Punchestown Charity Race set to top €2m for PKRF
The Punchestown Charity Race at the upcoming Punchestown Festival is expected to pass through the €2 million mark in total funds collected since it was founded in 1990 by Kilcullen's James Nolan, writes Brian Byrne. It will be the 34th running of the race, which supports the Punchestown Kidney Research Fund.
James was the recipient of a donated kidney from his sister Catherine in 1987 and has devoted much of his spare time since promoting and encouraging organ donations. After founding the race, he took part in it 13 times, winning it in 2002.
Twenty-two amateur jockeys have passed their fitness and competency assessments for this year's race. They include riders from counties Kildare, Clare, Longford, Cork, Limerick, Wexford, Wicklow and Down as well as participants from England, Wales, Italy and Poland.
During the past three years the PKRF sponsored and helped the Irish Kidney Association establish a Pilot Peer Support programme for all kidney patients in Ireland, supporting patients and their families who are dealing with issues and concerns related to being a dialysis or transplant patient. The James Tracy/PKRF/Kidney Beam Exercise programme was established to enable dialysis and transplant patients patients to access free specific exercise classes. The organisation also continued research into Polycystic Kidney Disease in partnership with the Irish Nephrology Society under the guidance of the Irish Research Council.
Art Therapy programmes for dialysis patients in Tallaght, Waterford and Wexford Dialysis Units were supported, as were sports programmes for those on dialysis or with transplants. A trip to Lourdes for one dialysis patient and a carer was funded and PKRF sponsored a new Kidney App for patients in association with Dr Donal Sexton at St James’s Hospital.
