Keyhole Surgery Locksmiths supports local school teacher

Local Teacher takes up Mencap Cycle Challenge

Science teacher Noel McKnight, from Laurelhill Community College, is facing the challenge of a lifetime as he gears up to cycle through the Andes from Argentina to Chile.

Noel, 45, is usually to be found at the blackboard in his Science lab in Laurelhill or perhaps on the football pitches adjacent to the school where he puts the football teams through their paces, but on February 13th he will be donning his shorts and cycling 540km through the undulating landscape of South America to raise money for Mencap.

"This will be a completely new experience for me," says Noel. "I started to cycle as a form of rehabilitation after a knee injury and got bitten by the bug. I cycle to school, when weather permits, making me feel that I am doing my bit for the environment and the PE department have been very supportive in allowing me into their showers before they arrive.”

The hard work will all be worthwhile for Noel if he succeeds in raising £3,000 for Mencap. In the early nineties, while working in London, Noel raised a substantial amount when he competed in the London Marathon. Since returning to Northern Ireland, opportunities to fund raise have been fewer but he is hopeful that, with the support of his friends, colleagues and even former students, he will succeed in reaching his target.

One former student at Laurelhill and now local businessman, Andy Wilson, has presented Noel with a cheque to get the ball rolling. At a fund raising event held in Newforge Country Club last Friday, Mr Wilson of Keyhole Surgery Locksmiths (www.kslocks.co.uk) also presented a prize of a home security consultation to one lucky prizewinner.

“I am very happy to support Mr McKnight,” says Mr Wilson. “I do think that what he has taken on is going to be difficult but he is dedicated enough to complete the challenge I’m sure”.

Noel, or Mr McKnight, is well known in the town for his dedication to the students in Laurelhill where he has worked in the Science department for 15 years. He has coached all the football teams from the college bringing the Northern Ireland Cup to Lisburn for the first time in 2007.

He is hoping the local community will support him in his marathon challenge. You can sponsor Noel by visiting his online fundraising page on www.justgiving.com/noelmcknight. You can pay by credit or debit card, and the money will go directly to Mencap. Where supporters are UK taxpayers, the charity will automatically receive 28% extra in Gift Aid, which makes Justgiving the most efficient way of sponsoring Noel.

Notes to Editors For further information please contact Noel McKnight on 07968 352403.

For further information on Mencap, please contact Barry McMenamin on 02890 492666.

For further information on Justgiving.com, please contact Mike Wells on 0845 021 2110.