SIR STEVO Timothy is a funny guy.
In fact, he's one of the funniest Irishmen on the internet today.
Which is no mean feat - the Irish are a famously funny bunch.
His Farmer Michael sketches are familiar to millions and have become a mainstay of Irish comedy across social media.
But Sir Stevo is getting serious this weekend in the name of an important cause.
15 years ago, the 38-year-old was involved in a road accident that resulted in him being partially paralysed.
It was an incident that left him requiring the use of a wheelchair and crutches for life.
In the face of adversity and spurred on by a determination to make something of himself, Steve went on to carve out a successful career as a comedian.
And while the coronavirus lockdown may have stopped some of his plans in their tracks, Stevo has found a way to channel his own experience into a personal challenge that is giving something back to a charity that has already given so much.
This Saturday, May 30, at 7pm, Sir Stevo will set off on a 5k sponsored cycle ride raising money for an organisation close to his heart.
The Irish Wheelchair Association delivers vital services to people with physical disabilities.
It's these disabilities that also make this group vulnerable to the dangers of COVID-19.
Irish Wheelchair Association employees are among the many frontline healthcare staff supporting the most vulnerable in society during these testing times.
This ranges from assisted living workers visiting people's homes to help with vital tasks such as personal care and household chores through to community outreach teams providing social support for people isolated during this time.
The Irish Wheelchair Association has also been delivering care packages during the pandemic, connecting families through thing like online classes and going above and beyond to ensure people feel less alone.
It’s a charity that has impacted Sir Stevo personally.
“My mother was a full-time wheelchair user,” he explains to the Irish Post.
“She always spoke highly of the people in the Irish Wheelchair Association whose day centres she attended. She could be difficult at times as one worker told me.
"It was when then smoking ban was first introduced and she kept lighting up and telling them to f**k off! That was my mother is a nutshell.”
He describes the decision to do a sponsor cycle as “kind of accidental."
"I always liked bicycles as I used to do stunts on a BMX years ago. My mother used to hate me flying down the road standing on the handlebars. She'd be shouting 'you'll break your neck on that bike one of these days'. How right she was to be!
"I initially wanted to do it on an exercise bike but thought it better to push myself to the fullest.”
Stevo still has limited use of his legs, with the aid of crutches and a leg brace.
However, he has retained a strong sense of balance, meaning he is able to cycle and relishing the challenge ahead.
His campaign has certainly captured Ireland’s imagination too, with Sir Stevo smashing his €45,000 fundraising target to raise well over €50,000 and counting.
It’s not just Ireland who are behind his efforts either, with celebrities like boxing legend Ricky ‘The Hitman’ Hatton lending their support.
The response has blown Stevo away and made him more determined than ever to complete the task ahead.
“People are donating during such unprecedented times so the least I could do was my best.”
Anyone wanting to donate to the campaign can do so here.
Good luck, Sir Stevo!
See More: Comedy, Covid-19, Sir Stevo Timothy
