Oct 7, 2020
The World Transplant Games Federation, committed to promoting sports and physical activity in the transplant community, recently launched their BILLION steps challenge. They invite YOU to join their ambitious goal to collectively walk to the moon and back!
For more information click here: https://www.wtgf.org/Billion-steps-challenge
How to sign up:
- Click on the link below to download the app https://link.movespring.com/join?groupCode=M7NE4E&orgCode=wtgf20
- Enter the code WTGF20 to be allocated to the Challenge and then sign up with an email address and a Username.
- It’ll ask how you’re going to measure your steps (smart phone app, smart watch, etc.). Once you’ve signed up, go to the dashboard and set up a team or join a team. Teams can have up to 5 members.
- The goodness with the challenge is that it is not only steps that count – other activities can be converted to steps so swimmers, cyclists, etc. can join in! https://movespring.com/resources/activity-converter
Oct 7, 2020
The Alliance for Insurance Reform has welcomed its latest member, Volunteer Ireland.
Volunteer Ireland is the national volunteer development organisation and a support body for all local Volunteer Centres and Volunteering Information Services in Ireland.
Nina Arwitz, CEO of Volunteer Ireland said “Insurance is creating a huge barrier to volunteering in Ireland. Many organisations that involve volunteers are struggling to secure insurance for their volunteer programmes or face prohibitive insurance costs. Over 1 million people in Ireland volunteer each year, and it’s no exaggeration to say that Ireland relies on volunteers to deliver vital services in areas such as homelessness, youth work, animal welfare, environmental protection, social equality, care for elderly and health. The challenges around insurance present a real threat that many organisations working in these areas will not be able to survive, which would have huge negative consequences for our society.”
Peter Boland, Director of the Alliance said “While we warmly welcome Volunteer Ireland to our Alliance, it is frustrating that an organisation so important for the fabric of our society feels obliged to join us. Insurance should not be on their agenda, particularly at the moment. We call on the Government to urgently accelerate the pace of insurance reform so that Volunteer Ireland can focus on driving the recovery of Ireland’s volunteering infrastructure from COVID19.
”In particular, we ask that they prioritise the following real reforms:
1. Reduce unfair general damages to reflect international norms and the principles already established by the higher courts – including that ‘minor injuries attract modest damages’
2. Review and re-balance the “common duty of care” to require occupiers to take a duty of care that is reasonable, practical and proportionate
3. Support a fully-resourced Garda Insurance Fraud Unit
4. Insist on insurers committing to a schedule of forecast reductions for planned reforms
The Alliance now brings together 39 civic and business organisations from across Ireland, representing over 55,000 members, 670,000 employees, 599,000 volunteers and 374,000 students in highlighting the negative impact of persistently high premiums and calling for real reforms that will quickly reduce liability and motor insurance premiums to affordable levels and keep them that way.
ENDS
Contact: contact@insurancereform.ie
Oct 1, 2020
Clubforce hosts weekly webinars aimed at making the life of club volunteers easier with regular sessions covering club membership management, fundraising and club lotto, communications and other topics. Now we are introducing a new session type into the mix to help coaches and club managers to improve how their clubs and teams are run.
The Club Management webinar series will be hosted by Shelbourne FC manager Ian Morris and will focus on various aspects of running a successful football club and is open to coaches and volunteers from any football club at any level to attend. (Other sports are also welcome and much of the content will benefit other team sports). Some of the topics to expect at these sessions:
- Planning training sessions
- Club Structure
- Communicating with parents
This session will be held fortnightly on a Wednesday night at 8pm (starting 7th October) and the recording can be accessed on the Clubforce website at any stage afterwards. This first session is open to coaches, coaching co-ordinators and other volunteers involved in training football teams and will cover planning training sessions including:
– The aim / theme of the training session
– Session set-up and layout
– How to best use limited resources of space and time with the numbers involved
– Health and safety
– Questions from attendees
This is your opportunity to put your club management and coaching questions to an experience professional football coach!
For more info and to register visit https://clubforce.com/news/club-management-with-ian-morris/
Sep 30, 2020
The Alliance for Insurance Reform has welcomed the publication of the Law Reform Commission’s Report on Capping Damages in Personal Injuries Actions.
