Brendan's 200km cycle for Meadow's Respite Centre

Keen cyclist Brendan Roe will embark on a 200km cycle on Saturday 6th June to fund a sensory garden for children attending the RehabCare Meadows Children’s Respite Centre. Staying within the Government restrictions, his plan is to cycle the same 7km loop for a total of 29 times, and urges the community to donate what they can for the worthy cause.

The Meadows Children’s Respite Centre on the Trim Road, Navan, provides overnights stays and outreach services for children between the ages of 6 and 18 years with autism and intellectual, physical and sensory disabilities.

Respite Services manager Clare Kean, who has worked at the centre for 13 years, says that ‘the work is rewarding and sometimes can be tough, but we have a dedicated team of staff and we want to give the children the best possible break when they stay with us. For the parents, it literally could be the only break they get in a month’.

Catering for 70 families, the team have had to adapt their ways of working through the pandemic. ‘While we used to have five children stay at the centre every night, we now have one, however, we have further developed our outreach services which takes the staff into the community to provide care for the children. The new sensory garden will be of huge importance to the children, to help them regulate their emotions and promote calmness. There will be water features and different plants and textures to stimulate the senses’, says Clare.

Brendan Roe says: "In the times that we’re in, like many other people across the country, I was doing nothing, just passing the time, and I thought, why don’t I do something for a local charity. I know how worthwhile the service is and it gives the parents a break. I felt I wanted to do something for a local charity, and The Meadows is on my doorstep. I know that no matter how much money is raised, it will go directly to the service itself, it will have an impact in the community straight away. It’s time to give something back."

As he passes the €2,000 mark on the fundraiser, Brendan says "I can’t believe how much money has been raised so far, and I hope that the money is going to keep coming in and it’s going to be of great benefit. I would encourage people in the community to come out and join me for a socially-distanced lap, it’s going to be a great day out!". People can donate to the fundraiser on Brendan’s Go Fund Me page at this link: https://www.gofundme.com/f/200-km-in-a-day