Sport Northern Ireland Project Re-Boot: Activate has provided £5,000 of match funding
Support Our New Sports Programmes for Ballyholland
Newry, Newry, Mourne and Down, United Kingdom
Aim
We are fundraising to deliver new community wide sports programmes in Ballyholland outside Newry
Who are we?
Founded in 1954, Ballyholland Harps GAC our main purpose aims, and objectives has been to play a significant role in community-driven sport, leisure, cross community, culture and wellbeing within our catchment of “southeast” Newry, which is rural Ballyholland, Grinan & Derryleckagh as well as parts of Newry City (Warrenpoint Road, Courtenay Hill and Church Street). We achieve this by providing facilities, programmes and initiatives for all in our community.
Ultimately, as a GAA Club our main purpose, aims and objectivities is to promote GAA activities within all Club programmes. However, a strong purpose of our Club moving forward is to ensure that we are open and inclusive to all. We want our facilities to be welcoming to people outside of our traditional "GAA community". As such, a major aim of the Club is to deliver programmes which promote this inclusivity going forward to groups traditionally excluded from GAA facilities such as ours.
A further purpose aims, and objectives of the Club is to provide opportunities for underrepresented groups such as young people, females, older persons and those with disabilities. We do this by providing facilities, programmes and initiatives as noted, as well as volunteering opportunities so people can stay involved in the club outside playing opportunities.
Covid19 Challenges
During Covid19 we were unable to fundraise.
The reason we need to raise money is because we have been financially affected by the Covid19 pandemic.
During Covid19 we lost a lot of volunteers and members
During Covid19 we were unable to deliver new programmes in our community.
During Covid19 we our community suffered because of our rural locality and isolation.
Loss of members
Loss of coaches
Reduction in coaching sessions
Players mental health has suffered
Players physical health has suffered
Volunteers mental health has suffered
Volunteers physical health has suffered
Programmes cancelled
Increased facility/equipment costs and overheads
Why are we crowdfunding?
The reason we need to raise money is because we have been financially affected by the Covid19 pandemic. For example, we have been unable to deliver new programmes to support older people or younger people who were most affected by Covid19 in our rural community.
The Club has a written 3-year Club Development Plan (2017 - 2020) which has been updated coming out of Covid for the next 3 years (2022 - 2025). Within this, it focuses on our new developments to ensure we achieve the purposes aims and objectives of which one is supporting more younger and older people in our community.
Crowdfunding will help us to deliver the following from March to May 2023:
- NEW 12 week community walking football programme for older people in our community.
- NEW 6 week younger persons multi sport programme (which is new and innovative in our community and over and above our GAA activity).
- NEW 4 weeks chair based aerobics programme for older people in our community.
- NEW 4 weeks of sporting social initiatives for older people in our community.
- NEW 4 week mental health youth programme relevant to sport participation
This will support older people, younger people and those living isolated to come back from Covid19 and get into sport again after a long lay off and lack of opportunity.
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.
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!
How we’ll spend the money raised
Funding will enable us to cover the costs of a facilitators and coaches to deliver the programmes we want to deliver.
Funding will enable us to cover the costs of marketing materials to promote the programme.
Funding will enable us to purchase equipment to deliver the programmes.
Funding will enable us to provide transport to take rural children and our older community away on days out and to competitions.
Community impact
The impact our fundraiser will have is that it will directly support older people who were most affected by Covid19.
Older people who are isolated in our community will have access to exercise, health, wellbeing and social opportunities.
Younger people will have access to new sports and activities that they wouldnt have had before.
Our community will have improved mental health.
Our community will be fitter, healthier and happier
Our community will be collaborating more.
Our community will be building back after tough years from Covid19
Our community will be supporting those suffering the most
This project successfully funded on 10th March 2023