Published: Wednesday, 14th July, 2010 5:00pm

All for the hospital: from Mullingar to Carrauntoohil

With all the recent "will they or won't they" talk over the Government's plans for the Midland Regional Hospital at Mullingar (MRHM), it's easy to forget that behind the scenes, hundreds of people are hard at work to ensure that the facility continues to be supported by the generosity of members of the public.

A whopping €140,000 has already been raised through private fundraising in the space of one year, as friends of the hospital work towards a €250k target to purchase an upgraded CT scanner for the hospital.

The latest fundraiser takes place on Friday night next, July 16, as a prelude to six porters at the hospital getting out their climbing gear, to scale Ireland's highest mountain, Carrauntoohil, on Saturday, July 24.

Kevin Colgan (The Downs), Derek Devine, Francis Heavey (both Mullingar), Tommy McCormack (Delvin), Jarlath Heduvan (Ballynacargy) and Sean Monaghan (The Downs) will head to Kerry on Saturday week to climb the 3,406ft (1,038m) high Kerry peak - part of the Macgillycuddy's Reeks range - to take the fundraising campaign to new heights.

The six brave Westmeath men are expected to go the daunting route taken by so many tourists: north-east, along the Hag's Glen, up the steep Devil's Ladder to the plateau between Carrauntoohil and Cnoc na Péiste, before turning north-west to the summit, affording them a wonderful view of the Ring of Kerry and other parts of the country. While the lads are taking sponsorship for the climb itself, they seek your support for a fundraiser in association with the climb, due to take place this Friday night in the Annebrook House Hotel, Mullingar.

The target of €250,000 - which must be sourced entirely from private sources, and the generosity of the general public - will go towards a complete upgrade for the MRHM Radiology Department's CT scanner system, with highly specialised computer software geared towards heart testing.

The upgrade to the CT scanner will allow doctors and staff at Mullingar Hospital to offer quicker detection of heart disease, and more detailed examinations of the brain, chest and abdomen, without requiring patients in Longford-Westmeath to make a trip to Dublin.

Friday night's event, which kicks off at 9pm sharp, features music by a host of local artists from the Longford-Westmeath catchment area, including the Glenside Céilí Band, Ronan Leonard, Johnny Irwin, Declan O'Farrell and Tommy McCormack (one of the intrepid climbers mentioned above).

The public will not be charged for entry to the benefit night, but your generosity over the course of the night would be greatly appreciated.

A light-hearted auction will take place, with a number of novelty prizes, followed by a prize-laden raffle with some terrific winnings up for grabs.

These include the first prize of a week's holidays in Spain, kindly sponsored by Delvin entrepreneur Bernie Comaskey. Other prizes include hampers put together by local businesses, an overnight stay in Cork's Radisson Hotel, with a number of pampering treatments paid for; an overnight stay at the Wineport Lodge, Glasson; a year's pass to Belvedere House, Gardens and Park; a full lamb, various drinks and wines, and much more.

"We have been well supported by local businesses," Tommy McCormack told the Westmeath Examiner. "We'd like to thank our sponsors, and all those who have helped us or contributed in any way to date." This weekend's benefit night at the Annebrook, and the forthcoming climb in Kerry, are the latest instalments of a multi-pronged campaign to raise the quarter of a million euro needed for the CT scanner upgrade, and the campaign is expected to continue into the future.

For more details on the benefit night or the Carrauntoohil climb, or to proffer your support for the campaign, contact Tommy McCormack on 087-2780327 or Jarlath Heduvan on 086-8855500.