Charity boosted by John Mulholland legacy

Randalstown and Campsie based car retailer John Mulholland Motors have donated £58,287 to support our work.

Managing Director and owner, John Mulholland was diagnosed with kidney cancer in June 2018. After witnessing first-hand the amazing work provided by Friends of the Cancer Centre he decided to partner with our charity, pledging to donate £40,000 by the end of 2019.

John sadly passed away on Aug 17th aged 55. Speaking on behalf of the family run business, John’s daughter Shona Mulholland explains, “We are thrilled to hand over the huge sum of £58,287 to Friends of the Cancer Centre, although it has to be said this is a bitter-sweet moment but also a fitting tribute to Dad. Dad lived by the motto of “support those who support you” and it was imperative for him to back a local charity, and one that offered us unquantifiable support throughout Dad’s illness.

“We set a target of £40,000 and in true “John Mulholland” fashion we are delighted to have exceeded that. I cannot articulate the good this charity does for families across Northern Ireland, Dad made the decision for our fundraising to directly benefit nursing hours, a topic that hasn’t left the news all year. We could not have done this without the support of our fantastic customers, our fully engaged staff, family friends and also the North Ulster Motor Club.

“It has to be said when signing up with Friends of the Cancer Centre this time last year, we could never have imagined the fun we would have while fundraising and how proactive our staff have been about raising awareness and funds for the charity. It’s not every day you get to sign up your siblings to jump out of a plane! We will continue to support Friends of the Cancer Centre throughout 2020 and look forward to thinking of new ways we can raise vital funds in Dad’s memory for a charity that statistically the majority of families in Northern Ireland will benefit from at some stage.”

Our corporate fundraising manager, Ana Wilkinson, explains:

“The sum raised is an absolutely outstanding act of generosity and determination from those involved. As a charity that relies entirely on the kindness of individuals and companies such as John Mulholland Motors to fund our work, we are overjoyed to receive such a donation.

“It costs just £25 to fund one hour of specialist nursing care, which means this donation could provide 2,331 hours of care from the charity’s team of ten specialist cancer nurses, helping ensure that local people have the best care available to them when they need it most. Each of our nurses ensure that patients are given access to expert knowledge and care throughout their cancer journey, whilst also supporting the whole family.

“In addition to raising funds, John’s family, friends and the employees at John Mulholland Motors have helped raise awareness of the charity, the support it offers and supported our new cancer awareness initiatives. In essence, they have carried on John’s legacy and commitment to supporting local families affected by cancer, for which the charity is incredibly grateful and I hope the team are incredibly proud of the difference they are helping to make”.