Wellbeing at the heart of Naomh Mairtin club
NAOMH Mairtin CPG is one of only a handful of GAA clubs in Co Louth to adopt the Healthy Club project, promoting health and wellbeing for all its members and the local community. On Saturday, June 9th, the Monasterboice club threw open its doors to the public and launched the initiative, which is part of a nationwide campaign by the GAA. Hundreds of club members and people from the local community turned out to enjoy some of the activities on offer in glorious June sunshine, and take part in some of the demonstrations. “We had some of the local Community Guards coming, and also the Irish Heart Foundation brought their mobile units too,” explains Londa Donoghue from the club.
“The club is very much at the heart of the community here, and it was a great way to bring different groups together and raise awareness on minding your physical as well as mental health.
The Healthy Club project aims to help GAA clubs explore how they support the holistic health of their members and the communities they serve.
The project aims to help clubs identify what they are already doing well, identify areas where they can or would like to improve, and empower them to ensure that everyone who engages with their club benefits from the experience in a health-enhancing way, be they players, officers, coaches, parents, supporters, or members of their local community.
“The mobile unit did around 100 heart and blood pressure screenings and were able to give people results there and then, which I think everyone found interesting,” adds Linda. “We have over 300 members in our club, and now have a dedicated committee of six members working on this project, which is also running a Couch to 5K programme too.”
The healthy club model, which is based on best national and international practice, also aims to embed a healthy philosophy in a club while integrating health into the day-to-day club activities in a sustainable way.
The project aims to help GAA clubs identify what they are already doing well and identify areas where they can or would like to improve.
It also aims to place the local GAA club at the heart of the community.