Sport Northern Ireland Project Re-Boot: Activate has provided £5,000 of match funding
Bounce Back to Sport
Omagh, Fermanagh and Omagh, United Kingdom
Aim
Gortin Controlled PS PTA's aim to offer after school sports activities for ALL children in years 1-7 several days per week over 12 week
Who are we?
We are the PTA of Gortin Primary School. We are a small rural primary school located in the picturesque foothills of the Sperrin Mountains in County Tyrone. The school was opened in February 1983, our school has a strong sense of community between family, friends and neighbours.
Click here to visit our school website
Click here to visit our school Facebook page
Gortin Primary School and the Community
Gortin Primary School has a strong link to the local community. We have links with the community centre and The Conservation Volunteers who supported us the in the planting of our school forest. Our school in one of the main hubs of the community where locals come to events such as our Harvest service and Christmas Pantomime. We hold a Christmas Market where local businesses are invited to set up stalls and locals can come to shop, this includes a Santa's Grotto where children within the commmunity gather for some Christmas excitment. We have also held a wreath making class where members of the wider community have gathered together to make wreaths, this was supported by the Conservation volunteers. We held an event to mark the Queen's Platinum Jubilee where we opened our school to the community for a tea party as well as singing and dancing, creating a fantastic community spirit.
We have held 9 Fun Run events within the village, these were organised in collaboration with St. Patrick's PS also located in the village.
Why are we Crowdfunding?
Gortin PS PTA aim to increase participation in after school sports activities by expanding our current, limited program. We will offer kids of all ages (4 to 11) the chance to stay after school and be introduced to and participate in a variety of sports including rugby, badminton, tennis, football and hockey by qualified coaches in a fun and safe environment. The money will enable us to provide coaches to run the after school activities.
The PTA would like to put into motion the 'Bounce Back to Sport' Project. During prolonged school closures due to covid children were unable to participate in sport of any kind. When school returned after school sport was not premitted. Since school returned we have found it difficult to secure funding to provide after school activities. Our school is in a remote rural location, there are limited sports or after school activities within a 12 mile radius proving impossible for most of the parents within our school community to attend after school sports, this has been heightened further by the cost of living and fuel crisis. The project will offer our rural kids of all abilities from 4 years old the opportunity to stay after school several days per weeks and be introduced to new sports. Our aim is to increase participation in a variety of sports to increase physical activity and improve mental health which was greatly impacted during covid. The project would allow children to socialise and have fun with children of their own age, another area that our children have missed out on due to the pandemic. They would develop resilience, build confidence, promote problem solving skills and a sense of belonging, as children play sport in a familiar, safe environment. The project will have a lasting legacy as children will be in the routine of playing sport after school from a young age, we will have qualified coaches within our school community and we will have equipment to allow the children to remain active after the 12 week project.
Parents and teachers within the school community have noted the need for this after school sports project. Parents have noted that children are more reliant on electronic devices since covid spending too much time on screens at home. Teachers have noted poorer coordination and ball handling skills in PE lessons, due to the lack of sport played during covid. We plan to use the power of sport to improve all the above areas.
How we will spend the money raised?
The increased financial support from crowd funder will allow us to pay coaches to lead after school sports for all children. It will also allow us to purchase some much needed new sports equipment as well as a new school football/sports kit for sporting events. We will also spend the money on coach education so that menmbers of our wider and school community will have the opportuniy to train as coaches, providing employment and leaving a lasting legacy for our project. Our project would run for 12 weeks in term 2 or 3 where children in Yr 1-3 will have the opportunity to stay behind for after school sports from 2-3pm and children in Yr 4-7 from 3-4 pm, this would be available 3 days per week. We do not want the cost of livig crisis to be a barrier to after school sports, therefore the cost of coaches and equipment will be covered.
If we raise £2083 Sport NI will match fund with a further £5000 towards our project.
How you can play your part
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.
This project successfully funded on 28th June 2023