Health & Wellbeing Hub @ Galbally Community Centre

Aim

We aim to build high quality facilities to drive up physical activity levels in our rural community & improve health and wellbeing outcomes.

Who are we?

Galbally Youth and Community Association has provided facilities and programmes to encourage and enable more rural people to be physically active.

Galbally Community Centre is proud of its work over the past three decades to address health inequalities and improve health outcomes for local people of all ages.

Our Centre serves the people of Galbally and Cappagh, but in more recent years our impact is much wider, with more and more people travelling to Galbally Community Centre from neighbouring rural communities to access our services.   

Why are we crowdfunding?

Our building has served us well and has undergone various transformations to accommodate additional needs within our community.  Our gym facilities have been a key asset to keep our local community active and healthy, but they have many limitations which restrict growth and development.  Our own population has grown extensively, but more people are choosing Galbally Community Centre as their place to participate in sport and physical exercise.  

In response, we have developed plans for an exciting new extension to the front of our Centre to create a dedicated Health and Wellbeing Hub. This received planning permission in 2021 and we have invested in getting detailed design work done over recent years.  

This new facility will treble the size of our community gym and host a range of services which seek to drive up participation in sport and physical activity. 

We already have people of all ages who train and use our facilities, but we know we can do so much more and do it better if we had improved facilities.  This will create a modern, inclusive and fully accessible space which will attract more and more people to become physically active.  Through this investment, we can enhance our current provision and deliver positive health benefits for generations to come.

Our Centre is known for its friendly welcome and inclusive culture.  Whether you are someone new to a gym environment or a seasoned professional, everyone is made feel at home in our facilities and can train side-by-side.

We can't achieve our vision without the help and support of our wider community, who have always been so generous down through the years.  This is why we have applied to the Sport NI Olympic Legacy Campaign, because with their support, your donations go further.  Each contribution from our community will help unlock 65% from the Olympic Legacy Fund.  Put simply, if we raise £17,500, it will be matched with £32,500.  That is a wonderful incentive to give and will help bring this project to fruition.

How we’ll spend the money raised

This is one of the most ambitious projects we have undertaken which will transform our health and wellbeing offering for future generations.  With your support we can build something which will help drive-up participation levels and deliver positive health outcomes for rural dwellers.  This is a game changer for a small rural community and it will cement our reputation as a rural centre of excellence.  

The total project cost is estimated at £100,000, including steel work (£30,000), roofing (£27500), windows (£20,000) and internal finishes (£22,500).  Alongside the £50,000 raised from our fundraising campaign, we will fund the balance from our own organisations reserves.

This new development will allow multiple classes, small group programmes, one to one sessions and open gym access to be delivered simultaneously. Up until now, this simply wasn't possible, but this is about to change.   

Community impact

Our new extension will create additional gym floor space, allowing more classes and programmes to be delivered.  As a result, more and more people in our community, whatever their starting point may be, will be able to achieve a healthier and more physically active lifestyle.

A strong community ethos runs through everything we do - we don't just focus on building gym numbers, but a sense of community and belonging to something really special.   We have seen how our gym has created friendships and a sense of camaraderie that we believe is very special and unique.  We know that being physically active can lead to improved social capital and mental wellbeing for so many people.  This is why we are so passionate and driven to make this happen.

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. Some local businesses have already got on board and we are very grateful.  You too can 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. You may want to set yourself a challenge for 2026 - be that a running event, Hyrox or whatever else you may feel will challenge you.

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made