The GAA in Ulster have been doing lots of great work in the area of health & wellbeing, with clubs, counties and Ulster GAA itself partnering with many valued charities and agencies to help promote health and safety.
One such partnership is the link between the GAA and the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), a charity organisation that helps save lives at sea.
GAA and RNLI are working together through the ‘Respect the Water’ campaign to share life-saving advice at local and national level to clubs and supporters throughout the country, promoting their common core values of community activity and volunteerism.
This was demonstrated at the Ulster Senior Football Championship First Round clash of Fermanagh and Tyrone in in Brewster Park on Saturday 16th April. The ‘Respect the Water’ message was promoted in the match-day programme and through a public address at half-time in the stadium. The unfurling of the large ‘Respect the Water’ flag was a fantastic visual image which reiterated the key message of water safety.
RNLI Head of Water Safety, Gareth Morrison, said:
“We are honoured to work alongside the GAA in this partnership. Through the common goal of saving lives through the sharing of water safety advice and information, we are equipping people with the tools they need to save lives and to help others in difficulty on the water. We are a small island and every one of us are nearby water, either on the coast or by a lake. Knowing what to do and when to do it could make all the difference.”
Ulster GAA President, Ciaran McLaughlin commented:
“The GAA’s partnership with the RNLI is hugely important. Unfortunately, the GAA community in Ulster has in the past been affected by deaths due to drowning. That’s why I would encourage as many clubs as possible to avail of the invaluable opportunities being offered by RNLI to the GAA to help us all understand how to be safer in and around water.”
The RNLI can assist clubs in promoting water safety messaging, and if you would like to link in with the ‘Respect the Water’ campaign, please contact Ulster GAA Community & Health Manager, Maura McMenamin on maura.mcmenamin.ulster@gaa.ie
For more information, visit www.respectthewater.com
