LET’S GO DONORE!
COMMUNITY SPIRIT IS THE ORDER OF THE DAY AS HUNDREDS SIGN UP TO DONORE OPERATION TRANSFORMATION
The community in Donore are embracing a new found love for healthy living and exercise after starting their own Operation Transformation which saw participants lose an amazing nine stone between them in the first two weeks.
The idea for the group event started with the parents association from the local national school and has blossomed into a project with embodies community spirit with new friendships formed, a community bond strengthened and everyone from primary school children to pensioners coming out to get fit and get in shape!
‘It was ans an idea that cropped up this time last year we thought wouldn’t it be great to harness the enthusiasm around fitness and heath,’ explained Malena McLoone, one of those behind the initiative. ‘We decided January would be a good time when everyone was enthusiastic to make a change so on January 7th we bit the bullet and held a registration night for anyone interested.
‘ There were about 80 people who turned up on the night and it just grew from there.’ There are now approximately 120 in the groups with dozens more taking part in the weekly community walk.
The group advertised the project locally with flyers in local estate and set up a Facebook page called ‘Donore Steps Up’.
‘We got an absolutely fantastic response and since then there are 114 adults registered; we don’t count the kids but they are involved and they come along and do the community walks as well,’ said Malena.
Kathy Maher from Haven Pharmacy comes along every second Monday to do the weigh in and the group were thrilled and shocked to discover that in the first two weeks alone they lost 9 stone 9 pounds between the 50 people who take part in the weigh in.
The group have a couch to 5km programme which runs on Monday and Wednesday and there is also a community walk around the village every week.
‘We combine the two, we all do our warm up together and then the couch to 5k go one direction and the walkers go the other,’ explained Malena.
‘We’re a sight to behold with all the hi-vis vests out on the road, we’re nearly stopping traffic at times!’
The gorup hold a fitness class on Thursday night in the school hall which is provided by Maeve Duffy and is open to everyone to attend, not just those in the Operation Transformation programme.
‘Some of people who come to that know Maeve or know about us but they don’t necessarily want to join up with the group so they come along as well,’ explained Malena.
A number of those taking part in the Donore group are also signed up to do the Phoenix Park 5km which takes place on February 18th with Operation Transformation groups from all over the country taking part.
‘Ours is an eight week programme so at the end of it on March 4th, we’re going to do one of the Oldbridge Park Runs here in the estate and that’s kind of like our big finale.’
Malena said everyone in the village has come on board with the programme with the local primary school running a ‘wake up, shake up two mornings a week’ and they are also doing yoga and emphasising healthy eating.
The local school as well have their own little strand going separately they have a walke up shake up two mornings a week and they are doing yoga as well which the pa are part funidng and empasing healthy eating and making the right choices when it comes tofood and stuff like that.
‘It’s just an amazing community effort,’ said Malena. ‘I’m living in Donore 14 years now and I’ve never seen people coming together for something the way they have for this.
It’s an amazing community effort. I’m living in Donore 14 years now and I’ve never seen people comign together for something. On the community walks there are people chatting and mingling that never did before. It’s fantastic. Our local parish priest Fr Tony Gonudeis calling us the Killinaskullys because that’s what we look like walking past his window!
Many involved in the group want to continue the collective fitness push once the programme is over and the organisers have now linked up with Meath Local Sports Partnership for extra support.