Who are we?
An Charraig Mhór G.F.C was founded in 1932, and is located at 32 Quarry Road, Carrickmore, Co Tyrone, BT79 9JX.
Our Club and facilities cater for 750+ members across senior male and female teams (aged 18+) and underage (aged 6-18), both males and females. We have Club activity at the facility going all year round. We have teams commencing from under 6 through to senior.
Community Impact
Our Club plays a vital role in our local community. For example, our Club facilities are a focal point for the local rural community of Carrickmore providing sport and social outlets everyday of the week.
In 2023 we delivered a successful Crowdfunder for new youth initiatives, supported by our community and Sport NI match funding.
A major project for us this year in 2024 has been the start of construction on our indoor pitch, which will act as a vital community wide resource going forward once complete.
Our Club membership alone is 750+ members across senior male and female teams (aged 18+) and underage (aged 6-18). This demonstrates the positive impact our Club has in providing Carrickmore residents with sporting opportunities through GAA activities, access to our facilities, cultural opportunities and social outlets.
Our Club members are heavily involved in the wider community, and therefore the Club is central in acting as a vehicle to tackle a range of challenges local people face. These challenges include (but are not limited to) rural isolation and increasing prevalence of social isolation (especially among older people), reducing levels of health, poor mental health (particularly amongst older rural residents, and reducing levels of community spirit and social interaction.
Why are we crowdfunding?
We are excited to launch our new sports programme for our rural community here in Carrickmore. This autumn and winter, we’re launching a new sports programme designed to offer fun and active winter activities for older people in our community in particular.
We will run 20 weeks, 2 hours per week for older people to come to our facilities and take part in activities such as walking via our walking track, indoor programmes such as chair-based aerobics, stretching, light gym work via our gym, walking and talking football, yoga, pilates, community health and fitness talk and strength-based activities for older people.
Our goal is to create a vibrant, inclusive environment where everyone can enjoy sports, regardless of their age and experience levels in sport previously.
To make this happen, we need your support through our crowdfunding. Our rural community faces unique challenges, and we want to ensure everyone has access to these fantastic sporting opportunities.
Our new sports programme in Carrickmore is specifically designed to create opportunities for those in our community who have traditionally been excluded from participating in sports and engaging actively within our club. We recognise that older adults, particularly those in rural areas, often face barriers to physical activity and social engagement. These barriers include physical limitations, lack of accessible facilities, and social isolation.
Our project directly addresses these challenges by providing a tailored, inclusive programme that is new and additional to our normal club activities.
Our programme is specifically designed to cater to older adults in our rural community, a group that is often overlooked in mainstream sports initiatives. By focusing on low-impact activities such as chair-based aerobics, walking football, yoga, and pilates, we are creating a welcoming environment where older people can engage in physical activity regardless of their fitness levels or experience in sports.
We are making our programme as accessible as possible by offering activities at our local facilities, which are easily reachable for most community members. Additionally, we are subsidising transportation costs for those who may have difficulty accessing the venue. By doing so, we are ensuring that physical location and transportation are not barriers to participation.
The programme is designed to be inclusive, not just in terms of physical activity but also in fostering social connections. We are offering activities that emphasise social interaction, such as walking and talking football, and providing refreshments to encourage socialization after the sessions. This helps reduce the isolation that many older adults in rural areas experience, contributing to improved mental health and well-being.
We are not only encouraging participation but also enabling older adults to take on active roles within the club. As part of the programme, we will be introducing a volunteer development initiative, where participants who wish to contribute more can receive training to become volunteer coordinators or committee roles. This will empower them to play an active role in the delivery of the programme, fostering a sense of ownership and community leadership.
This project represents a significant expansion of our club's activities, reaching out to a new target group that has not been the focus of our previous efforts. By specifically designing the programme for older adults, we are bringing a new demographic into our club, diversifying our membership, and enriching the community's engagement with sports.
Our initiative is not just a one-off programme but a sustainable effort to integrate older adults into our club's ongoing activities. By having suitable equipment, providing training for volunteers and so on, we are creating a foundation for continued engagement, ensuring that the benefits of the programme extend beyond the initial 20 weeks and become a lasting part of our community's sports culture.
Through this project, we are leveling the playing field by actively addressing the needs of those who have been traditionally excluded from sports and club activities. By focusing on older adults, reducing participation barriers, and fostering inclusive leadership opportunities, we are creating a new, vibrant initiative that will have a lasting impact on our community.
This project is a significant step forward in making sports accessible to everyone, regardless of age, ability, or previous experience, and aligns with our commitment to inclusivity and community well-being.
The outcomes of your donations will be:
Improved physical health for older people in our community
Improved mental health and well-being of older people in our community
Reduced isolation for older people in our community.
How we’ll spend the money raised
Your contributions will help us cover the costs of equipment, expert facilitators experienced in working with older people, refreshments, promoting the programme and so on. More specifically, our budget is as follows:
Older Persons Facilitator Fees: £5,000
Details: Payment for qualified facilitators to lead the various activities such as chair-based aerobics, yoga, pilates, strength-based exercises, and other health and fitness sessions. This includes compensation for their time, travel, and expertise over the 20-week period.
Equipment and Materials: £2,800
Details: Purchase of necessary equipment and materials for the programme, including yoga mats, resistance bands, light weights, chair supports, and any other fitness equipment required to safely and effectively deliver the activities.
Marketing and Outreach: £800
Details: Costs for promoting the programme within the community to ensure maximum participation. This includes printed materials (posters, flyers), social media advertising, and potential partnerships with local organisations to spread the word.
Refreshments: £400
Details: Provision of light refreshments (tea, coffee, water) during the sessions to encourage social interaction and make the environment welcoming and inclusive. This also covers small expenses for community gatherings at the end of the programme.
Transportation Support: £1,000
Details: Subsidising transportation costs for participants who may have difficulty accessing the venue due to the rural location. This might include arranging shared transport or covering travel expenses for those in need.
It will also cover bus transport for us to go for a day out.
Every little bit helps, and your support will have a huge impact on our rural community. Together, we can create a winter sports programme that brings joy and health benefits to older people in Carrickmore.
How you can help!
There are four simple ways to help us reach our target, and make this project a reality.
1. Make a pledge. Don’t delay if you’re going to support us because momentum is key to our success!
2. Spread the word. Share our project on your social media pages and tell the world to get behind us! The more people we reach, the more support we will get.
3. Offer rewards. Get involved if you are a local business by donating things we can offer to our supporters. We will give you a shout out!
4. Fundraise for us. If you want to run your own fundraiser – maybe a sponsored activity or similar – use the 'contact project' button at the top of our page to let us know. Setting up your own page only takes a few minutes and you won’t need any bank details. Just a fun idea!