'Something for everyone' in Cornafean
The Anglo-Celt Community & Sports Awards, in partnership with Mannok and Kingspan, will take place this Thursday evening in the Cavan Crystal Hotel.
The Cornafean Community Social and Support Club is a finalist for Community Group of the Year...
That is something else," emphasised Patricia Duignan, describing how she has witnessed people getting to know those who live beside them since the establishment of the Cornafean Community Social and Support Club.
"Our first few meetings and get-togethers, people would say ‘I never seen that woman before in my life’.
"Never knew they existed, didn't know they lived there at all. This is what we got," Patricia said, describing what herself and Caroline King heard after first establishing the social group in January of last year.
Both women set up the initiative after noticing through their 'Mothers and Others' football group that "people want something sociable to be at" however "not everybody's into football". They had 60 members, however only about 20 showed up for training.
"At the end of 2023 we said, people want something to do and it's not football."
Over 100 people joined their first meeting.
"It just spiralled from there; everybody started to get involved.
"We just rang and looked and booked and googled and all the rest of it until we had stuff up and running and it has just been so positive."
Patricia said it's "not just" locals involved, people are travelling from all over the county and surrounding counties to the group.
With 20 co-ordinators, there are currently just under 400 people within the group, and there is something for each and every person there.
The Cornafean Community Social and Support Club organises Pilates, art classes, kettlebell classes, a photography group, crochet, golf lessons, a book club, over 50s exercise classes, Men on the Move, badminton, couch to 5k, jiving, The Men's Shed, flower arranging, mindfulness classes, paint and sip classes, cooking demonstrations, days trips, paddle boarding, coffee mornings, bake sales and much more.
There is something different every month and "everything is always booked".
They have also joined with other groups within Cornafean GAA club to be able to offer more activities, such as the Health and Wellbeing Club and the Star Camp, also the local Foróige group and the Irish Heart Foundation.
"We're offering different things that both men and women can do."
Within the group, she said "the craic is great" and said "people's mental health is much better".
"Everybody is very relaxed and easy going. They just love it.
"The community is much stronger, way more positive, the people are making friends.
"There's genuinely something for everyone, there's nobody who could say that they couldn't get involved in the community because there's absolutely everything there available to everyone."
They have also linked in with some of the local shops, for example The Sports Shop in Cavan, Red Robin Boutique, Tilly's Tea Room and Blooming Nurseries, among others for members of the group to get a discount.
With special thanks to our partners and sponsors in these awards - Mannok, Kingspan, Sherry FitzGerald Declan Woods, Cavan Crystal Hotel, Dovida, Kyte Powertech, CICS Silo Clean and Joe Rowley Windows