Targa Rally raises £14,000

Local Motorsport can be rightly proud of their achievements after raising £14,000 for Friends of the Cancer Centre in memory of ‘rally mad’ John Mulholland. Organised by the North Ulster Car Club, the Association of Northern Ireland Car Clubs and supported by John Mulholland Motors, the Friends of the Cancer Centre POWER Targa Rally took place on November 23rd attracting over 100 participants from all over Ireland.

The event was organised after local businessman and rally enthusiast John Mulholland was diagnosed with Kidney Cancer in June 2018.

Speaking on behalf of the organisers, Alistair Morgan from the North Ulster Car Club commented, “John was well known in the rally fraternity both as a competitor and a generous sponsor – rallying was in his blood. Through the POWER Targa rally, local motorsport had an opportunity not only to support a charity close to John’s heart, but also to give something back into the community at large.

“Support readily came from the Association of NI Car Clubs with the aim of raising £10,000. This target, with the help of the one hundred plus competitors, land owners, sponsors, marshals and officials was emphatically surpassed thanks to the overwhelming generosity of all involved.”

John sadly passed away on Aug 17th this year aged 55 but would have been immensely proud explains his daughter, Shona Mulholland.

“Dad loved rallying. I mean he was obsessed with it. The cars, the drivers, the history and of course competing himself for over 30 years – it was his passion. After putting so much into the sport over that time I know he would have been humbled by the outpouring of support from organisers and participants alike – a huge thank you to you all.”

Our corproate fundraising manager, Ana Wilkinson, explains how the money will be put to use. “This donation of £14,000 could fund 560 hours of care from one of Friends of the Cancer Centre’s team of ten specialist nurses.

“Each of our nurses provides expert care and support to local cancer patients, their families and carers at an incredibly difficult time. It is only thanks to the local community and people like members of the local car clubs who organised the fantastic Power Targa Rally event, that the charity is able to ensure that local families receive the support they need at a time when they need it most. This is a true example of the power of friends.”

This event represents a significant contribution to a total raised by John Mulholland Motors this year and will go a long way to helping many families in Northern Ireland living with cancer right now.