By Lesley Walsh
A BANGOR man has hosted a successful marathon darts match to help raise money for a charity which has supported his wife and family through her cancer journey.
Gareth McVeigh and friends and family took part in this year’s Macmillan Cancer Support dartathon to thank the charity for its care of his wife Judith.
The 42 year-old mother of one is ‘coming out the other end’ of a path that has featured surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy following her breast cancer diagnosis two years ago.
Their son, 12 year-old Noah, is an ambassador for the Cancer Fund for Children, a move he agreed to do in recognition of the charities’ care and support of families going through the frightening experience of a loved one receiving a cancer diagnosis.
The McVeighs’ event, held on Monday, took place at Ards Rangers Social Club and featured players vying for aces and double tops on half a dozen dart boards.
“Macmillan provided buckets and things like that to help, as they do this every year and we wanted to help, since they’ve been so good while my wife has been going through her journey.”
Gareth explained how Judith received her frightening diagnosis in November 2022, starting a process that involved two surgeries, radiotherapy and chemotherapy.
“She’s done all that now and they’re just trying to balance out her medications but she’s been through it all and now she’s doing very well,” he said.
“We hosted the event because we wanted to give something back and this was a fantastic and simple way to raise money because almost everyone has been touched by cancer in some way,” he said.
“Some people climb mountains and do big challenges to raise money for charities but not everyone can do that type of thing but this is something that everyone can do.
“My grandad played darts all his life and we always had a dart board, and I’ve played, so we thought this was a perfect way to raise money. It’s easy and everyone can get involved,” he added.
Gareth set up a JustGiving page to help raise funds, with a target of £500, but the drive has already surpassed the £1000 mark and is still open for donations. To donate visit https://dartsmarathon.macmillan.org.uk/users/gareth-mcveigh
More great local stories like this every week in County Down Spectator.
Have you a story to tell us? Get in touch.
