The MINI Club of Ireland » charity

Cork City Hospitals Children’s Club – Run to Fota

Fergal Mc Dermott — Thu, 05 Nov 2015 11:06:21 +0000

Hi guys n’ gals. It’s that time of year again. For the last 7 years we have been invited by the Cork City Hospitals Childrens Club to assist them with their annual Christmas Runs to Fota House to see Santa and have a party. This is such a worthwhile cause to be associated with as it really makes every child’s day out extra special to travel down in one of our Minis. The event requires you to arrive at the meeting time and place where you will be assigned a child and parent/volunteer. Then everyone will travel to Fota House in convoy with a Garda escort, and once you have dropped off your passengers, you are more than welcome to have breakfast/lunch there provided by the charity for all their volunteers. There are 3 runs in total – it’s entirely up to you how many of them you are available for. I have created a separate Facebook event for each one so if you can post under each run that you can do so I know how many cars I have for each run. Or alternatively if you are not on Facebook just post below here which ones you can do. I know they are weekday events so I do understand that it might be difficult for people to get time off work etc – we really do appreciate any support that you can give to the event. If anyone has any queries , please give me a shout on 0867809456 or just post your query up here. Thanks a million , Sarah x

First Run – Thursday 3rd December , 8.15am Cork University Hospital
Second Run -Thursday 3rd December , 1.30pm, Cork Deaf Association
Thire Run – Friday 4th December , 8.15am, Mercy Hospital Cork

MCOI donate €2,230 to Cork Association for Autism :

Fergal Mc Dermott — Wed, 03 Jun 2015 14:45:31 +0000

Hi guys. We are pleased to announce that we raised a whopping €2,230 for the Cork Association for Autism as a result of our event , Minis on the Wild Atlantic Way 2015. We handed over the cheque this evening to Marion Courtney from the charity in Actons Hotel in Kinsale, the starting point for our adventure! Well done to all who donated to generously to the cause, through sponsorship cards, the silent auction and raffle. And massive thanks to those who helped organise the event – you all know who you are ! A fantastic result and we will certainly be doing more with the Cork Association for Autism later on this year. Thanks again guys,
Sarah x

Minis on the Wild Atlantic Way – Part 1. Photos :

Fergal Mc Dermott — Tue, 22 Jul 2014 11:56:27 +0000

Photos are up now up for our great event recently.

Check out the photos here.

Cork City Hospitals Children’s Club MINI Run 2012 :

Fergal Mc Dermott — Sat, 08 Dec 2012 07:01:56 +0000

The Mini Club of Ireland have long supported the Cork City Hospitals Children’s Club and for the past few years have always helped out with bringing sick children from the Cork Hospital’s to see Santa in Fota House.

We had a great turn out of MINI’s & Mini’s as always and a great day was had by all.

Seeing the smiles on the children’s faces was very rewarding.

Happy Christmas Everyone

From the Bavarian Allgäu to Azerbaijan in a classic Mini :

Fergal Mc Dermott — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 06:24:12 +0000

The classic Mini won the Monte Carlo Rally and thrilled millions of enthusiasts in everyday driving. Even today it is one of those cars that attract affectionate glances on the road and, time and again, it sets itself new challenges. Now it is making its debut in the Allgäu-Orient Rally. Five classic Minis are joining 44 venerable BMWs to take part for the first time in the alternative competition for classic and near-classic cars, which will be flagged off on 28 April 2012 in the tourist village of Oberstaufen in southwestern Bavaria. Together with 207 other cars, they will be making for Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, more than 5,000 kilometres away. There, on 12 May 2012, two weeks before the European Song Contest, the city will celebrate the arrival of the four-wheeled “Stars for Baku”. All the vehicles that reached their destination will subsequently be auctioned for a charitable cause.

A unique blend of sporting contest and fundraising event, the Allgäu-Orient Rally is being held for the seventh time this year. For the past three years, BMW Group Classic has been a supporter of this event. Quite separately from this, numerous staff members of the BMW Group are represented in the teams, each comprising three cars and six drivers. They are placing their free time and technical expertise, their passion for historic vehicles and lust for adventure in the service of this good cause. Teams with memorable names like “ChittyChittyBangBang”, “Bavaria2Baku” and “Dust Busters” are setting off, each with three BMW 5 Series Touring models, while the team named “Convoy” is relying on three second-generation BMW 3 Series Touring cars. In earlier years, cars from both series have already demonstrated their rally-worthiness with high long-distance performance. Now is the moment for the five classic Minis, lining up for the start in the late autumn of their long motoring life, to put to the test that reliability which used to be so crucial to their rallying success. The “Minibaijan” team brings to the starting line no fewer than three works-prepared classic Minis, and Austria’s Classic Cars Sports Club has two more of the original diminutive British cars in its fleet.

