Local schools come together with Derry City to raise funds for Ryan McBride Foundation

A group of ten St. Joseph’s Boys’ students recently arranged a fun penalty shoot-out event between the students of Gaelscoil Edahinmhoir and Derry City Football Club to help raise funds for the Ryan McBride Foundation.

On Wednesday afternoon past, the young boys and girls of the Gaelscoil took their best shots against a number of City players, as well as club manager Kenny Shiels, while Children In Need’s Pudsey was also a star attraction.

The penalty shoot-out was part of the ‘Moving on Up’ programme run by the Bogside and Brandywell Health Forum funded by BBC Children in Need. Laura McGuinness, who worked with the students from St. Joseph’s to make the event possible, explained hpow the programme works.

“The programme is aimed at young people in the Triax area and it’s about getting accredited qualifications,” she explained. “They take# part in modules such as cyber-bullying, relationships, culture and they would look at understanding healthy lifestyles through physical activity. A big part of that is their enrichment activity, so at the minute we are working with a group of young fellas from St. Joseph’s and what they wanted to do for their Enrichment activity was to put something back into the community.

“The boys came up with the idea of doing a penalty shoot-out and from that they thought about the Ryan McBride foundation and they got the Gaelscoil involved as well. It was the boys who organised it. They got in contact with the school and they planned it all out so all credit to them.”

Members of Ryan McBride’s family were also in attendance at the Gasyard and Laura admitted it was a great boost to the students to have the support of the family.

“We invited Ryan’s family and we spoke to the foundation as well and they were delighted that these boys, at only 14, decided that this is what they wanted to do,” she continued. “These young fellas are building up on their life skills by organising events and interacting with the young ones and they also get accreditation for this so it’s three in one.”

The St. Joseph’s boys would like to thank the Gaelscoil Edainmhoir, the Ryan McBride Foundation and Derry City Football Club for their help in making this event a success.