News

More than £33,000 raised in memory of brave mother-of-five as anniversary approaches

MORE than £30,000 has been raised in memory of a mother-of-five who lost her battle with cancer nearly a year ago.

Family and friends of Deirdre Angland have been fundraising for the Leuka cancer research charity ever since the 43-year-old passed away, following a short battle with leukaemia, on July 14, 2014.

Their latest event saw them tackle The Colour Run in Wembley, north London, earlier this month.

Deirdre's husband Michael Angland tackled the fun run with their five children

A total of 43 people, including Deirdre’s husband Michael Angland and their five children, took on the 5km run on June 7 on Team Dee's 5 - where they were doused from head to toe in different coloured powders at each kilometre.

“What a day we had, it was so much fun and we were blessed with fantastic weather” Deirdre’s sister-in-law Natalie Barry told The Irish Post.

The family decided to take on the challenge to allow Deirdre’s beloved children and nieces and nephews to take part in the fundraising that has been going strong on a JustGiving page set up after the former travel agent passed away last year.

Deirdre’s youngest brother Denis Barry with his sons Regan and Riordan and their cousin, Deirdre's son, Michael Angland, were doused in coloured powder during the 5km run

Deirdre’s youngest brother Denis Barry, his sons Regan and Riordan and their cousin, Deirdre's son, Michael Angland, were all doused in coloured powder during the 5km run

“We wanted to do a fun run where the children could get involved as they were keen to raise money for the page with something that they have participated in,” Ms Barry explained.

“When we saw an advert for The Colour Run it looked great fun, with all the powder getting thrown at you, so I mentioned it to Dee’s husband Mikey and everyone was keen.”

She added: “We had about 43 of us in the team on the day – from both the Barry and Angland families and some of our close friends - and we really had a great time.”

With more than £8,000 raised through their Colour Run efforts, Deirdre’s family and friends have now managed to pull together a whopping £33,000 in charity cash in her name.

Support for the cause has come from across Britain and Ireland – where Deirdre’s parents Tom and Kathleen Barry hail, respectively, from Ballybunion and Portmagee in Co. Kerry.

Donations can still be made on the JustGiving page, which remains active until mid-July, by clicking here

Michael and Deirdre Angland with their five children, Tom, Liam, Megan, Michael and Jack