The effectiveness of en masse withdrawal. An untrusting customer’s run on the bank? A vociferous workers’ union strike? A globally observed ethical boycott? None of the aforementioned attract welcome publicity, but what if your controversial initiative faces virtually unanimous opposition scarcely moments after its unveiling...
With high blood pressure thought to affect as many as one in five people in Northern Ireland, thousands of people throughout the country could be suffering from the condition without realising it. Gordons Chemists have made blood pressure testing a priority for their health promotion strategy, introducing free testing events at ...
But that motto isn’t just for patients. If requests to contribute to community initiatives in health promotion are anything to go by, pharmacy is certainly at the top of most organisations’ lists for those to consult. This month NIPinF has heard about such projects drawing on the expertise of pharmacists from across Northern...
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| Written by Laure James - Editor Pharmacy in Focus | |
| Thursday, 09 October 2008 08:34 | |
Remember Earlswood Pharmacy’s Michael Cunningham and his friend Ryan Moore? The fearless pair were in gruelling training for the Three Peaks Challenge during the summer and last month completed the feat in record time. At 4:44pm on 10 September Michael and Ryan returned to the Pen-y-pass car park at the base of Mount Snowdon 23 hours and fourteen minutes after beginning their ascent of Ben Nevis. Climbing into the clouds and tackling dangerous descents may have been the challenge’s natural appeals but the pair’s motivation was the Rapha Medical Centre in Uganda for which they have raised over £2500 to date, with sponsorship still being received. “We turned to go back down Ben Nevis at 7:53pm and the sensation of moving downwards as daylight disappeared behind us was remarkable,” Michael explained.  “We had to rely on our head torches to light the way, taking extra care to avoid missing our footing on the rocky path. By the time we’d reached the bottom, we were 46 minutes ahead of schedule.” Aonghus Mayes, curate of St Finnian’s Church and designated driver for the challenge drove the intrepid lads 261 miles south to Scafell Pike in the stunning English Lake District. “This was a really memorable summit,” Michael continued. “We set off from the car park at 3:28am in the pitch black, once again relying on our head torches to identify the path from the surrounding darkness. Having climbed Scafell Pike in 2007, we knew we had to cross the Lingmell Gill river, however the crossing is unmarked and despite having a map and compass, finding the exact crossing point in the darkness delayed us considerably as the misty conditions meant the far bank of the river was just beyond the limit of the beams from our head torches. Several rain showers did little to improve spirits!” Shortly after sunrise they arrived at their second cold and windswept summit (3,209’) at 6:33am. “We once again quickly took a photograph and began the descent whilst replacing lost calories with chocolate and cereal bars. We returned to the car at 7:58am and with Aonghus at the helm began the 218 mile journey to Snowdon in North Wales, driving back along Wastwater, this time in glorious morning sunshine. “We reached the summit (3,560‘) at 2:45pm and after the obligatory photograph and calorie replacement we made our way back down, arriving back at the car park at 4:44pm,” Michael said. “During the 23 hours and 14 minutes it took us to complete the challenge we climbed a total height of 11,175’ and Aonghus drove 479 miles ferrying us between the peaks. “We would like to sincerely thank all those who have supported us.” |