Cyclists taking part in Co-operation Ireland’s Rugby World Cycle Challenge in September will pause along the route to commemorate one of the charity’s greatest supporters, Pamela Benson, who sadly passed away last October aged 78.

Pamela, from Ballymote, County Sligo, tragically lost her life in a traffic accident while cycling at Collooney, outside Sligo town.  

An ardent supporter of Co-operation Ireland from the mid 1980s, Pamela first got involved with the charity via the annual Dublin to Belfast Maracycle where thousands of cyclists travelled to Belfast and back each year to show their abhorrence of the sectarian violence that plagued the country for over thirty years. 

That kicked off almost four decades of annual participation in fundraising events for Pamela, the proceeds of which go to bring young people together on both a cross community and cross border basis, creating new friendships and networks right across the island. 

Pamela also ran a number of Dublin Marathons for Co-operation Ireland and became a regular team member on Co-operation Ireland’s world-wide cycle challenges taking on endurance bike rides in places across Ireland, Europe, USA and Asia.  

She was greatly admired by all whom she met on the charity trips as she was an exceptionally good cyclist and great company to spend hours on the road with due to her incredible life experiences. 

Co-operation Ireland offer our sincerest condolences to Pamela’s family, we will miss her greatly on future events, our heartfelt sympathy to her many friends here at Co-operation Ireland and at home in Sligo. 

THE EVENTS TEAM AT CO-OPERATION IRELAND