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Naomh Brid Support for COVID19 page

Help Naomh Brid raise money to support Belfast Health and Social Care Trust www.justgiving.com

 St Brigids GAC Belfast – community response to COVID-19.

We have established a group within the club who help co-ordinate all club activities related to the COVID-19 situation. The group have kick off various initiatives within the club and wider community catchment area.

Firstly, we have established a group of volunteers (over 130) who operate on a street by street basis. In their local streets these club members have delivered letters to all their neighbours (example attached) informing them the club is here to assist and providing their own details as a first point of contact.  We’ve been running this for the past month and we’ve had very positive feedback from the community and more importantly we’ve been able to assist the more vulnerable members of the community.

Secondly in the past two weeks we have commenced a campaign to raise awareness and fundraise for the health and social care services. Currently this involves players and coaches shaving their heads and the club posting videos online via social media. To date we’ve raised £3,000 which is going directly to the Belfast Health Trust – I’ve spoken directly to the Trust and found a way of channelling the funds directly to them (the club is not handling any of the receipts).  We are following this up with others in the club walking/jogging 5k – with the same aim to raise awareness and funds for the frontline workers.

Thirdly, many of the underage teams have been participating in on-line training sessions organised by the team coaches.

St Malachys St Malachy’s have been working with the local community organisation Lower Ormeau Residents Action Group to create a food bank for local residents who cannot leave their homes at this time and deliver food parcels to those in need. Attached is contact details

St Teresa’s

St. Teresa’s are working with St. Teresa’s parish priest Fr. Gabriel Lyons.

 We are assisting in looking after the elderly and needy, our members are acting as delivery courier’s when required. They also are checking in with their elderly neighbours and assisting them where necessary. We are also running a St Teresas memory challenge for our Facebook page, where members will donate to a specific charity via our Just giving page. This will help our club members who are working within the NHS and those supporting the fight against COVID 19.

Colin Gaels

encouraging members to support the West Belfast Food Bank. 

Lámh Dhearg

working with Hannahstown Community Association – to provide community support. 

St John’s

 “Golden Eagles” support group, dropping of groceries and prescriptions

Naomh Éanna

 Dedicated Phone Number for assistance with deliveries, messages and prescriptions. Food Bank established in the new Hall. 

Rossa

Our actions are being coordinated by our Health & Wellbeing Committee with our club chair and secretary acting as contacts

We keep in contact with our older members (known in the club as the Jeremiahs) to ensure they are cared for and meet any needs they may have

We are in contact with the managers of the care facilities Rossa visited with our Christmas Choir to see if we can help the residents and staff with things they may need.

We have contacted community services to see if there is a list of elderly people living alone who we could have phone chats with to make them feel less isolated.  If they have needs or concerns, we can check with the appropriate agencies.

We are planning to make a virtual music video involving Rossa juveniles and their parents, a song with a strong message to support each other and reiterating the Stay Safe Stay Home message.

We are actively considering how we might divert some funds from our Club Draw to charities such as the Hospice that are suffering a loss of funds at this time 

Sarsfield’s

Encouraging members to donate to the NHS Workers/Patients Supplies Appeal 

Gort na Mona

encouraging members to donate to the NHS Workers/Patients Supplies Appeal

Securing dedicated grants to assist with community COVID 19 response team in Upper Springfield and Greater Whiterock area

Have been involved in developing overarching community response structure

Have assisted in identifying those most in need, with each person receiving the delivery of essential goods pack, 100 local residents benefiting from the scheme

Members have been to fore in procuring the ingredients and produce for the making of 3000 hot meals for those isolated, infirm or ill.

Social media awareness campaign on health and safety guidelines

Highlighting dedicated phone lines for daily support calls to isolated and infirm

Calling support for NHS workers in Mater hospital in supplying much needed supplies

Use of club bus and grounds for collection and dispatch of much needed goods for local community.

Continuing to support Men’s Shed members we the need arises. They have a WhatsApp group for keeping in touch and they recently organised their first quiz

We’ve also been showing videos on social media with younger members doing some drills at home, another video made by the U12 boys with a ‘stay at home’ message, and we’ve also started to put material on social media for kids like colouring books and word search puzzles.

Ardoyne Kickhams 

set up a dedicated phone number for people asking for help and have been supporting the North Belfast Food Bank. 

We have also got our younger players to write letters and draw pictures which are in turn delivered with food parcels to the most vulnerable in the filing area along with a letter of support from myself. 

Distribution is coordinated by our club development officer in conjunction with his role in the colin neighbourhood partnership.

South West Antrim 

St Marys Ahoghill

We’ve linked with Ahoghill pharmacy and mid and east Antrim age well partnership so if anyone contacts them our contact details can be passed on. Couple of people have also contacted us through parish priest and through club Facebook page. Requests go into a volunteer WhatsApp group and someone picks it up.

St Marys Rasharkin

 For Elderly, Vulnerable or Self Isolating in our Community that require help.

If required, St Mary’s Rasharkin are providing a Community Delivery Service.

If you need a delivery from one of the following Stores: –

Kennedy’s Pharmacy

Fullan’s EuroSpar

Today’s Express

Please Contact one of the Following Club Members: –

Thomas Doherty (07834713738)

Benny Hegarty (07754481263)

Kickhams Creggan

working with Community Response Officer – volunteers dropping off deliveries and prescriptions etc. 

Tír na nÓg

Dedicated phone number for collecting prescriptions and delivering groceries to old and vulnerable within the community. 

 

North Antrim

Cuchullian’s Dunloy

“Dunloy Rapid Response Team” – working with SVdeP and local MLA

St Brigids Cloughmills

We are currently working with a local community group ‘Cloughmills Community Action Team’ helping deliver food, medicines etc to the vulnerable people in the community.

