Life Features

The stunning Irish model Lisa Nolan recently took on drinkaware.ie's 'Weekend Challenge' which saw her taking to the skies, among other things, all in the name of Reclaiming her Weekend. Here's how the brunette babe got on...

Well, what a jam-packed weekend! I feel invigorated and ready to face anything. drinkaware.ie were not lying when they called it the ‘Weekend Challenge’... I teamed up with Caroline Twohig from 3e and Stephen Byrne from RTE to 'Reclaim Our Weekend' as part of drinkaware.ie’s new campaign to make the most of the weekend. This is a new ‘get up and go’ initiative to empower and motivate young people to ease up on the drinking and speed up on living life. In two days I have skydived, bog-hopped, surfed and abseiled and I feel more alive than ever!

The weekend kicked off with a bang on Saturday morning, as we headed to in Offaly to complete the first task – skydiving. After a training session and getting suited up, we were 10,000 ft in the air and out I jumped. I have never experienced such a thrill. Thanks to the friendly staff of SkyDive Ireland, their humour made it all seem less scary.

You wouldn't be doing this with a hangover...

Then we were on the road to Killary Adventure Centre, Galway, where we experienced the most natural of mud baths, followed by a 'refreshing' dip in the sea! My skin feels somewhat fresher... Stephen was the first to jump headfirst off the cliff into the sea, what a man. We wrapped up the first day with a takeaway and the buzz of Westport, Mayo, before hitting the hay early to recharge for the next day of adventure.

We were up at 7am on Sunday morning and headed for Ben’s Surf Clinic in Clare to catch some waves. We met the coolest surfing instructor – Ben himself. This was my favourite challenge as I have surfed since I was young so found it easy! Caroline was pretty sharp on that board too. The last challenge was the hardest... abseiling 44 metres down Croke Park under the calm instruction of Adventure.ie! I was fatigued from a weekend of adventure, but gave it one last push and completed the task with a smile on my face!

Or this...

After the weekend I can honestly say I have felt emotion I would never have felt, met some incredible people, and made memories that will last a lifetime, my advice would be to just give it a go. There is so much out there to do or to experience and lots that costs nothing at all. Why not put down that pint and Reclaim Your Weekend and see how you feel?

Check out ReclaimYourWeekend.ie for great ideas on what to do this weekend.