The Business Support team at South Eastern Regional College (SERC) has begun a year of fundraising for Northern Ireland Hospice, with a series of events planned to culminate in the charity's Dragon Boat Race on the River Lagan in September 2027.

The effort is being led by Business Support Managers Pamela Kelly and Phil Martin. Kelly said the team had been motivated by personal experience, including the loss of a colleague and family bereavements, as well as relatives currently receiving palliative care. She said the team wanted to give something back to the hospice in memory of those who have died.

Fundraising got underway on the weekend of 11 October 2026, when Martin and his 13-year-old daughter Amelia completed a dusk-to-dawn challenge to summit nine peaks in the Mourne Mountains. The route took in Pigeon Rock, Muck, Carn, Slieve Loughshannagh, Slieve Meelbeg, Slieve Meelmore, Slieve Bearnagh, Slieve Commedagh and Slieve Donard, including five of the range's highest peaks.

The pair set off at midnight and reached the summit of Slieve Donard shortly after 9am. Martin said his father Robert, Amelia's grandfather, is receiving palliative care at home through NI Hospice, and that the challenge was Amelia's idea. She has raised almost £1,300 so far.

The team plans to hold a range of activities over the coming year, including running, walking, climbing and baking events, and has appealed for donations.