Family’s thanks to big-hearted Dunelm staff

Kathy McClenaghan (centre) is pictured with her daughter Kerry-Anne and grandaughter Morgan who will be participating in the Belfast Marathon along with 12 work colleagues from Dunelm Mill on the Shore Road to raise much needed funds for The McDermott Cancer Unit at the Ulster Hospital at which Kathy is currently attending. INNT 18-020-PSB

Big-hearted staff at the Shore Road store have pledged to run Monday’s marathon in support of the McDermott unit in the Ulster Hospital.

Fellow worker Kerry-Anne McClenaghan said she was “overwhelmed” by the incredible efforts of staff who decided to run next week’s marathon after hearing of her mother’s battle against cancer.

Kerry-Anne (32) has been caring for her mother since she was diagnosed with breast cancer in November last year.

She described her 52-year-old mother Kathy, despite added health complications, as a fighter who was determined to overcome her illness.

She told the Times: “Since my mother was diagnosed with cancer the management and staff at Dunelm have been very understanding and supportive.

“My boss, Debbie Ferguson, has been so supportive always wanting to know how my mother is and looking out for me, when she doesn’t have to do any of that, but she does.”

She went on: “They decided they wanted to do something to support the cancer unit that my mum is being cared for in and when they said they were going to do the marathon I could not believe it.

“These are people who might never have walked the length of themselves and they are wanting to run the marathon for my mother.

“To me it is just not the kind of thing that people do nowadays and I was so overwhelmed, by it - they really are amazing.

“They when the company’s head office in England heard what we were doing they decide they would match the sponsorship raised by the staff.

“For a big company to do something like that is just incredible and my mother has really been taken by all the effort and lengths people she doesn’t even know are going to.

“Depending on her health, my mum is hoping to go along and cheer them along and if she is up to it maybe walk a mile or so with them.

“It’s been a tough time for the two of us and to see people supporting us in this way is really unbelievable.

“I just wanted to pay a massive thanks to all the staff and management at Dunelm for their efforts - it really is incredible.”