‘HACK’ to help children with NSPCC Northern Ireland’s Mourne Mountain challenge
NSPCC Northern Ireland is inviting you to lace up your walking shoes and take part in the charity’s 2023 Hike Against Cruelty to Kids (HACK) in the Mourne Mountains, Co Down.
Taking place on Sunday 24 September, ‘hackers’ will hike to the top of Slieve Donard (850m) – Northern Ireland’s highest peak – to enjoy views across valleys and seas all the way to the Isle of Man and Scotland.
It’s the perfect way to experience the Mourne Mountains’ unparalleled natural beauty while raising much-needed funds for Childline, the NSPCC Helpline.
It will also raise funds for many other vital services for charities providing help to children and young people in Northern Ireland.
This year’s HACK costs £30 to register, with participants asked to raise a minimum of £70 in sponsorship.
Supporters will get a fundraising pack including a HACK T-shirt, fundraising ideas and access to training support.
On the day, all walkers will get a certificate and complimentary burger or hotdog at O’Hares Bar in Newcastle after the hike.
To sign up, go to:
or email: fundraisingsupportteam@nspcc.org
Katrina Hughes, NSPCC NI Corporate and Events Fundraising Manager, said: “We are delighted to invite keen hikers and walkers to join us on September 24 for the Hike Against Cruelty to Kids (HACK).
The HACK is a great opportunity to take in spectacular scenery and also raise funds that will help NSPCC Northern Ireland protect even more children from abuse and neglect.
“HACK 2023 is set to be a fantastic, challenging and rewarding day and every step will help young people.”
This year’s event is sponsored by Lidl Northern Ireland, which last year extended its very successful charity partnership with NSPCC Northern Ireland. The retailer has pledged to raise £1.1 million by 2024.
Gordon Cruikshanks, Lidl Northern Ireland Sales Operations Director, said: “It is with great pleasure that Lidl Northern Ireland have committed to sponsor the 2023 NSPCC HACK event and we look forward to getting involved and taking part.
“As a family retailer, we’re deeply committed to supporting our communities, and our partnership with NSPCC Northern Ireland plays a central role in that commitment, in line with our wider corporate social responsibility objectives.”
DID YOU KNOW?
- In 1896, a song, ‘The Mountains of Mourne’ was written by Irish musician Percy French. Over the years, it has been recorded by many artists, including American singer/songwriter Don Mclean, who had a hit with the record in 1973.
- The name ‘Mourne’ originated from a Gaelic clan called the Múghdhorna, though the popular name in Ireland for the mountains was Beanna Boirche, which loosely translated means the peaks of the peak district.
- The name ‘Slieve Donard’ comes from the name of a local Christian missionary, Saint Donard, a hermit and disciple of Saint Patrick who lived and built a small prayer cell at the summit of the mountain during the fifth century.
- The smuggling activities at the foot of the mountain in the 18th and 19th Century were believed to have inspired German artist Ralf Sander’s sculpture, The Smuggler’s Head, which you can see at Bloody Bridge, just outside Newcastle.
- The two cairns on the summit of Slieve Donard are both recorded prehistoric archaeological monuments. The south-west side is crowned by the ‘Great Cairn’ (c. 3,300-3,000 BC) which houses Ireland’s highest passage tomb.
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