How clubs are leading way in helping the vulnerable

WHILE the population has never been more distant from itself, clubs from all over Ulster are doing their bit to try to keep everyone connected in a different sense.

Last week, the GAA ordered all of their premises to close up and cease any activity on their grounds, including walking paths.

With coaches, administrators and players now with more time on their hands than ever, a huge volunteer effort is being made among their communities to help the elderly and vulnerable.

In one of the most urban clubs of Ulster, St Brigid’s, they have offered help to everyone within their south Belfast area.

Oliver Lennon, a club coach and current selector with the Antrim senior football team, is one of those co-ordinating the St Brigid’s efforts.

He told the Belfast Telegraph: “We organise everything to replicate that community sense that you would have in a small village, ie on a street to street basis.

“People are going to be more responsive to their neighbours and somebody they might see out on the street and know that you are five doors up.

“What we are seeing now, we started about 10 days ago whenever this started. A couple of us were texting each other and the GAA was closing down.

“We said, ‘We have a big machine here, sitting parked on the driveway for want of a better term, which is going to be doing nothing for the next three months. How can we leverage that machine and give help where we can?’

“What we started doing was organising on a street by street basis, getting as many people involved as possible. At the minute, I have a list of about 150 who are club members. Every second day we give them a bit of information and they can print out their own copies of it and go down the street, stick it through the letterbox, write their own name, where they live and their phone number, and if you need anything be it shopping, your dog walked, something to do with the pharmacy or whatever, just lift the phone.”

The requests have led to some interesting moments. One elderly lady living off the Malone Road made contact looking for help to set up an ipad. Lennon himself works in IT and helped her get it all up and running, so she could watch a live stream on the internet of a mass from St Eunan’s Church in Letterkenny, Co Donegal.

“When you think about it, we all have three degree of connectivity within our lives. You multiply 150 people by three, someone within that 150 people will know someone who knows someone,” explained Lennon.

“That kind of network is potentially 1,000 people. They are not necessarily walking into your door and fixing something.

“A couple of other things we have seen is people looking short-term rents from a lady whose daughter is working in A&E in Craigavon, so she contacted us and we were able to get that sorted.

“It will be interesting to see beyond this, which to me the GAA is… well, it’s a way of life. It’s not just about going in and out and playing a hurling match, a football match or sitting in Croke Park, although that is a nice part of it.

“It’s who you are and what you are as a community, regardless of race, creed and colour.

“From what we are doing on a street to street basis, we don’t know who is living in the houses, if they are a member or if they are GAA supporters. It doesn’t matter. We shove it through their letterbox and if someone needs help, then that’s the idea.”

That kind of altruism extends right across the range of clubs in Ulster.

Last Thursday, Paul Mccarney, the club chairman of Coa O’dwyers in Fermanagh, went up to lock the gates of the club for the first time ever.

They have always been open for community use in this most rural of areas.

On social media, he has advertised the numbers of contacts in the area to help the elderly or whoever needs help in these times, but can already see an erosion of a vibrant community.

“Between ourselves, the pipe band and the community hall, there were great initiatives starting up,” said Mccarney.

“We were involved in running some health and fitness projects and classes, there were photography classes, that sort of thing. The social element to a club, you need to be aware of it. It’s just a pity because it was building momentum.

“From a football point of view, our Under-19s fulfilled all their fixtures last year. Most of those lads were heading for the seniors, while the Under-8s, Under-15s and Under-11s were all ready to rock. That’s all on the back burner.

“The community, apart from the football, there is a bowls club and all sorts, that’s all knocked on the head.”

This is just how things are, until we all ride out the storm.