Lidl Ireland’s One Good Club™ mental health awareness programme to get underway

The 25 clubs who will participate in Lidl Ireland’s new One Good Club™ mental health awareness programme will commence their activities next Monday, March 1.

Lid’s One Good Club™ is a five-step youth mental health awareness programme for local clubs, developed in partnership with the Ladies Gaelic Football Association (LGFA) and Jigsaw, the National Centre for Youth Mental Health.

Details of the programme were revealed at the 2020 Lidl National Football League launch – with clubs chosen to participate identified following the receipt of over 900 nominations from local communities.

The start date for the One Good Club™ programme was delayed due to Covid-19 – but it’s now all systems go for the following clubs:

Club	County
Eire Óg	Carlow
Templeport	Cavan
Liscannor	Clare
St Colums	Cork
Bun Cranncha	Donegal
Ballyboden St Endas	Dublin
Annaghdown	Galway
Killarney Legion	Kerry
Na Fianna	Kildare
John Lockes	Kilkenny
Sarsfields	Laois
St Marys	Leitrim
Murroe Boher	Limerick
Carrickedmond	Longford
Cooley Kickhams	Louth
Swinford Killasser	Mayo
St Ultans	Meath
Magheracloone	Monaghan
Clara	Offaly
St Nathy’s	Sligo
Aherlow	Tipperary
Ballyduff Lower	Waterford
Tyrrellspass	Westmeath
HWH Bunclody	Wexford
Kilcoole	Wicklow

 

The Lidl Ireland One Good Club™ programme aims to increase awareness and knowledge of mental health across the LGFA community. The new initiative offers clubs the opportunity to support all members and engage in activities that can promote their health and wellbeing.

The programme is championed by four One Good Club™ Ambassadors – Dublin’s Carla Rowe, four-time senior All-Ireland and three-time TG4 All-Star award winner; Galway’s Nicola Ward, 2019 All-Star award winner; Waterford’s Caoimhe McGrath, Division 2 winner in 2019 and Donegal’s Emer Gallagher, full-back on the Ulster Championship winning team in 2019.

The One Good Club™ programme forms part of over €4million invested by Lidl since the partnership with the LGFA began in 2016 and for the first time brings together Lidl’s two community partners – the LGFA and Jigsaw.

Speaking on behalf of Lidl Ireland, Head of Communications and Marketing, Aoife Clarke commented:

“We’re proud to launch Lidl One Good Club™ in association with the LGFA and Jigsaw, the National Centre for Youth Mental Health. Now, more than ever, young people need our support when it comes to their mental health as the past year has understandably taken its toll on everyone.

“As the biggest supporter of women’s sport in the country, we want to ensure that through this programme, mental health and wellbeing is a priority in LGFA clubs across Ireland and that participants at every level of the game reap the benefits of our sponsorship through programmes such as One Good Club™ and our recently announced LGFA Club Fundraising initiative on our loyalty app, Lidl Plus.”

Ladies Gaelic Football Association President Marie Hickey said: “Following an enforced delay to the start of the Lidl Ireland One Good Club™ programme, it’s wonderful to be in a position to say that we are ready to get underway. In the sixth year of our partnership with Lidl Ireland, the LGFA’s National League sponsors and official retail partner, this is another vital initiative, and particularly during these challenging times.

“The mental health of our members is of paramount importance, and we are delighted to work with Lidl and Jigsaw to roll out a timely programme that will have long-lasting benefits.

“Supporting the mental health needs of our young members at critical and formative points in their lives can, in turn, help them to achieve their hopes and dreams as Ladies Gaelic Footballers. For many of us, key aspects of our lives have been affected and put on hold over the past year but we are enthused by the commencement of the Lidl Ireland One Good Club™ programme, and there is a huge sense of excitement among the participating clubs.”

Mike Mansfield, Director of Communications and Fundraising at Jigsaw, added:

“Strengthening communities is a central tenet of our work in Jigsaw. We do so by offering community-based programmes aimed at better informing, supporting, educating and empowering young people and those around them, in places where they live, learn, work and play. Lidl’s One Good Club™ initiative, developed with Jigsaw and LGFA, is key to the success of our ambitions in this area. Bringing clubs, players, members, coaches and communities together to support their mental health and that of those around them is so important. We are delighted to the see the programme kick off and are eager to support all LGFA clubs across the country bring the concept alive.”

 

Lidl Ireland One Good Club™ ambassador and Galway star Nicola Ward said:

“The past year has been a huge strain on everyone’s mental health, especially our young people. With schools closed and all sport cancelled, their opportunities to meet and socialize with their friends have completely disappeared. Socialising is very important for young people’s happiness and mental health. Being at home in their house all day every day, trying to study and do school work can be a very lonely way to spend your time. They need the continued support of families, friends and initiatives like ‘Lidl One Good Club’. I am proud to be associated with this initiative and I know many young people will benefit from it in the current times when it is most needed.”

About Jigsaw:

Jigsaw is the National Centre for Youth Mental Health in Ireland and is committed to improving young people’s mental health and to developing supportive communities by providing a range of supports including one-to-one therapy sessions with young people, group work with the adults, workshops in schools, clubs, businesses and more.

Note for editors:

The LGFA TALK project is a six-week, club-based initiative aimed at increasing the awareness of positive mental health in young members aged 13-18 years, and removing the stigma associated with the subject area, in counties Antrim, Armagh, Derry, Down, Fermanagh and Tyrone, with content delivered by the Northern Ireland Youth Forum.