Ashlene Moore, fiancee of the late Tyrone GAA star Cormac McAnallen, will begin a month-long charity mission to India tomorrow – exactly one year after her engagement.

Mr McAnallen (24), an All-Ireland winner in 2003, died suddenly at his Eglish home from a rare viral infection of the heart in March. The couple were due to have been married last Saturday in Ms Moore’s home village of Greysteel, Co Derry.

Ms Moore, a PE teacher at St Patrick’s and St Brigid’s College in Claudy, has since raised £17,000 to be split evenly between the Friends of Calcutta charity and the Cormac Fund campaign, which was set up to buy defibrillators and introduce sports screening programmes.

She will be joined in India by three other Co Tyrone people who have also raised thousands of pounds. The group will distribute Christmas gifts to orphaned children in Calcutta and work with the homeless and in schools.

“Last Christmas, Cormac saw photos from Calcutta and I remember distinctly him saying it would be great to work with children like that,” Ms Moore said.

She also revealed that the GAA star had donated most of his Christmas gifts last year to the developing world aid charity Trocaire .

Ms Moore said it had been hard to get through their proposed wedding day on Saturday. She said Christmas without Cormac would also be “very difficult”.

“I got the strength from somewhere and I believe it was Cormac. He is the driving force behind my going to Calcutta,” she said.

“I want to be as positive as he was and help the poorest of the poor. I think it will help me as well.”

Donations to the Cormac Fund can be made to First Trust Bank, High Street, Omagh.

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