Glenties to Nurburgring drive raises over €30,000 for mental health awareness

A group of Glenties men were celebrated upon their return after driving over 3,000km to the world-famous Nurburgring motorsports complex and raising over €30,000 for charity. 

The Gear Up For Minds fundraiser involved eight participants, who raised money for the North West STOP, a suicide prevention organisation operating across Donegal, Sligo, Leitrim, Roscommon, West Cavan and North Mayo.

Among those who took part in the three-day drive were Declan Boyle, Stephen Molloy, Paul Quinn, Conor Quinn, Liam McGeehan, Connell McDevitt, James McDyre and Ryan Hunter, who took part in the challenge in a fleet of three Toyota Avensis cars.

Declan Boyle, who organised the challenge, told Donegal Live before setting off that he wanted to raise awareness for mental health while also remembering his dear friend Kevin Quinn, who passed away in 2021.

The group travelled to the Nurburgring to complete a lap around the famous racing track used for Formula One racing, with stopovers in London and Liverpool. 

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Speaking on their return to Glenties, Declan told a group of supporters: “Thanks very much to everybody for coming out. We had a massive fundraiser.

“There is €30,000 at the minute and it is still growing. We still have a few pounds to add to it, so it is absolutely mental even to think.

“I didn’t think we could raise €10,000, nevermind €30,000. We could not do it without the support of everybody who got behind us.”

Speaking before Boyle, fellow participant Conor Quinn commented: “We firstly want to thank everybody who came out and supported us along the journey.

“It was something that we talked about, and credit where credit is due, Declan put the idea out there to remember a man that is sadly no longer with us, and we said, right, we can try to do something good to help people in the future, and that is where this idea grew from.

“I want to thank everybody who helped and donated, and especially the sponsors that came on board. We could not have done it without everybody, and it is going to a very worthy cause.”

You can support the fundraiser by donating to the Gear Up For The Mind 3000kms GoFundMe page.