Marcus Christie Funds 8 Potentially Life Saving Missions For Air Ambulance Ni With 15-day ‘cork2port’ Walk In Memory Of His Mum

After 15 days and over 360 miles, local Portrush man Marcus Christie has completed an extraordinary walk from Cork to Portrush, raising a phenomenal £32,893 for Air Ambulance NI, all in memory of his beloved mum and previous patient, Joan Christie CVO OBE.

The emotional challenge, named Cork2Port, saw Marcus brave unpredictable weather, physical exhaustion, blisters, an infected foot, and long days on the road. Each of the 860,000 steps had a clear purpose to help sustain the charity that serves as a vital lifeline across Northern Ireland.

“This walk was for Joanie,” said Marcus. “She was an amazing and inspirational woman, and I wanted to do something that honoured her memory while supporting a service that saves lives every single day. I was averaging around 22 miles per day while carrying the medical bag that the AANI doctor would take to an accident. It was the toughest challenge I’ve undertaken, harder than climbing Kilimanjaro last year and the three UK peaks in 2023. The support I’ve received has been phenomenal and kept me going when weather and injury were trying to stop me in my tracks. Mum would have thought I was mad but I know she would be proud.”

With this latest challenge completed, Marcus has now raised over £75,000 for Air Ambulance in under three years. In addition to fundraising, Marcus also volunteers his time to support the cause—attending events, helping with collections, and giving talks in the community to raise awareness. As a result of this, he has been named one of the top three finalists for Volunteer of the Year by Air Ambulances UK and will attend the annual awards event in Telford on 3 December.

Kerry Anderson, Head of Fundraising at Air Ambulance NI, praised Marcus’s dedication:

“Marcus’s story touched the hearts of communities across Ireland, drawing in support from friends, strangers, and local businesses. The challenge of 15 continuous marathons is certainly incredible, as is Marcus! This is undoubtedly the biggest individual challenge in aid of Air Ambulance, and we are beyond grateful. His original fundraising target was quickly surpassed, ultimately reaching £32,893 — enough to fund eight emergency missions. These funds will help continue the Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) to deliver critical care when and where it’s needed most. On behalf of future patients, we say a huge thank you.’

Air Ambulance NI works in partnership with the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service to provide the HEMS which provides pre-hospital critical care at the scene of serious incidents and medical emergencies. Each day, on average, two individuals need the service and it can be the difference between life and death.

The service relies on public donations to cover its annual fundraising need of £3million. To donate or find out more about Air Ambulance NI, visit: www.airambulanceni.org