Cookstown GAA hurling project in running for award

27 October 2018; Conn Nagle of Ulster during the M.Donnelly GAA Wheelchair Hurling All-Ireland Finals match between Ulster and Connacht at the Sport Ireland National Indoor Arena in Abbotstown, Dublin. Photo by Barry Cregg/Sportsfile

Wheelchair hurling training sessions take place fortnightly at the Mid-Ulster Sports Arena and those behind the scheme are competing in the Best Sport Project category.

They beat off stiff competition from more than 700 organisations to reach the public voting stage in this year’s National Lottery Awards, which celebrate the inspirational people and projects who do extraordinary things with the help of National Lottery funding.

The organisation with the most votes will be crowned the winner and receive a £10,000 cash prize, an iconic National Lottery Awards trophy and attend a star-studded glittering awards ceremony to be broadcast on BBC One in November.

National Lottery funding from Sport Northern Ireland’s Active Clubs programme helped employ two co-ordinators who have been responsible for developing the project which makes the sport more accessible to wheelchair users and people with disabilities.

Shane McCann, Ulster GAA’s Active Clubs co-ordinator, said: “We are delighted to learn that our wheelchair hurling programme has reached the finals of the 25th Birthday National Lottery Awards.

“This innovative initiative makes the sport of hurling available to people with disabilities. National Lottery funding has allowed us to provide two dedicated co-ordinators to deliver the sport throughout the north of Ireland. The sport has such a positive impact on the lives of those who take part and it would be a great recognition of all the dedication and hard work of our coaches and players to be named Best Sports Project in the National Lottery Awards.”

Jonathan Tuchner, from the National Lottery, added: “It’s thanks to National Lottery players, who raise more than £30 million each week for good causes, that brilliant projects like those in the finals of the National Lottery Awards are possible.

“Ulster GAA is doing an incredible job in its local community and the work they do with the Wheelchair Hurling project is hugely impressive. They thoroughly deserve to be in the finals of the 25th Birthday National Lottery Awards and with your support they could be a winner.”

To vote go to lotterygoodcauses.org.uk/awards. You can also follow the campaign on Twitter: hashtag #NLAwards. Voting runs until midnight on August 21.