Mayo town to host ‘Cycle to the Vatican’ fundraiser for church tower

Newport is set to host a ‘Cycle to the Vatican’ challenge tomorrow (Saturday), a fundraiser serving as a launching event for the ‘People For The Steeple’ initiative.

The fundraiser takes place on Main Street, Newport. Stationary bikes will be lined up along the street.

The aim of the event is for the group of volunteers taking part to have cycled 2694km - the distance from Newport to Vatican City - in just 13 hours (8 a.m. to 9 p.m).

There will be a number of volunteers on the day - some will be cycling a few kilometres to help reach the target distance, while others will be carrying out the bucket collection.

All donations will be in support of the current works occurring on the tower of St. Patrick’s Church, Newport.

Works on the tower have been going on for nearly nine months now, and the restoration and repair of the church tower has been an arduous, costly process.

The Cycle to the Vatican is the first event being held to help offset the loan.

There will be bucket collectors present during the event, and any contributions would be greatly appreciated by all involved.

One final thing to note is that the event coincides with the Gráinne Uaile Festival, a street festival taking place in Newport over the bank holiday weekend.

So if you are heading to the festival on Saturday, make sure to stop by at Main Street Newport.

Every donation makes a real difference in fundraisers like this one.