Charity tractor run raises £15,000 in memory of Caroline
From left: Ronnie Coulter, Morina Clarke (Epilepsy Action), Ena Bingham, Caroline's Epilepsy Nurse Specialist in the City Hospital, Belfast who received an MBE for her services to people with epilepsy in Northern Ireland in the Queen's Birthday Honours list 2011, and Helen Coulter.
A HILLSBOROUGH family has raised £15,000 through a charity Ladies Tractor Road Run to raise funds for Epilepsy Action NI in memory of their daughter and sister who passed away in 2009.
Helen Coulter, her husband Ronnie and sons James and William, who live on the Ballyknock Road, organised the Tractor Run, through the Hope of Life charity on Friday June 3, in memory of Caroline Niblock (nee Coulter), who died in her sleep on Christmas Day 2009.
The event saw ladies on tractors of all makes, ages and sizes driving through Hillsborough, before enjoying a barbecue and various events to raise funds for the charity.
25-year-old Caroline was diagnosed with epilepsy at the age of nine months, and whilst at the time of her unexplained death Caroline had not suffered a seizure in more than a year, her family decided to donate funds from the fundraiser, their second such event, to Epilepsy Action.
Caroline and her husband Alan had married just five months before she passed away. With funds still to be collected, the current total stands at £15,000.
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Mayor of Lisburn, Councillor Brian Heading at the recent Ladies Tractor Road Run are: (l-r) Ronald Coulter; Dianne Gardner and Helen Coulter. |
From left, Alison Smart, Ciara and Laura Higgins. |
Speaking on behalf of the Coulter family, Helen said: "We were overwhelmed by the support for the event in memory of Caroline and would like to thank everyone who took part, helped and contributed in any way to make the event the success it was. To date the amount raised is £15,000.
An update of the money raised and photo gallery can be seen on www.hopeoflife.co.uk."
The Mayor of Lisburn, Councillor Brian Heading attended the event and said: "Epilepsy Action NI works to raise awareness about epilepsy and bring about permanent change for the social and medical benefit of people with epilepsy. By definition epilepsy is a tendency to have recurrent seizures, which are caused by a sudden burst of excess electrical activity in the brain, causing a temporary disruption in the normal message passing between brain cells.
"I would like to take this opportunity to commend Hope of Life for organising this well turned out event for a very worthy cause.
"I have a personal interest in the condition of epilepsy and am very keen to support events aimed at raising much needed funds. I wish both organisations every success in their future fundraising efforts; and look forward to seeing the lives of those who suffer from epilepsy improve within society."
For further information on Hope of Life visit the website, which was kindly designed and set up by Caroline's cousin Paul McCready, at www.hopeoflife.co.uk.
Some of the participants at the recent Tractor Road Run.
Ulster Star
24/06/2011
