A place to forge friendships and have fun in the sun

Summer camps are a time for fun, friendship and new experiences.

At one such camp in Ballyholland just outside Newry, this year's event is also a time for celebration.

Down Right Brilliant is a charity that caters for young people with Down's syndrome. Sixty-seven families from counties Down and Armagh are taking part in the camp which is split over two weeks – one week for primary school children and one for post primary.

"The group itself is running almost 30 years but this is the 10th year of our youth club and summer camp," said Yvonne Curran from the group.

It's an enterprise made possible through a mix of public and private funding and sponsorship.

There's also a healthy number of volunteers - something the umbrella group Volunteer Now said is reflective of a post-Covid resurgence in people giving their time to clubs, societies and charities.

And they are making the very best of it. At the front of Ballyholland Community Centre there is a fire engine offering tours and a chance to spray the hose.

In the hall there are a wide variety of sports including a race track, and outside the football nets are bulging as aspiring Haalands, Messis and Mbappes hammer the ball home.

The abilities of group members range from young people who are non-verbal or who have significant mobility issues right through to those of significantly greater capabilities.

According to Curran: "The club was established because all of our members had nowhere to go when their friends started to go to discos or the cinema independently – so we wanted somewhere for that 13 years+ group to have somewhere to go, somewhere to call their own."

During Covid the rate of volunteering in Northern Ireland dropped from 28% to 17%.

As recently as 2023 Volunteer Now said that this figure was proving slow to pick up again.

However, last week it was confirmed that more than 1,300 people had volunteered to work at the All-Ireland Fleadh in Belfast - something Denise Hayward from Volunteer Now said is reflective of more recent trends.

"We saw a drop off in volunteering during Covid and that took some time to recover but many organisations are saying that things have improved greatly," she said.

"Being as flexible as possible in terms of the amount of time people can give is important but there has definitely been an improvement."

And in Ballyholland this trend is clear for all to see.

Down Right Brilliant's youth club leader Emer Reilly said young people are volunteering for a number of reasons.

"We've never had a problem, thankfully, the number of our volunteers speaks volumes, but we have heard other groups and charities say they've had problems," she said.

"We have 20 solid ones and then others who come when they can. A lot of them are going in to teaching or even medicine but others are looking to be accountants or doing admin jobs but they are happy to come and be with our children because they get so much out of it.

"If you come in on a Friday in the worst mood in the world after 10 minutes with our children it's gone."

For many of those taking part in the summer camp the appeal is as much about friendship as the activities on offer.

"It's about meeting good people and making good friends," said Kate.

"I like scoring goals. You keep playing, I make good friends and we play games. I have made great friends."

Two great friends are Peter and Aren. They both enjoy colouring in activities at the club. Both love superheroes with Peter preferring Spiderman and Aren preferring Iron Man.

As well as being a big fan of Cobra Kai, Jack loves his sport.

"I play basketball and soccer and hockey here. I like my friends and having fun. I like talking, playing and having chats."

Leah is also a big sports fan.

"I do basketball and swimming and horse-riding. It's lovely," she said.

After grabbing the BBC microphone to conduct the all-important "one-two, one-two" check, Peter said he's looking forward to the arrival of a bouncy castle later in the week.

The camp also includes day trips, a pizza truck, a petting farm, singing and dancing – all of which costs money.

Last week the Ógras Youth Centre in Coalisland highlighted the difficulties many groups are facing in funding their camps.

But in Ballyholland, Curran said her group has been fortunate to secure support from a number of sources.

"We've had brilliant support in the local community – from businesses, sporting organisations, we've been the Mayor's Chosen Charity and we've also been successful with some grants we've applied for.

"But we are fulfilling a need. Things our children just wouldn't get otherwise. We've also had sponsorship from two banks and all of that helps our children get opportunities."

A summer camp like this lasts a week. For these young people friendships forged can last a lifetime.