News

Team Cedar to take on Waterside Half Marathon to celebrate Foundation’s 85th anniversary

8 September 2026

A group of staff, service users and supporters of one of Northern Ireland’s oldest disability charities are taking on the Waterside Half Marathon this weekend as part of a special fundraising challenge to mark the organisation’s 85th anniversary.

The Cedar Foundation supports children and adults with disabilities, autism and brain injuries and supports people to develop independence within their local communities.

As part of its anniversary celebrations, Cedar have set themselves an ambitious fundraising target of £85,000 throughout 2026 to help them continue their vital community service.

They chose the Waterside Half Marathon as one of their fundraising events, giving Cedar staff and supporters the opportunity to take part in a major sporting event in the North West while also showcasing the organisation’s work in the community.

Among those taking part are a three-person relay team made up of Cedar staff Sarah, Heather and Lydia.

The trio are all self-confessed non-runners but have spent the past six months preparing for the challenge.

Sarah, from Cedar’s Inclusion Matters Western team and a member of the organisation’s 85th Anniversary Fundraising Committee, took on the challenge of getting people involved in the Waterside Half Marathon and has helped secure five runners for Team Cedar.

“None of us would have described ourselves as runners at the start of this," she said. “We’ve been training for around six months and have been encouraging each other along the way. As we all work in different areas, it hasn’t always been possible to train together, but we’ve supported each other throughout and we’re really looking forward to meeting up on race morning and cheering each other on. The Waterside Half Marathon is a fantastic opportunity for us to raise money for Cedar while also highlighting the work we do."

She added: “It’s a big challenge but knowing we’re doing it for such an important cause has kept us motivated.”

The team held a fundraising coffee morning at Fermanagh House in June, inviting Cedar staff and service users along to enjoy some homemade treats while helping them reach their fundraising targets.

Alongside the relay team, three more experienced runners will be taking on the full 13.1-mile course in support of Cedar.

Emma, from Cedar’s ABI Choices service in Newry, is an experienced runner who completed her second Belfast Marathon earlier this year and has previously taken part in five half marathons.

Her training for the Waterside Half Marathon has included completing her first ever triathlon, ‘Tri the Lough’ last month.

Former Cedar employee Marie is also no stranger to the half marathon challenge and has been gradually building up her mileage in preparation for race day, while Kyle, who is married to a Cedar staff member, has taken up running more recently and has been enjoying seeing his progress with every training run.

The Cedar team are now looking forward to coming together at the finish line to celebrate their achievement and collect their well-earned medals.

The Waterside Half Marathon is sponsored by The Lycra Company and hosted by Derry City and Strabane District Council, in partnership with Share Energy and Ulster University.

The event is already sold out, with more than 4,300 individual places and 380 three-person relay team places snapped up around three months ahead of race day.

The race gets underway at 9.30am on Sunday, with the figure-of-eight course starting and finishing at Ebrington Square. Runners will make their way under Craigavon Bridge, across the Peace Bridge and towards Strathfoyle before returning via the Caw Roundabout, crossing the Foyle Bridge and continuing through Bay Park and along the quay before crossing the Peace Bridge for the finish at Ebrington Square.

The chip-timed event will see every finisher receive a commemorative medal and T-shirt.

Anyone wishing to support the Cedar Foundation runners can donate through the organisation’s fundraising page.

Full Waterside Half Marathon race day information, including the route map and arrangements for participants and spectators, is available at derrystrabane.com/whm.

The Cedar Foundation fundraising page is available through Eventmaster https://eventmaster.ie/fundraising/charity/the-cedar-foundation and a QR code is available on their social media pages.