The co-ordinator of a men’s group in Roscommon has appealed to the Government to restore funding that he said was discontinued in 2013, warning that the group, which has 23 members, cannot continue in the face of financial uncertainty.
Noel Hoare said that Dysart Rural Men’s Group, which was formed in 2007 and which meets every Tuesday from October to April, has been successful in combating rural isolation. It facilitates face-to-face contact among members who are aged from 55 to 92.
Twelve members use the local Rural Link bus service to get to gatherings, which feature guest speakers and various projects.
At a time when the Government is putting so much emphasis on care in the community, a small amount of funding for the group would make a huge difference, Noel said.
Services needed
“HSE policy is all about community care, but the sting in the tail is that if you have people living in independent units attached to nursing homes or remaining in their homes, you need services. Here we are providing a service that people don’t leave, yet unless we get funding, this is going to finish,” he said.
Topics discussed with guest speakers include: health; entitlements; climate change; finance; farming; home security; history; archaeology; and biodiversity.
“One extraordinary project involved the men going to local national schools and planting trees in memory of St Coman, patron saint of Roscommon, and a huge number of schools participated,” Noel said.
“We also take part in the ‘Go for Life’ initiative at Dublin City University in association with Roscommon Sports Partnership, and are current county champions. It’s not about the winning; the craic we knock out of it is incredible. It’s all about the banter,” Noel said.
Human contact
“Human contact is so important,” said Noel of the meetings, at which meals are served. He said the feedback from men’s families was that they looked forward to the meetings and talked about them for days afterwards.
The group was one of three founded after Roscommon Leader Partnership, the HSE and other agencies got together to examine local needs, Noel said.
The withdrawal of funding has left us operating on a wing and a prayer. The group is all about social interaction. You can’t put a price on it.
“We have been getting some funding locally, such as from the HSE, but you can’t keep going back to the same pot. Our excursions have been cut and it’s very hard to plan. I need to plan at the start of the year.
“The rug has been pulled from underneath us. If one hand could be untied through funding or sponsorship, it would make a difference. I know how it needs to be spent and could account for every cent of it.
“It seems that labour activation has become more important that combating rural isolation. What we and the other groups have is a living, breathing working model that could be rolled out to every county. It absolutely works.
While the new children’s hospital is a much needed facility, it seems as if money is being spent as if it’s going out of fashion. We have had a 90-year-old man bag packing to raise funds for the group. All we are looking for is matching funding. We are very economical with our money.
Noel appealed to people to support the publication of their book by buying copies at €10 each, plus postage. More information is available by emailing: [email protected].