Kieran Pickering praised the Dundalk supporters who cheered him as he completed his ‘Walking with Mo’ fundraiser before Monday evening’s game against Cork City.
Over the month of September, Picko has been pounding the streets of Dundalk to raise funds for SOSAD in memory of his childhood friend, and Lilywhites supporter, Maurice ‘Mo’ Coffey, who tragically passed away earlier this year.
Picko’s target was 307km, which is the distance between Oriel Park and Everton’s Goodison Park – the home of Mo’s two favourite clubs – and he reached his goal ahead of schedule by completing a lap of Oriel Park before Monday night’s 5-0 win over the Leesiders.
“I can’t thank everyone at Dundalk FC enough,” he said afterwards. “The players, the staff and especially the fans were very supportive and made it a brilliant atmosphere for me to finish the final lap of the journey.”
Picko was joined on the final stage by members of the Coffey family and he said their presence made the night even more memorable.
“Being able to complete the walk at Oriel Park with Mo’s sisters Emma and Aideen, Emma’s daughter Marianne, her friend Cora, and, of course, Mo’s son Ben, made it even more special,” he said.
“Emotions did get the better of me when the entire stand at Oriel stood up and applauded us as we passed,” he added. “It was the best possible end to my ‘Walking With Mo’ challenge.”
Picko’s challenge has raised almost €1,500 for SOSAD and he said he was hoping to surpass the €2k mark before the fundraiser ends on October 9th.
“We have €1,452 already and there are more donations to be added so it would be brilliant to reach the new target of €2,000 because the money will be a massive help to SOSAD and allow them to continue their important work in the community.”
You can donate to Picko’s fundraiser online or by dropping into the Dundalk FM offices at Partnership Court.
