The Social Initiative Mens Group experienced yet another first on Tuesday last as the RTE Nationwide team came to Bellefield to do a feature on their activities and events to date.

Our new Stars, who are getting more publicity than Beckham at the moment, entertained the Nationwide team for more than 4 hours at their weekly Tuesday morning session.

After filming `the boys` partaking of coffee and scones compliments of Winnie Connolly they interviewed every member of the group and asked how the Initiative and the Club had changed their lives so far. The group of about 20 strong were then filmed playing cards, shooting pool, throwing darts and rings and performing light exercise out on the hallowed sod, coached and monitored by Francis and Collette from the Go For Life Programme under Enniscorthy Social Services.

Club Chairman John Browne spoke about how the Club was always to the fore when it come to providing new and progressive facilities for members and had always been at the centre of community life in the Bellefield area. Club Secretary Maria Nolan said that the Rapparees/Starlights Club had been one of the first if not the first Club to apply to be included under the Social Initiative`s Pilot Programme. Bellefield she said were ahead of the Posse already having set up a Mens Group under the careful guidance of Hugo Kelly and Winnie Connolly and were anxious and enthusiastic about coming under the new GAA Project, the purpose of which is to prevent the isolation of older men and to keep them physically and socially active in their clubs and communities. The GAA she said was the prefect vehicle to roll out the project with its far reaching influence throughout the country and wonderful work was being done by the 150 clubs already involved. Maria said that since the Initiative wa!

s launched at Bellefield in January by President Christy Cooney and National Co-Ordinator Sean Kilbride the group had gone from strength to strength and it was envisaged that this would continue both locally and nationally with the GAA aspiring to eventually have a Social Initiative Group in every club in the country. 

Many of the men interviewed spoke of the wonderful trips they have had to date marvelling at the fact that some of them have been to Aras an Uachtaran twice and on RTE twice not to mention visits to Croke Park, Farmleigh House and the Bloom Flower Festival. Organiser Tom Boland said that there were many more trips in the pipeline including a trip to the Dunbrody Famime Ship with a trip up the river from New Ross to St. Mullins and a visit to Dail Eireann and Guinness Brewery coming up soon. 

All of the men said they were having a ball and this was a very special group and a very special year in their lives and expressed since thanks to organisers Maria Nolan, Tom Boland, Winnie Connolly and Hugo Kelly.

Maria Nolan said that she hoped that when the Programme was aired that more GAA Clubs and indeed more people would become involved with this innovative and worthwhile Initiative.

The piece is scheduled for the winter season of Nationwide so do keep an eye out for the ever prominent and fast becoming famous Rapparees/Starlights Social Initiative Mens Group on your TV screens