.  

Oisins Glenariffe

Glenariffe Coronavirus Volunteer Support Group working with Friends of Glenariffe and Cushendall Support Group. 

Mc Quillians, Ballycastle

Con Magee’s Glenravel

working with P.P. and SVdeP on the “Stronger Together” Initiative – helping out with food deliveries, prescription collection etc. 

Ruairi Og, Cushendall

Cushendall Development Group have advertised their phone number for anyone in the community who needs support. Alongside the CDG is the Cushendall COVID-19 Community Support Group and our club Secretary and HWB Officer are on the main committee along with many other club volunteers who have offered their services to the Group to help support the community e.g. shopping or pharmacies deliveries.

We have club members who are qualified fitness instructors and have online classes – 

HOUSE CIRCUITS with Ruairi Mc Keegan https://www.facebook.com/groups/housecircuits/

TOTAL BODY BOOT CAMP with Michael Mc Cambridge (YouTube)

The Nine Glens website has been put together to bring the community together through fun, entertainment and learning, with an impressive archive of photos and video footage of years gone by.https://www.thenineglens.com/?fbclid=IwAR0zMH272fpBjCd6UktQqJKt83FEwBuUgVFIOjxcdW2B2RVPvCmh4kzlMPw  

Gaeil Ruairí Óg agus Gaeil na Glinntí  the learning continues for both adults and children via online communications. For the younger ones 

One of our younger members has entered a story in the Gaa national storey writing competition and it has been published in the Gaa monthly newsletter. 

Links have been given to the Croke Park downloadable children’s activity pack, which will be added to each week.

Check out Hogan Stands GAA Hero’s colouring book, available to download 

Kilkenny star TJ Reid is running PE classes every Tuesday & Thursday at 12 noon via Facebook live. Combining basic GAA skills with basic exercises to keep your kids fit & sharp while at home from school while improving their skills (suitable for kids of all ages). Check out TJ Reid Health & Fitness.

Emma Graffin has a business Mrs. Bubbles in Larne and is hosting a children’s quiz on the 8th April; check out the event details on her Facebook

Shamrocks Loughgiel

Karen McCormick and a group of helpers are co ordinating our response along with the local SVD

In relation to assistance provided too date by the Shamrock Appeal team:

Delivery of requested Groceries:  6 houses

Papers delivered to Pensioners/Vulnerable residents – 5 people

Food parcels from our own donated stock: – 

2 – for large families of +6 in Loughgiel/Armoy area. 

Donations towards essential white goods assessed by SVP from our appeal:

1 chest freezer for a large family in need.  (Self-isolating) 

We suspect we will probably see demand grow over the next few weeks as families will not have wages coming in from this week onwards.  

Flyers have gone out to over 300 pensioners/ vulnerable houses and that is how we got our calls.  

We keep in regular contact with Anne Smiley from SVP and seek her advice when it’s needed.  

We have a stock of food and essentials built up to have immediate access to at any time.

We also have received monetary donations for SVP which is all logged for SVP as they will be sending letters to all those who have donated at this time.  

St. Patrick’s GAC, Lisburn working hard in the community

St. Patrick’s GAC, Lisburn, can be added to the long list of GAA clubs nationwide who are doing all they can to help the more vulnerable members of their community during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Club volunteers are busy carrying out a variety of errands for those most at risk from the virus.

“We’ve done our bit,” says St. Patricks GAC secretary, Chris O’Neill.

“There’s a lot of clubs who are doing great work in rural communities whereas we’re a very urban community. 

“We’re an up and coming club really in terms of our membership and age-profile so there would be a bit of a disconnect between ourselves and the older population in Lisburn parish. 

“We decided to work together with the parish centre manager, Damian French, who obviously looks after all the needs of the parish and had all the information regarding the older members of the parish. 

“So, he got in contact with the people and then would let us know who needed help and we provided the contact details of our club members who were willing to help. 

“To date we’ve helped out with 45 different requests from older or vulnerable people needing support with things like collecting shopping or prescriptions. It seems to be going quite well. 

“I suppose at the GAA shows its true light at these times in terms of being a community-based organisation.”

St. Patrick’s GAC have also been very active on social media trying to get the important health messages across to their younger members.

One of their initiatives has been to upload a video of senior player, Josh McMullan, explaining the importance of social-distancing.

“We’re trying to encourage the wee ones to be safe,” says O’Neill. “We’ve had a few instances up here where young people have had to be moved along from social gatherings, especially after the schools closed.”

St. Patrick’s GAC are a very upwardly mobile club. They’re growing their membership on a yearly basis and last year won the Antrim Junior Football Championship.

As challenging as the Covid-19 pandemic is, the manner in which St. Patrick’s are dealing with it has only further strengthened the growing connection between the club and its community.

“It definitely adds to the community spirt when you know that there’s somebody out there that is willing to help you in tough times,” says O’Neill.

“I saw a thing on the Tyrone twitter account where their chairman said that no-one would be left behind if they just contacted their local club. I think that’s generally the case with all GAA clubs all over Ireland. 

“Lisburn is an up and coming area for people moving into the north of it. We’ve had a real population explosion. 

“Our age-profile in the club is very low. We’ve had a mad influx of people and there’s a lot of house construction going on and we’re flat out trying to cater for the increasing numbers. 

“It’s energised the club as well. At one time it was the people on the committee who were also doing the coaching and looking after the teams but now we’ve extended those roles out and have lots of new coaches coming into the club and lots of people bringing their expertise into the club. 

“We’ve developed a new vision for the club in terms of a five-year development plan so we’re certainly a club that’s moving in the right direction.”