A Wicklow woman has raised thousands of euro for her local social club by walking one million steps.
Mandy Finlay, who has Down Syndrome, attends Lakers in Bray, which provides sporting and recreational opportunities to over 400 people with intellectual disabilities.
The club has been unable to host the events it would normally depend on for funding due to the pandemic.
Mandy's father Fergus, the former CEO of Barnardos and current Chairman of Lakers, said Mandy's million steps target was "smashed" yesterday.
He told On The Record with Gavan Reilly that his eldest daughter, who is 47, refuses to accept the term Down Syndrome and prefers to call it 'Up Syndrome'.
"My missus often says if a year ago you asked Mandy to go for a walk, her reply would be you must be joking," Fergus said.
Mandy’s most recent Fitbit figures are 943, 989. Isn’t that remarkable? She’s almost there, and she asked me to send this message to everyone who helped her. And it’s not too late to get involved! https://t.co/quSFGfSpzp pic.twitter.com/UmDppNh6Oq
— Fergus Finlay (@fergusfinlay) January 14, 2021
He explained that Mandy's sister gifted her a Fitbit about a year ago which led to her decision to go walking and lose weight.
"She decided she had to raise money for Lakers, and she decided that the only way to do it was to start walking, to walk a million steps," he said.
"From October to yesterday, she completed one million steps, recorded every day on her Fitbit and updated every week.
"A crowd of neighbours, all socially distanced of course, all turned out in our local park to see Mandy cross the finish line.
"She has smashed every target."
Fergus added that in the last year, Mandy has lost three and a half stone, and is now "fit as a fiddle" and walks every day.
Mandy has raised almost €22,000 to date for Lakers, and people can continue to donate to the club here.
