'Life affirming and enriching' - Waterford family take on challenging walks for charity

One Waterford family say that volunteering as a family for those less fortunate is their way of enjoying time together, saying they would encourage any family to do likewise, calling it “life affirming and enriching”.

The Ennis family from Tramore in Co. Waterford are no strangers to volunteering.

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Aidan and Emily actually met while both were giving up time for ‘Brighter Communities Worldwide, a small Cobh based charity that works in partnership with local communities in East Kenya, and credit it with not only bringing them together, but say it is now interwoven into their lives and an ever-ending source of inspiration and purpose for them.

They have organised and participated in countless fundraising treks, including ones across Ireland and Wales to support the charity, crediting their success to a strong family effort.

58-year-old Aidan climbed all 275 mountains in Ireland last year (with a height of 600 metres and above) in one continuous hike to raise funds for the charities’ ‘THE BIG WALK’, an initiative organised to highlight the gruelling daily walks that people in East Kenya have to make to get clean water for drinking and cooking.

This year, Emily and 12-year-old Son, Alex, will walk around Ireland with Aidan in a show of huge solidarity and family support. He is currently walking all around Waterford.

Aidan says that while he may be the ‘endurance runner ‘in the family, thus far! the unstinting backing of his young family is his "secret superpower".

He says,

“Without a doubt, it is Emily and Alex who have got me through past charity endurance events when the going really got tough. Climbing up and down rough, rocky mountains and walking miles and miles is no picnic sometimes, but knowing they were backing me to the hilt and knowing I would see them in the evening to ‘decompress’ and relax meant the world to me.

“This year is brilliant and different in that all three of us are doing it together and while it may be less ‘endurance ‘and more ‘enjoyment’ we are all doing it with the same singular purpose and that is to raise much needed funds for ‘Brighter Communities Worldwide.

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“The experience of working together as a family for the common good is such a life affirming and enriching one. It is so important to have this time together as a family, as life is just so busy for everybody and it’s good to stop for a bit, take stock, and volunteering and trying to make a difference does give that opportunity.

“It is incredibly grounding for us as a family knowing that we are doing our bit to help others. It’s wonderful for Alex especially to be involved in planning our routes, planning what provisions we will need to bring and chronicling our adventures. He absolutely loves it and it’s great for him.

“Being out and about in the fresh air, in nature is incredible. It gives families time to talk, to think, to laugh and to become even closer. I would recommend volunteering as a family to anybody”.

He says, “Brighter Communities Worldwide are a hugely deserving charity, they work incredibly hard, and their work over more than two decades has been tangible and hugely successful as they have seen huge improvements in the areas of sanitation, healthcare and economic empowerment”.”.

“As walking is the main mode of travel for the many people they work with who have no choice but to walk vast distances to access clean water, the charity hopes that this will resonate with people in Ireland to get behind the challenge. Participants choose where they want to walk, count the kilometres they cover and hopefully together they will reach 10,000km, which is the distance from Cork to Kenya”.

Aidan is no stranger to tough charity challenges; he has walked the entire coastline of Wales including all 15 of the Welsh 3000ft mountains enroute, for Brighter Communities Worldwide.

Once again, his family was in tow and proved to be an ever-constant source of support and fun. He credits running on the beaches around Tramore as helping him prepare for all his challenges.

“Yes, I run all the time on the sand at Tramore, it has toughened me up no end!.

“The people of Ireland are so generous and giving and I am really hoping they get behind this challenge, and vitally, help other families in Kenya who do not have the same resources as we enjoy in this country.

“Ultimately, we are all the same, irrespective of where we live in the world, and all anybody wants is a chance for his or her family."

Maria Kidney, Co-Founder of Brighter Communities World says,

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“Aidan Ennis is an extraordinary part of the Brighter Communities Worldwide family. As a small organisation, we rely on individuals with the courage to take bold steps and Aidan’s commitment has not only inspired us but has been essential to our continued work. A long-term volunteer and friend of the organisation, Aidan’s connection to BCW runs deep!

“His belief in our vision of a world where strong, healthy communities can thrive, with sustainable livelihoods and brighter futures fuels his tireless commitment. Aidan’s fundraising has made a direct and powerful impact on our clean water programmes.

“Thanks to supporters like him, we have installed 19 spring protection projects across communities in Kenya, bringing safe, clean water to 7,710 households and 16 schools, reaching a total of 23,390 people in that year alone. To put Aidan’s incredible efforts into perspective: just €125 covers the maintenance and upkeep of four water projects, supporting 917 households and a population of 3,178 people.

“His contribution goes far beyond the physical and mental challenge; it literally helps to transform lives."