Staff members from TourismNI will visit Comber Farmers’ Market at the next market on Thursday 4 June. Laura McCorry, Director of Product Development, and Rosemary Lightbody, Markets and Product Experience Development Manager have been invited by Alderman Deborah Girvan to visit the market and see for themselves how the market is contributing to the local tourism economy.

Alderman Girvan explained, “I met Laura at a tourism seminar a couple of months ago and thought that it would be beneficial for Comber Farmers’ Market to build stronger relationships with the Northern Ireland Tourist Board. By linking with the major tourism organisation for Northern Ireland we hope to promote the market to a wider audience through their extensive network and bring more tourists to Comber. Once they have had an opportunity to walk around the market and see for themselves the variety and quality of artisan food that is sold, they will meet with other members of the Comber Regeneration Community Partnership to discuss how we can do business together.

Sandra Mayne is most recognised for serving her local Cookstown community as Manager in the town’s Ground Espresso Bar. However, in the past year Sandra has become better known for running-up a remarkable contribution to the Cystic Fibrosis Trust, and this weekend she’ll be entering her final race at The Walled City Marathon in Derry on Sunday 31^st May.

Sandra has already raised over £4,000 for the Trust by undertaking a five marathon challenge in Belfast in May 2014 and then continuing on to Derry, Dublin, London, with the intention to finish at the Belfast Marathon on 4^th May 2015. But the barista has decided to add to this challenge and put herself through the paces one final time at this year’s Derry Marathon before hanging up her running shoes for good to concentrate on other aspects of her life.

The charity campaign for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust is a close to home cause for Sandra who supports the fund in memory of her sister Caroline, who lost the fight with Cystic Fibrosis (CF) at just six months old.

“I lost my sister Caroline to cystic fibrosis twenty-eight years ago, due to lack of research and knowledge on how to treat the disease” Sandra explained.  “Thanks to the tremendous amount of research into the causes of CF and potential treatments, we have had much improvement in treating this life limiting disease, with many sufferers across the UK now having a life expectancy of forty years.”

Her employers of 2 years, Ground Espresso Bars are extremely proud of Sandra’s achievements and are supporting this next race with a £500 donation. Karen Gardiner, Director of the coffee chain said, “Sandra’s marathon success has generated increased awareness of cystic fibrosis in her local area as well as raising much-needed funds for additional research and treatment into the disease. We are all so proud of Sandra and the work she has done over the past year to make her goals a reality and keep alive the memory of her sister.”

Sandra trains for her marathons with athletic club Acorns AC who support runners of all abilities; their support has been key for Sandra. Her dedication to the marathons, and those suffering with this life threating condition, makes her achievement even more commendable.

To date Sandra has raised over £4,000 for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust through a combination of table quizzes, raffles, appeals for donations, and her personal Just Giving page, which currently shows over 115% progress on her initial target of £3,000. To donate to Sandra’s Just Giving campaign, visit www.justgiving.com/sandra-mayne.