undergone a real test of both physical and mental fitness but has shown his sheer determination to not only complete this epic task to raise awareness of suicide and mental health but also to raise vital funds for our charity, The Zachary Geddis Trust.
“This much needed funding boost is vital in supporting our core services and in the delivery of additional programmes, which positively impact our service users and meet the community’ growing needs in mental health provision.
“We are so proud of Terry for this achievement and are grateful to him for raising awareness of the significance of the provision of local mental health services and the vital work that we do in the community.”
The Zachary Geddis Trust website said: “As a family of campaigners, we spend our lives promoting the need for more accessible, inclusive, immediate and individualised mental health services across Northern Ireland.
"We proudly launched Zachary Geddis Trust (originally a small advocacy and campaigning organisation) on 16th October 2017 on what would have been Zachary’s 21st Birthday.
"Having opened our first grassroots mental health centre in 2022, Zachary Geddis Trust has now grown into one of Northern Ireland’s most respected and well-known grassroots non-profit charities assisting over 200 individuals weekly from age 5 and above.”
For further information about The Zachary Geddis Trust, visit the website www.zgbtst.org