Clon camogie players are walking eight million steps for fundraiser

MEMBERS of Clonakilty Camogie Club will walk eight million steps – and raise €5,000 – to fund the purchase of a beach wheelchair at Inchydoney beach.

The West Cork camogie club caters for growing numbers of underage and adult players with each passing season. It was only this past week that the club’s junior and intermediate squads made a welcome return to full-contact training at their Ahamilla complex.

Covid-19 has proven a difficult time for sports clubs all over the county, yet Clonakilty camogie have come up with a novel approach to team bonding and raising funds for a worthy local cause.

Clonakilty town is located a short distance from Inchydoney beach, one of the country’s finest seaside amenities and an area usually enjoyed by thousands of summer holiday makers. The local camogie club’s adult coaching teams decided to launch a GoFundMe target of €5,000, which would be enough to fund the purchase of a beach wheelchair. That device would allow anyone with limited mobility to gain access to and enjoy Inchydoney’s sandy beaches.

'With Covid and everything else that is going on, we in Clonakilty camogie club felt it was important for the girls to achieve something worthwhile as a group before returning to training,’ club secretary Martin Nolan told The Southern Star.

‘Inchydoney beach is an amenity everyone in Clonakilty and the surrounding areas is lucky to have on their doorstep. That was especially true during the lockdowns. Having a beach to walk on and enjoy was very important for people.

‘We noticed that the beach wasn’t as accessible for people with mobility issues and decided to fundraise for a beach wheelchair. The girls in the camogie club, as a group, wanted to do something to give back to Clonakilty and to people less fortunate than themselves. That’s where the idea came from and I’m delighted to say that there has been a hugely positive response.’

Clonakilty camogie’s junior and intermediate squads are currently walking the (approximate) eight million steps, 3,000-mile, distance between San Francisco and New York City. There are 30 girls involved and the total steps will be made up by all the players and logged on a smartphone application. At the time of writing, the club was well on its way to hitting their target.

‘Clonakilty went with two teams, junior and intermediate, this year due to the large number of girls wanting to play camogie,’ Nolan added.

‘The fantastic thing is that this fundraiser has seen both squads come together and attempt to achieve a collective goal to benefit those less fortunate than themselves.’

• You can support Clonakilty camogie’s fundraiser by contributing on their GoFundMe website which can be accessed via the club’s official Facebook page.