Peter Boland, Director of the Alliance said “We welcome the timely publication of this important Report. Right now the Report changes nothing in that new draft guidelines on general damages are due to be submitted to the Board of the Judicial Council by the 28th October. But on the other hand it clearly endorses a ‘Plan B’ – the capping of damages by the Oireachtas – if the Judicial Council does not fully reflect the common good in urgently delivering the dramatic reductions in damages for minor injuries necessary if we are to address our current insurance crisis in any meaningful way”.
Eoin McCambridge, Director of the Alliance and Managing Director of McCambridge’s of Galway said “Small businesses, voluntary groups, charities, sports clubs and cultural organisations, the heart of the Irish economy and Irish society, are being seriously damaged by the cost of insurance or in numerous cases now unable to obtain insurance at all. As the Personal Injuries Commission clearly identified, sky-high general damages are at the heart of this issue and must be cut to reflect international norms to ensure that legitimate minor injuries attract modest damages. Policyholders cannot wait any longer for dramatic, meaningful reductions in awards for minor injuries. The Alliance expects general damages for minor injuries to be reduced along the lines of the Fair Book of Quantum published by ISME.”
ENDS
NOTE: Responsibility for reviewing guidelines for general damages to replace the Book of Quantum is currently with the Personal Injuries Guidelines Committee of the Judicial Council and the Committee is due to present draft guidelines to the Board of the Judicial Council by the 28th October. We have installed a countdown clock on our website counting down to that date.
CONTACT: contact@insurancereform.ie
Sep 29, 2020
American born to Irish parents, Sheila O’Brien moved to Ireland in 1997 from Boston Massachusetts. She lives in Cavan with her partner Darren and has 4 children and 3 grandchildren. A health care worker by trade, she works as a care assistant in her community. Now almost 52, this mother and grandmother describes herself as “overweight, with a dodgy knee and a degenerative disc disease” …yet she can cycle.
In May 2019, she decided it was time to get a bike, and was able to purchase one through the bike2work scheme – this allows a person to pay for a bike over a 12mth period through their salary, so you don’t have to come up with the money all at once. Not knowing much about cycling, Sheila purchased a hybrid and her cycling journey began…with an occasional trip to Crover House Hotel for a ‘light refreshment’! Over the following few months, the bike became more of an ornament, as although Sheila wanted to cycle, finding the motivation was difficult.
In December 2019, Sheila came across a Facebook advert promoting AXA Community Bike Rides. “When I saw it, it didn’t make me feel like I needed to be super fit or need a flashy bike…it looked like something I could be a part of and although I was overweight, the advert didn’t intimidate me, which can often be the reason for not taking part in something”.
Sheila had spotted an AXA Community Bike Ride which was being led by Noel Garrahan, a local volunteer leader in Cavan. Noel is a member of the Sheelin Flyers Cycling Club and had got involved in the programme to support people to get back on their bikes in his area. And so Sheila began registering online and taking part in his group rides. “I love to meet people. Although I’m usually at the back of the group, there’s never any pressure put on me and Noel and the support leaders are so encouraging. I learned loads in those first few group rides; how to change my gears; how to ride safely on the road and they just helped me build my confidence”.
January 2020 brought bad weather and lots of it, and a number of group rides had to be cancelled. This was also the month that brought devasting news to Sheila’s door, as her younger sister Tara (48) living in Boston, was diagnosed with motor-neurone disease (or ALS as it’s known in America). “This was a really difficult time. I became a bit disillusioned with things, and before I knew it, Covid hit and whatever bit of cycling I was doing came to a stop, as no group rides could take place”
In May, as restrictions were eased, solo bike rides were introduced and for Sheila, “they couldn’t have come at a better time. These rides pushed me to get out. I love registering and getting a reminder email, as this keeps me accountable”. Signing up to take part provided the motivation Sheila needed to get back out cycling. “Tara can’t cycle, but I can. We often take our bodies for granted. When I’m on my bike I’m always thinking of her as she fights her battle”.
With a mix of easy going and challenging solo bike rides on offer, Sheila was able to pick the rides that best suited her depending on her workload and how much time she had to spare. “Cycling takes me further than my feet…I’ve been able to explore way more of my local countryside and I always come home in a good mood”. With the opportunity to participate in solo rides four times a week, Sheila began clocking up the bike rides. “I love to see how many rides I’ve done and it’s great to get the rewards…you feel like you’ve earned something”.
Cycling has provided Sheila with the opportunity to support her sister Tara in raising money for research into a cure for motor-neurone disease/ALS. Sheila has created fundraisers through cycling to support the 4youIwillfight campaign.