All the cars taking part in the Allgäu-Orient Rally have one thing in common: they are going to be auctioned at the finishing point, and the proceeds will go to humanitarian aid projects. In this way, last year about €250,000 was raised for the aid organisation Turkish Crescent, which used the money to help earthquake victims and Syrian refugees. In addition, a number of teams use the campaign to raise donations for other charitable institutions. For example, the “Minibaijan” team has made a commitment to SOS Children’s Villages, the “Convoy” team supports the organisation Every Child in Georgia, and the “ChittyChittyBangBang” sextet is collecting money for a children’s home in Albania. In addition to all this, the rally organisation committee coordinates a variety of fundraising activities by sponsors on behalf of aid projects in the countries through which the rally passes.

The Allgäu-Orient Rally not only has unusual objectives, but is run according to special rules. The organisers conceived it as a “low-budget” rally. None of the cars entered is allowed to be less than 20 years old or to have a value of more than €1,111.11. The teams spend each night either in their cars, in tents brought with them or in hotels that charge a maximum of €11.11 per person per night. The journey of more than 5,000 kilometres runs from the starting point in the Bavarian Allgäu, through Austria, Hungary, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey and Georgia to Azerbaijan, though the precise route taken is a matter for the team themselves to decide. Thus it is even possible to take routes through Italy, Croatia and Macedonia. The cars are expected to cover some 375 miles per day; motorways are off limits and satnavs are a no-no. All local traffic regulations must be observed without fail. Special trials and various team tasks have to be completed en route, the results of which form part of the overall evaluation. For more information on the Allgäu-Orient Rally visit:http://www.allgaeu-orient.de/

MCOI Help Cork City Hospitals Children’s Club :

Fergal Mc Dermott — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 19:43:18 +0000

The Mini Club of Ireland have a long standing collaboration with The Cork City Hospitals Children’s Club who are such a great charity which was founded in 1992 by a small group of volunteers who took a group of deserving children on the trip of a lifetime to Lap Land.

Since then, the club has gone from strength to strength and now has over 40 volunteers.

Throughout the year, the Cork City Hospitals Children’s Club brings sick and deserving children from CUH, Mercy Hospital, St. Gabriel’s and the Cork Deaf Association on numerous trips, as well as hosting many fun and exciting events such as this one that The Mini Club of Ireland help out with every year : Christmas at Fota.

Sarah Edwardes was the main Mini Club member who organises this event every year. Below is Sarah’s write up on the event.

Well done guys! That’s it over for another year! We had an amazing turnout over the last two days…. The best we have ever seen at this event! It is a difficult event to plan as I know people work during the week but a huge thank you to everyone who made it and switched hours or got the day off etc! I hope it was worth it and I’m sure it was an eye opener for a lot of us to see how one day out can put a smile of the childrens’ faces – a break away from the hospital ward! The charity do amazing work and I’m sure I speak for everyone here, that I am glad to able to be a part of it. We got a great mention on 96fm which was a proud moment for the club and we were also lucky to have a new mini countryman from Kearys (thanks Sean!) Also a super thanks to Gerry for coming all the way down from Dublin to take part (enjoy your adventure up the Healy Pass!) And of course, I couldn’t fail to mention Chris Blackham and his now infamous stretch limo- thanks Chris – the estates of ballincollig didn’t know what hit them! So thanks again everyone and if anyone has some photos or videos , upload them please! Thanks, Sarah.

Please click on the highlighted link below to see how everyone enjoyed it and THE PHOTOS!

Cork City Hospitals Childrens Club MINI Run 2011

M.C.O.I Supports F.A.C.T Charity :

Fergal Mc Dermott — Mon, 23 May 2011 16:45:12 +0000

Alex Treacy handing over the cheque of €519 to Gary Whyte of F.A.C.T Ballincollig Family Resource Centre which was the proceeds of the Table Quiz held by the Mini Club of Ireland on the 16th of February in the Oriel Hotel Ballincollig in Cork. This is a great charity that provides a Little Dreams Pre-School, Adult Education Service, Adult Literacy, Drug Prevention Project and Counselling Service.

The largest Mini event in Ireland for Cystic Fibrosis

Owen — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 19:44:35 +0000

In association with Morrison MINI, Beat FM and MINI Ireland, our Club organises the biggest Mini event in the republic. Last year we had nearly 110 Minis out for this run, and this year, we’re hoping to equal if not better it. There’s no better feeling than driving in such a huge convoy, except when it’s also for raising money for Cystic Fibrosis. Want to come along? Of course you do!

Phone up Morrison MINI and ask for Tommy, he’s the driving force behind this event, and he’ll post you out a sponsorship card to raise much needed funds for this brilliant cause.

What do you get in return besides a feel good factor? You get to drive the coolest cars in the world, you get to see some of Irelands best hidden roads that no one knows about, but you also get to take part in a Treasure Hunt on the day. Follow the clues, and you might be the lucky person to find the new MINI Countryman – the first 4 door 5 seat MINI with off road attitude, and urban chic.

Come along, we’d love to have you. Don’t forget it doesn’t matter what kind of car you bring, we’re the only Mini Club in Ireland that allows both the old Minis, and the new MINIs on our events. Any questions? Just text us on 087 664 MINI.