Sport Northern Ireland Project Re-Boot: Activate has provided £5,000 of match funding
Fit as a Fiddle
Augher, Mid Ulster, United Kingdom
Aim
Our "Fit as a Fiddle" programme will engage rural isolated older people in sport & well-being programmes throughout Clogher Valley
Why are we crowdfunding?
For older people in our isolated community, the Covid pandemic has been very challenging as it has compounded the barriers that many have faced such as loneliness, rural social isolation, anxiety, depression and overall poor mental health. The Covid-19 pandemic over the last 2+ years is still causing major issues for older people.
Physical activity among older people has been proven to have a positive impact on mental health and well-being, with research showing that regular exercise can decrease levels of anxiety and depression, ease stress levels, and increase confidence. Engaging in sport can be a great way for older people to get out of the house, meet new people, exercise and reduce isolation.
In a bid to raise awareness of the importance of physical health among older people across Clogher Valley, its positive impact on mental well-being, we want to raise £10,000 to ensure that older people experiencing isolation in our rural community can have access to appropriate fitness and wellbeing programmes, and can live free from isolation and loneliness, especially in rural areas such as ours.
How is Cairde Eochair (Friends of Augher) helping in the Community?
Cairde Eochair (Friends of Augher) is a rural charity based in Augher County Tyrone, set up to promote sport, health and wellbeing for the benefit of the rural residents of the village of Augher and across Clogher Valley. We do this by the promotion of sport, health, wellbeing, community initiatives, language and culture, through assistance with participation in sport, health and wellbeing, exercise fitness programmes, with the object of improving the conditions of life for people living in our rural community.
We want to deliver new innovative inspiring sport programmes to equip older people in particular with access to exercise, health and wellbeing for improved physical and mental health.
Its a well known fact that older people in rural communities are disadvantaged because of the lack of services available to them within close proximity. Many have mobility issues and they can’t access specialist coaching support and struggle in silence.
With your donations, the Yes We Can project will recruit qualified coaches who can support older people via a 20 week sport, health and wellbeing programme targeting specifically older people who are living alone and isolated across Clogher Valley.
Fundraising will allow us to be innovative and creative in how we deliver our sport for older people through this programme.
Why are we fundraising?
We want to reach out to older people in our community who are living alone, isolated and those with long term mobility health issues, who in particularly have been adversely affected by the Covid19 pandemic - particularly those struggling with poor mental health because of their rural isolation.
In a recent Mens Shed UK report, it stated that rural isolation and the Covid pandemic meant that the biggest struggles faced by older people was with the lack of interaction with others. Sporting health and wellbeing activities can address this. Mental health was a subsequent concern because of isolation, therefore it demonstrated that older people felt more anxious, and many felt their mental health had deteriorated (particularly from isolation).
Research shows that engaging in physical activities and sport can have a positive impact on the resilience and wellbeing of older people, including building self-confidence and their ability to form positive relationships with others their age group.
We believe the project will help us to reach out the most vulnerable and disadvantaged in our rural community and help them build back better from nearly 3 years of isolation.
How we will spend the money raised
This Crowdfunding campaign will provide qualified sports coaches qualified and experienced to deliver older persons sports programmes such as chair based aerobics, walking football etc, and to deliver the 20 week innovative new older persons sport programme across the Clogher Valley.
Money raised will also enable us to hire suitable facilities within the rural communities so that older people do not have to travel far to access the sports programmes we will deliver.
Fundraising will enable us to bring in a specialist older persons health practitioner to deliver programmes such as healthy eating, exercise at home and mental health.
Fundraising will allow us to develop promotional materials to ensure we are reaching as many older people as possible in our rural community.
How you can play your part
Whether it’s a little or a lot, the money raised will help tackle rural isolation and inequality, improve physical and mental health and help older people to thrive in rural communities.
Please give whatever you can and support older people in our community.
There are 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!
This project successfully funded on 28th February 2023