Displaying items by tag: autism

22nd February 2014

Funding Gives A Boost To NI's First Autism Surf Club

#Surfing - A Portrush surf school will continue its links with a programme encouraging social inclusion for people with autism thanks to a funding award from Sport Northern Ireland.

As the Coleraine Times reports, the £3,750 (€4,536) award goes to Outdoor Recreation Northern Ireland, whose partnership with Autism Initiatives NI led the latter to establish ties with the Alive Surf School, recently voted 'Best Family Activity Provider' in the OutdoorNI Awards.

That connection resulted in the North's first surfing summer club specifically for people on the autism spectrum, coming after the similar Surf2heal programme in the Republic that uses surfing as powerful therapy for autistic children.

And the new NI programme is set to continue this summer thanks to the latest funding, which has allowed for the purchase of two custom-built tandem surfboards.

The Coleraine Times has more on the story HERE.

Published in Surfing

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Surfing Is Powerful Therapy For Autistic Children

#Surfing - The therapeutic power of the waves is being used by an Irish network of surfing camps to help children with autism connect with their families and each other.

Afloat.ie previously reported on the Surf2heal programme in Tramore - which pairs autistic children with volunteers to help them have fun with the surfing experience - two years ago, when it was already going from strength to strength.

Now this month, Claire O'Sullivan writes in the Irish Examiner about the latest group of kids to enjoy the surf at Inchydoney in West Cork, one of a network of beaches that includes Garrettstown near Kinsale, Banna in Kerry, Fanore in Clare and Strandhill in Sligo.

And the experience has had some dramatic effects on the children, as one mother testifies.

“In the past few weeks, I’ve seen a kid, whose mum doesn’t like the water, race out of the water to hug her mum before running back in," says Nollaig Hayes, mum of a 10-year-old autistic boy. "It was just this big spontaneous hug from a little girl who had never spontaneously shown affection like that before."

The Irish Examiner has more on the story HERE.

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Surf2heal a Success in Tramore

This year's Surf2heal programme in Tramore has been hailed as a huge success, Waterford Today reports.

http://www.waterford-today.ie/waterford-sport/13528-high-five-for-surf-2-heal-13528.html

The annual nationwide surfing camp for children with autism pairs each child with four volunteers to help them have fun with the surf experience, with the aim of building their confidence, balance, co-ordination and communication skills.

http://www.afloat.ie/watersport/surfing/

In Tramore, Freedom Surf School provided its facilities and equipment free of charge to both the volunteers and children.

"Each year the camp keeps getting bigger and bigger," said Pam Butler, Surf2heal co-ordinator in Tramore. "But without the invaluable volunteers we couldn't make it happen."

This year's Surf2heal programme in Tramore has been hailed as a huge success, Waterford Today reports.

The annual nationwide surfing camp for children with autism pairs each child with four volunteers to help them have fun with the surf experience, with the aim of building their confidence, balance, co-ordination and communication skills.

In Tramore, Freedom Surf School provided its facilities and equipment free of charge to both the volunteers and children.

"Each year the camp keeps getting bigger and bigger," said Pam Butler, Surf2heal co-ordinator in Tramore. "But without the invaluable volunteers we couldn't make it happen."

Published in Surfing

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National Yacht Club Facilities

Facilities include a slipway directly accessing Dun Laoghaire Harbour, over eighty club moorings, platform parking, pontoons, fuelling, watering and crane-lifting ensure that the NYC is excellently equipped to cater for all the needs of the contemporary sailor. Berths with diesel, water, power and overnight facilities are available to cruising yachtsmen with shopping facilities being a short walk away. The club is active throughout the year with full dining and bar facilities and winter activities include bridge, snooker, quiz nights, wine tasting and special events.

National Yacht Club History

Although there are references to an active “club” prior to 1870, history records that the present clubhouse was erected in 1870 at a cost of £4,000 to a design by William Sterling and the Kingstown Royal Harbour Boat Club was registered with Lloyds in the same year. By 1872 the name had been changed to the Kingston Harbour Boat Club and this change was registered at Lloyds.

In 1881. the premises were purchased by a Captain Peacocke and others who formed a proprietary club called the Kingstown Harbour Yacht Club again registered at Lloyds. Some six years later in 1877 the building again changed hands being bought by a Mr Charles Barrington. and between 1877 and 1901 the club was very active and operated for a while as the “Absolute Club” although this change of name was never registered.

In 1901, the lease was purchased by three trustees who registered it as the Edward Yacht Club. In 1930 at a time when the Edward Yacht Club was relatively inactive, a committee including The Earl of Granard approached the trustees with a proposition to form the National Yacht Club. The Earl of Granard had been Commodore of the North Shannon Y.C. and was a senator in the W.T.Cosgrave government. An agreement was reached, the National Yacht Club was registered at Lloyds. The club burgee was created, red cross of Saint George with blue and white quarters being sky cloud, sea and surf. The Earl of Granard became the first Commodore.

In July of 1950, a warrant was issued to the National Yacht Club by the Government under the Merchant Shipping Act authorising members to hoist a club ensign in lieu of the National Flag. The new ensign to include a representation of the harp. This privilege is unique and specific to members of the National Yacht Club. Sterling’s design for the exterior of the club was a hybrid French Chateau and eighteenth century Garden Pavilion and today as a Class A restricted building it continues to provide elegant dining and bar facilities.

An early drawing of the building shows viewing balconies on the roof and the waterfront façade. Subsequent additions of platforms and a new slip to the seaward side and most recently the construction of new changing rooms, offices and boathouse provide state of the art facilities, capable of coping with major international and world championship events. The club provides a wide range of sailing facilities, from Junior training to family cruising, dinghy sailing to offshore racing and caters for most major classes of dinghies, one design keelboats, sports boats and cruiser racers. It provides training facilities within the ISA Youth Sailing Scheme and National Power Boat Schemes.

Past Commodores

1931 – 42 Earl of Granard 1942 – 45 T.J. Hamilton 1945 – 47 P.M. Purcell 1947 – 50 J.J. O’Leary 1950 – 55 A.A. Murphy 1955 – 60 J.J. O’Leary 1960 – 64 F. Lemass 1964 – 69 J.C. McConnell 1969 – 72 P.J. Johnston 1972 – 74 L. Boyd 1974 – 76 F.C. Winkelmann 1976 – 79 P.A. Browne 1979 – 83 W.A. Maguire 1983 – 87 F.J. Cooney 1987 – 88 J.J. Byrne 1988 – 91 M.F. Muldoon 1991 – 94 B.D. Barry 1994 – 97 M.P.B. Horgan 1997 – 00 B. MacNeaney 2000 – 02 I.E. Kiernan 2002 – 05 C.N.I. Moore 2005 – 08 C.J. Murphy 2008 – 11 P.D. Ryan 2011 – P. Barrington 2011-2014 Larry Power 2014-2017 Ronan Beirne 2017 – 2019

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