Modern Tyres cycles 1,000 miles to help grant wishes in NI
TO MARK its 50 years in business in 2015, the staff of Modern Tyres have cycled an incredible 1,000 miles across Ireland
to raise funds for Make-A-Wish® UK, the charity that grants magical wishes to enrich the lives of children and young people fighting life-threatening conditions.
£5,000 has just been donated to Make-A-Wish in Northern Ireland by Modern Tyres, which will go towards helping to grant the wishes of children and young people who are fighting life-threatening conditions. €5,000 was also raised by the Group for
Make-A-Wish Ireland. Both donations were presented at the Modern Tyres Family Fun Day which took place at Tayto Park last weekend, where 450 Modern Tyres staff and family members were present.
Intent on raising a significant sum for a worthwhile cause in its 50th year, Make-A-Wish was selected as Modern Tyres’ charity of choice in 2015 by its employees.
With 41 branches across Ireland – 30 in Northern Ireland and 11 in Ireland, Modern Tyres devised an all-Ireland 1,000 mile cycle challenge that travelled across its depots, and involved a minimum of 25 miles being cycled by each depot.
Commenting on Modern Tyres’ fundraising efforts, Group Sales and Marketing Manager of Modern Tyres, Stephen Shaw explains: “50 years in business is a huge milestone for Modern Tyres and we wanted to give something back to the communities in which we operate.
“Our employees nominated Make-A-Wish and the 1,000 miles cycle challenge really galvanized our fundraising efforts, with our staff digging deep, both in terms of the funds raised and the determination required to clock up their depot’s miles.
“We’re thrilled that the funds raised will go towards helping to grant wishes in both Ireland and Northern Ireland.”
Make-A-Wish was established in 1986, inspired by the story of Chris Greicius, a young boy fighting leukemia in the US. Today, Make-A-Wish has granted over 9,000 wishes for children and young people across the UK.
Gail McKee, Regional Fundraising Manager in Northern Ireland for Make-A-Wish, adds: “In just two months, Modern Tyres managed to raise thousands for us here in Northern Ireland, and for our counterparts at Make-A-Wish Ireland. The efforts of all of the depots have been incredible.
“I would like to thank all of the budding cyclists from Modern Tyres for helping the wishes of deserving children and young people come true.”
Modern Tyres was founded by Jimmy Byrne in 1965 in the Old Railway Yard in Enniskillen, and it’s in Enniskillen that the family-owned company is headquartered today.
All of Modern Tyres’ 41 depots across Ireland are fast-fit centres and in Ireland, Modern Tyres also owns a tyre wholesale company, D26 Tires. In late 2014, the company was named ‘Northern Ireland Tyre Retailer of the Year 2015’ at the Irish Auto Trade Awards.
There are currently 20,000 children and young people in the UK fighting a life-threatening condition and over 1,000 of them will turn to Make-A-Wish this year. Make-A-Wish want to grant a wish to every eligible child, but can’t do that without the generosity of the public. Make-A-Wish receives no government funding – so every donation really does count.