The Clare Champion Clare news, sport, entertainment and local notes
A DRESSING room in Cusack Park will be turned into an Autism-friendly sensory room to help 60 children with additional needs enjoy a Clare GAA Cúl Summer Camp this week.
Clare GAA Autism Activity Cúl Camp catering for children on the ASD spectrum ranging in age from six to 13 takes places in Cusack Park from 10am to 12 noon from August 2 to 4.
Children with Autism and those with additional needs can sometimes become overwhelmed in an environment where there is a large group of people or if they are sensitive to noise.
Providing sensory activities before the start of the inaugural two-hour camp last year proved to be very beneficial.
The organisers of the second Clare GAA Summer Camp are anxious to build on the lessons from last year’s successful venture to ensure everything is done to make children with additional needs comfortable in a new group.
Thirty children between the age of five and 16 who were on the ASD spectrum and children with physical disabilities enjoyed the Derg AC Inclusive Athletics Summer Camp in Clarisford, Killaloe recently.
The FAI Disability Summer Soccer School catering for children with Down Syndrome from six to 14 years of age takes place in Bridge United AFC from 10 am to 1am on August 22 to 24.
Sixty children ranging in age from six to 13 with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) will be able to enjoy a wide variety of activities including parachute games, ball games, obstacle courses, foam javelin, tug-of-war, hurling and a variation of tag rugby thanks to the assistance of more than 50 coaches, volunteers and helpers over the three days in the GAA summer camp.
Up to 40 coaches and volunteers will be on the pitch to guide the children during the fun-filled games and activities.
They will also given the opportunity to play hurling and Gaelic football, if they wish during the second hour of the camp.
At the end of the camp, all participants will be given the full Cúl camp kit to bring home. It is expected that an ice cream van and a Garda car will be present on the last day of the camp.
While the Autism Activity GAA camp is fully booked out, there is still some places left for the FAI soccer camp.
Clare Sports Partnership are working with Clare GAA, the FAI, Derg AC, Ennis Voices for Autism, which provided assistance with administration and informing parents of children with ASD details about the camp.
Clare Sports Partnership disability inclusion officer, James Murrihy is delighted with the support CSP has received from sporting organisations and volunteers to ensure that children with additional needs get an opportunity to have fun in a camp.
“We are using the national sporting bodies because they have the resources that are invaluable when it comes to running a camp, and Clare Sports Partnership are bringing the necessary expertise around the disability specific activities as well as training up coaches.
“We are delighted to be add the Derg AC Inclusive Camp and the Down Syndrome Camp with the FAI this year following on from the success of last year’s GAA Summer Camp.
“In the CSP strategic plan, we had outlined plans for one camp in 2021, three camps in 2022 and five camps in the summer of 2023,” he said.
