Sean Collins from The Fitzone Foundation in Craigavon reveals how the charity is struggling financially and needs more funding for this vital service
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00:00Well, my name's Sean, I'm one of the co-founders of the Fitzhull Foundation.
00:05You're talking 2011, I played football over in England, so when I came back from England,
00:11I wanted to come watch LLB City, which was my main aim.
00:15So I just wanted to make a difference in the community, to be quite honest with you.
00:18So, I've done different courses to be qualified, to be able to deliver physical activity to groups.
00:25So I wanted to be in the local primary schools, the local community youth clubs, community groups,
00:32even the likes of the Traveller groups, different groups I've been in to promote physical activity
00:36and to do programmes for them.
00:38And that went on for about two or three years.
00:40And it was absolutely brilliant, I was getting great feedback and the kids loved it
00:43and I'd be able to dummy fit the test before and after to see the difference kind of thing.
00:47But I was working shift work in the local faculty and that kind of took its toll on what I could do.
00:54But also, we have the kids for one hour a week and I was thinking, well are we really making a difference?
01:00Is that one hour making a difference to their lives?
01:03Because at the end of the day, it's their parents who are the role models for them
01:06and they're feeding them and doing things like that and getting them out to groups or physical activity and stuff like that.
01:10So, I sat down with a few long-term friends and said we need to go a different path.
01:17So, 2011, I think it was 2011, we kind of changed the policy.
01:22We need to focus on families and parents.
01:25So, Kids Fit Zone, as it was then, then became Fit Zone.
01:30And then 2013 became a charity, Rise for Charity, because we thought that was the best route to go down
01:35as far as funding, but also to be able to connect with more people in the community rather than me on my own.
01:42And 2013 was the foundation of Fit Zone.
01:47What sort of activities do you have here?
01:50I mean, I see a lot of gym activities or kettlebells.
01:54The kind of stuff we have, yes you have your physiotherapy stuff, the likes of circuit classes,
02:00but we'll have classes which I don't see in the area, the likes of the women's weight training
02:06and the likes of the ladies resistance bands.
02:09I don't see them kind of classes anywhere else.
02:11You may get some exercises built into a circuit type class, but there are specific classes that I don't see.
02:18And again, that was the need in the area.
02:20We'll have our circuit classes, we'll have our dance classes.
02:23We have Dance Fit, which was open to anybody, but it just happens to be women over 45, 50 have kind of come to it,
02:32so they do what they are.
02:35We've got our open gym.
02:37And that's there for anybody in the community to come in, to use the gym, to be confident,
02:41get to know how to use everything.
02:43And again, it's to build our confidence and self-esteem, so they can say,
02:46well, now I can go to a bigger gym where they're not feeling intimidated, where this is their personal space,
02:52and they're not judged in here, which getting feedback from people who come in,
02:56they say that's the most important thing, they're not getting judged,
02:58they come in and they're comfortable with everything and everybody.
03:02We've got our social walking and running group.
03:05They go on a Monday and a Wednesday.
03:07And that came about from the Couch to 5K, where when you do your Couch to 5K, where do you go afterwards?
03:14You've only got the running club.
03:16And again, that's intimidating for people who don't want to be competitive, but just want to run.
03:20So that social running group, which is the ASRG, came out of that there.
03:25And we've got people who went from 5K, 10K, half-marathons, marathons, and even up to ultra-marathons.
03:32You're talking over 100 million runs we've had people go from that to that.
03:36And that's all coming from starting off at the Fit Zone here?
03:39Yeah, absolutely brilliant.
03:41And then we've got the other specialty groups, such as the menopause support group, which meet once a month.
03:48We've recently started a women's group.
03:51And again, that was down to feedback from women from the community saying, is there something for us?
03:56Because they've seen the success of our men's program, which is the HEM program, which is Health in Mind.
04:01And the men meet every Monday.
04:03And they've been on BBC News and all as well.
04:06They're actually writing a book at the moment.
04:08And they're looking to get that published as well.
04:11And they come in, have a cup of tea, chill, chat, make breakfast, play games and go to day trips and stuff like that.
04:18And then we'll get different speakers in for them.
04:21And that's the same concept for the women's group.
04:24So you're in quite a deprived area here in Craigarvan.
04:30What support have you had to finance this?
04:33It's a charity, I know, but it still needs money to survive.
04:37Yeah, at the moment, we were funded by the lottery for two years.
04:40That finished December.
04:43At the moment, we're just working on our reserves, to be quite honest with you.
04:47We're funding the likes of the Halifax and the likes of the Verve.
04:50They fund certain projects, like the Verve would fund the HEM, the men's program.
04:55The Halifax would fund the women's program.
04:57But as far as the likes of the rent and the ongoing costs, that's just coming out of our reserves.
05:04We're in the process of doing a couple of funding applications, but the funding's tough at the moment, as everybody in the community and family sector know.
05:13And we're just trying.
05:15Does the Southern Health Trust not fund or help fund you, because it's obviously a vital part of the health of the locality?
05:22They don't fund in terms of money, but they would for us training and support, help and support.
05:28They are really good that way.
05:32The Trust are struggling for money as well.
05:35As far as money, no.
05:37But as far as all the kind of resources that we need, I work in the Trust as well.