She’s lost 16lbs in the process. “When I started my goal was to try and get all three rewards (buff, waterbottle, t-shirt), but I had no idea where it would take me. I hope people can see how accessible these rides are and more people take part, as I wish people could feel like I feel!!”
During the spring, Sheila contracted the coronavirus. “My doctor said because I was fitter and in better health than I had been a year previously, I possibly recovered much quicker from the virus. You really never know what the outcome will be of that first step…turning up last December to take part in an AXA Community Bike Ride has had a massive effect on my life.” Sheila is now keen to get trained up as a Ride Leader, so she can bring like minded people on bike rides in her area.
“I’ve never been the first at anything and definitely never thought I’d be the first at anything physical! I’m so proud of myself and wouldn’t have done it without AXA Community Bike Rides. Look what I’ve accomplished! I feel empowered. To be the first woman to complete the 100 rides…it really shows you can be any size and cycle!”
The AXA Community Bike Rides team would like to acknowledge that a number of others have also recently completed the 100 rides and congratulate Charlie Parsons (Kilkenny) on being the first member to hit the milestone.
Why not join Sheila, Charlie and all the other members who are currently participating in the programme – click Find a Ride and register today!
For more information, please contact
Mary Corry (Coordinator) mary.corry@cyclingireland.ie
Nicole Evans (Development Officer) axacommunitybikerides@cyclingireland.ie
#4youIwillfight #20×20 #ibike
Sep 25, 2020
Sport Ireland has today announced an investment package of €7.3m in Dormant Accounts Funding for a wide range of sport and physical activity measures countrywide.
The investment aims to engage with communities across the country, focusing on people with disabilities, people who are educationally disadvantaged and from disadvantaged communities.
Speaking about the new round of Dormant Account Funding, Minister for Media, Tourism, Arts, Culture, Sport and the Gaeltacht, Catherine Martin TD, said: “A key priority for Government is the targeting of resources at programmes that seek to address inequalities in sports participation, in particular socio-economic disadvantage. Similarly, we are keen to ensure that interventions are in place to boost participation levels among people with disabilities. The range of measures funded through the Dormant Accounts Fund is helping to make sport and physical activity more inclusive and accessible for many people right across Ireland.”
Minister of State for Sport and the Gaeltacht, Jack Chambers TD, added: “The positive impact of sport and physical activity on our physical and mental wellbeing cannot be overstated. The current pandemic has confirmed the critical importance of sport to Irish society and the uplift it provides to people’s spirits. While keeping us fit, regular physical activity is an excellent social outlet for many. The investment package announced today will have a positive impact on the health of the nation, and support the growth of community and social cohesion through sport.”
Among the successful Dormant Accounts Fund projects announced are thirteen new Innovation projects.
Chairman of Sport Ireland, Kieran Mulvey, commented: “Sport Ireland is delighted with the significant investment of €990,000 in Innovation for Sports Inclusion. These creative Innovation projects have the potential to create solutions to the problems that exist in sports participation. The announcement of thirteen innovation projects is very welcomed, stimulating collaboration within and beyond the sports sector.”
Chief Executive of Sport Ireland, John Treacy, commented: “The increase in Dormant Accounts Funding will enable Sport Ireland, supported by National Governing Bodies and Local Sports Partnerships to have a positive impact on the health and wellbeing of communities throughout Ireland. Key to the work of Sport Ireland is the belief that everyone should have the opportunity to partake in sport and physical activity, no matter what their circumstances.”
As with previous funding announced, the investment is closely aligned with the National Sports Policy and the National Physical Activity Plan. A particular emphasis is placed on implementing programmes to promote physical activity, making sport and physical activity accessible to people with disabilities and the development of programmes to address transitions and drop out from physical activity.
Sport Ireland Director of Participation and Ethics, Dr Una May, said: “This year we are delighted to roll-out the Active Cities concept across five cities in Ireland. The aim of this exciting new project is to create, maintain and increase the numbers of citizens, regardless of age and ability, participating in sport and physical activity in their city. The ultimate goal is for people to lead healthier lifestyles in the context of sport & physical activity. A lot of ground work has been put in by the Local Sports Partnerships in our five main cities and we are looking forward to these projects getting going.”
See the full list of funded projects here.
Ends.
For Further Information:
David Gash
Communications Manager, Sport Ireland
dgash@sportireland.ie
087-2277643
