With just three weeks down in their fundraising walk, Nenagh Choral Society walkers have already completed over 3,500km and look well set to complete 5,000km in order to raise badly needed funds for the maintenance of the Scouts Hall and the refurbishment of the floor.
This far exceeds their original aim of 100km per participant. "The idea has really caught on with our members, who always like to be active," said Scouts Hall Chairperson Ger McCarthy.
"In a time when nothing is happening on stage, our members are staying in touch through this common goal. The response from the public has been very good, whether it is through our GoFundMe page, direct payments to our bank account or sponsorship to our walkers.
"Participants are averaging 8km, or five miles each day," said secretary Greg Browne, who records the kilometres covered by each walker as they are submitted each night. "One of the nice features of our project is the lovely photos of springtime around Nenagh, which members are sending in to the group and which are posted on our Facebook page. We have some excellent amateur photographers in our group."
The walking will continue for another two weeks when the group hope to have at least one walk together, socially distant, if restrictions allow it. Society Chairperson Margaret McGee said: "Many of the group have discovered the joys of walking and said they intend to continue once this project is complete."
Nenagh Choral Society Ltd is already putting plans in place for further fundraising activities for the restoration of the floor. Noted as one of the finest maple sprung dance floors since the hall was built in 1937, it is in dire need of repair as wet rot and dry rot have set in. It is estimated that the cost will exceed €30,000 to fully restore the floor. The society wishes to express its thanks to all those who have contributed to date and ask the public of Nenagh to continue to support this iconic building which has been a focal point for many years.
Please note also that the hall is available for booking of meetings, training courses, etc, where Covid-19 precautions can be complied with.
DARKNESS INTO LIGHT
Nenagh Choral Society has also created a group for the upcoming Darkness into Light fundraiser in aid of Pieta House. People are invited to join the group through the online link below. There is a sign up fee as well an an option to donate more, if you would like to!
Our hope is to join together on May 8th to do this walk in aid of Pieta House. We hope to meet before 5am to complete a socially-distanced walk.
https://www.darknessintolight.ie/join/nenaghchoralsociety