Offaly retail worker completes major challenge for charity

Offaly retail worker Avril Bracken has completed the Londis Irish Camino Challenge – a challenging 22km hike that took place in Co. Wicklow.

Avril, who works at Knight's Londis Clara, took on the challenge alongside 115 fellow Londis workers, to raise funds for Nurses for Night Care, a national charity fundraising initiative in support of its charity partner, Irish Hospice Foundation. The hike started at Laragh and took participants through Glendalough, and was the culmination of weeks of fundraising activity carried out by Londis retailers for the cause.

The challenge formed the centre-piece of a nationwide fundraising effort to support the Nurses for Night Care service, which provides overnight nursing care to patients at end-of-life in their own homes across every county in Ireland.

Londis has partnered with Irish Hospice Foundation since 2023, with the collaboration raising over €250,000 to date in support of services that provide vital care to families nationwide.

Commenting on the initiative, Conor Hayes, Londis Sales Director, said: “Supporting Irish Hospice Foundation is hugely important to our retailers, many of whom see first-hand the impact of services like Nurses for Night Care in their own communities. Coming together for this challenge was a powerful way to raise awareness and funds for a service that supports families right across Ireland. Completing the Londis Irish Camino Challenge was no small undertaking, and I’m incredibly proud of the 42 Londis retailers who took part.”

Caroline O’Connell, Director of Fundraising at Irish Hospice Foundation, added: “The support shown by Londis retailers, their staff and local communities has been incredible and has a very real impact for families who rely on our Nurses for Night Care service.”