Destination Thailand for the fundraising Parkers

Diana Parker representing Action Cancer, receiving a cheque for £574.24 from Keith Ferguson, the PE teacher at Lisneal College, pupil Jenny Stevenson and David Funston, headmaster at the school.

Diana Parker, of Rossdowney Road, and her family have been working since 2011 to raise the five-figure sum for the cancer charity, in memory of Rosamunde McCay, Diana’s sister, and her brother-in-law, Ronnie McGee, both of whom succumbed to the illness.

It started off I did a trek to China to raise funds, we had no target in mind, but the whole thing just took off then. I enjoyed the fundraising, so we just kept going.

We started with the first one and then my son, Phillip, did a trek to Cuba in 2012, and then in 2013, Simon, my youngest son and I went to Vietnam, so now the three of us are going to Thailand, where we are going to trek up through North Thailand. It is going to be 32 degrees and humid, so it is going to be difficult, but we are going anyway,” she said.

Staff and pupils from Lisneal College pictured with their walk leaders, Terry Parker and Jason Black, at the start of their sponsored walk at Glenveigh National Park to raise money for Action Cancer. Jason Black is the first man from Donegal to climb Everest.

“This is my last trek for Action Cancer, but my husband says never say never, because he knows what I am like,” she said.

Phillip and Simon are past pupils of Lisneal College while their mother is was a member of the PTA while her sons were at the school and they have kept in close contact.

Thanking the pupils for helping her fundraise, she said: “They loved it and want to do it again next year, for a different charity.”

“The year before last we went to Muckish Mountain and this year they did a 15km valley walk at Glenveigh National Park in Co Donegal.”

In the past five years of fundraising Diana and her family have raised £27,000, but with another few events planned, they will go over their total, possibly raising another few thousand for Action Cancer.

These include a bucket collection on March 17 in the city, while there will be cake sales on March 8 in Faughanvale Primary School at the craft fair, and on March 20 at Altnagelvin Foyer, which usually raises several hundred pounds.