05:41So if there was any kind of help or support I needed, they'd be there for me.
05:45They've been absolutely brilliant for me, to be fair.
05:48So what are you hoping to get?
05:50Where would you hope to get funding from, local businesses?
05:53We would love to get local businesses involved to help promote us, but also for us to help promote local businesses.
06:00Because I'm a big believer in using any skills and tools that we have in the area, and trying to support local people.
06:08And I think it's amazing when you see local people doing really, really well.
06:12It just shows you how good our career avenue in Lurgan is.
06:15And I do think it's great.
06:17And if there was any businesses or individuals out there who would love to sponsor or fund us, to keep us going.
06:24Because we have over 100 people a week coming here.
06:27And for us and the community to lose that service, it would be a nightmare.
06:32The community would be devastated.
06:35And that's just by me talking to people who come.
06:38So any support is vital.
06:40We're constantly looking at funding the likes of the Big Lottery.
06:43That's the only one I think they want at the minute.
06:47And we're in the process of working that.
06:49But we're always looking for help and support, to be quite honest with you.
06:52This is a lifeline for a lot of people in the community, isn't it?
06:56Especially with the men's group.
07:00And the reason why I know more about the men's group is because I would have been here and run it and talking to them.
07:06And someone that's been life-changing.
07:09Again, they're writing a book and listening to some of our stories.
07:13It's amazing how far they've come and what they've been through.
07:16And there was one of the gentlemen, not that long ago, he'd actually lost his wife.
07:22I think he made a barrier on a Thursday or Friday and he came to the group on Monday.
07:27And he said it was like Christmas coming in because of the men.
07:30It was just getting them out of the house and stuff.
07:32So it has been a lifeline.
07:33Again, not just for me, but for anybody I've talked to.
07:36It's the confidence.
07:37But also, it's a social thing.
07:39It's not just coming out and doing exercises.
07:41You get a laugh, but a crack.
07:43Old friends have met old friends from the past.
07:45They've met new friends and new friendships have evolved.
07:48And they go out and do other things, which I think is great.
07:51It's very much needed, and that's why we're here.
07:54Our timetable changes all the time because it's working the needs of the community.
07:58It's reflecting the needs of the community.
08:00That's what it's all about.
08:01It's not us delivering just for the sake of delivering.
08:04We're constantly asking the community, what do you need?
08:08Part of the focus here is the community.
08:12And obviously, loneliness is a big issue in the community, especially post-COVID.
08:19How has the FitZone helped?
08:24Running any programs or groups that we have.
08:26Normally, when people talk about loneliness, and again, with my work in the Trust,
08:32I work with a lot of older people's groups.
08:34When people talk about loneliness, they normally think older people.
08:39But it's not.
08:40Loneliness could be anybody.
08:42You could be in a room full of people, and you'd be the loneliest person there.
08:47And that's where the likes, again, especially the men's group, talking to them.
08:52A lot of them have been families all around them with a partner,
08:57and then all of a sudden, there's no way they are.
09:00The kids have moved off, and their partner has died, so they're on their own.
09:04The Monday group gets them out, connecting again,
09:08even talking to people who are in the same situation as you.
09:11And this is how they get through it, sharing experiences.
09:14But the other classes, other people could be lonely.
09:18This is their way out.
09:19This is their time to go out and connect and chat to people,
09:22because we don't know if they're going home to be on their own again.
09:25And that's the big thing.
09:27I think it's when people start to understand that loneliness isn't about
09:31just being an older person sitting in a house on your own.
09:33You could be the loneliest person in the world and have kids just running around you.
09:38So I think the FitZone has dealt with that really, really well.
09:43So it's support with a fitness tag as well,
09:48so you're not just supporting them physically,
09:50it's also emotionally and mentally as well.
09:52Yeah, it is. It's the full package.
09:54Some people will get confused when they see FitZone,
09:58and the first thing they think is fitness and gym.
10:01Yes, probably at the very start, maybe that's the main thing that we've done,
10:05and that's still a big bulk of our programmes,
10:08but we want to make sure that we're delivering the whole package,
10:12whether it be physical, emotional, nutritional, mental.
10:16We want to make sure that we're touching and helping everybody in any way we can,
10:21because you will get people here, and I've experienced it,
10:24people come up and do physical stuff,
10:26and when you get to know them and talk to them,
10:28you'll find out further a few weeks down the line there's other issues there,
10:32and that's where, especially with my contacts in the Trust
10:35and other people in the committee and their contacts,
10:38is we can provide a whole wraparound service,
10:40so we can signpost or refer people on to different services,
10:43so it's not just up here.
10:45For example, the likes of the men, we will refer them on to the fire service
10:49for them to come in and do a home safety check
10:51and make sure the fire alarms are working, things like that.
10:54We can signpost them on to strength and balance if they need some strength and balance.
10:57If it's finance, we'll get them in touch with, make a call,
11:01or any services that's going to help with community advice.
11:04So we have contacts, so we can provide a whole wraparound service
11:08with different agencies and groups,
11:10and I do think Craig Alvin's really good for that as far as working together.
11:15I think we also be working together because everyone's an expert in different fields,
11:20so somebody can't do everything,
11:23and that's where the help and support and working as a network together
11:27gives you the best support in the community.