Helen Nolan from social enterprise Spraoi agus Spórt tells Olivia McGill how the organisation is injecting money and opportunity into the community.
Spraoi agus Spórt is regenerating rural Donegal in more ways than one.
The multi-award-winning social enterprise Spraoi agus Spórt in Carndonagh in County Donegal was started by three mums who wanted somewhere their children could play while they talked.
“Inclusion is at the heart of everything we do. All our courses, programmes, classes, and activities are accessible to those with disabilities or more complex needs”
It now provides services and activities to hundreds of families, children, young people, and adults that are inclusive of disability and autism.
Co-founder Helen Nolan tells ThinkBusiness how the organisation is changing the community.
Why did you set up Spraoi agus Spórt?
I moved home to Carndonagh from Dublin with three children aged three and under in 2007. The only community activity to bring young kids to was a parent and toddler group but parents couldn’t make a cup of tea and talk. In 2010, two friends and I set up a group for parents to have tea and a chat while our children played.
“Spraoi agus Spórt opened its doors in November 2010, offering children a dedicated play area with toys and parents a cuppa and a proper chat. The following year, we established the ‘Something Special Social Club’, which provided activities for children with disabilities or more complex needs. It also offered daytime respite to families”
We were quickly joined by two more mums and after five months of hard work the dream became a reality. Spraoi agus Spórt opened its doors in November 2010, offering children a dedicated play area with toys and parents a cuppa and a proper chat. The following year, we established the “Something Special Social Club”, which provided activities for children with disabilities or more complex needs. It also offered daytime respite to families.
What makes Spraoi agus Spórt stand out?
We are striving to tackle the disadvantage of living in a remote region by ensuring our children and young people have access to the range of opportunities that their city counterparts enjoy.
We offer everything from after-school clubs to summer camps, music programmes to digital education, sewing to surfing.
Inclusion is at the heart of everything we do. All our courses, programmes, classes, and activities are accessible to those with disabilities or more complex needs. We provide Special Needs Assistant support at no cost to families – children and young people can attend recreational activities while their families avail of daytime respite. The impact of our work has had a positive effect on our local community in every way. We provide services for 700+ participants every week and employ a staff team of over 100 people.
We are a key stakeholder in the economic development of our region through job creation, offering a remote working hub, developing digital skills and ambition through our Digital Creative Lab. We contribute to the circular economy through our shops where we sell preloved goods.
We have attracted major funding and investment to the area, including a €300,000 RTE Toy Show appeal grant for a new Child and Family Hub and a €8.2m Rural Regeneration grant for Carndonagh through the council. We anticipate further growth to the area next year as we launch Workability, our disability employment support programme and take part in the Rethink Ireland Growth Fund.
What challenges did you meet and how did you overcome them?
Being inclusive created a challenge in terms of securing funding to put the right supports in place. We responded by creating our own revenue stream through commercial activities. We now have two Síoraí (the Irish word for everlasting) shops selling preloved clothing and accessories and Síoraí Home, which sells upcycled furniture and homeware. We use this income to fund to support our service delivery.
“My advice to any social entrepreneur is don’t give up, if you believe in what you’re doing keep going and find a way to overcome any obstacles that come in your way. PR and networking are key – and I would encourage all social enterprises to prioritise them”
Covid restrictions created new challenges, we responded by offering online services, sales, classes, and bookings. The ongoing challenge is to get enough funding to retain the quality of our services and respond and grow to meet the needs of our community.
What is the support for entrepreneurs in Ireland like and how could it be improved?
I have benefited in so many ways from the supports out there, particularly as a woman leading a business. I have taken part in the EMPOWER Growth programme for women entrepreneurs and I have received immeasurable support from Rethink Ireland.
“We anticipate further growth to the area next year as we launch Workability, our disability employment support programme and take part in the Rethink Ireland Growth Fund”
There is also a good level of support for the social enterprise community and leaders. In 2022, I got a Level 8 accreditation in Transformative Leadership and a certificate in SORP (Statement of Recommended Practice, Accounting and Reporting by Charities) through The Wheel.
What lessons have you learnt and what would you pass on to other businesses?
My advice to any social entrepreneur is don’t give up, if you believe in what you’re doing keep going and find a way to overcome any obstacles that come in your way. PR and networking are key – and I would encourage all social enterprises to prioritise them.
What is your proudest moment?
There are so many but the ones that stand out are opening our doors on 17 November 2010, and supporting 96 people with a disability in 2023. Other highs were winning the Good Governance Award in 2023 and being a finalist as a Local Digital Hero in the .ie Awards in 2020. We were also a finalist in the Excellence in Charity Leadership category at the Charities Institute of Ireland Awards. The proudest of all is the amount of times we have heard the words – “you’ve changed my life” from the people who have used our services over the last 13 years.
What are your plans for the future?
We plan to build the county’s first dedicated Child and Family Hub, which will bring all our services for children and families under one roof. The hub will increase our capacity to deliver a greater number of inclusive services focused on creativity and play. It will ensure our service users can access many required supports in one location. For the first time we’ll have an outdoor space which will be co-designed with the children, young people, and families we work with.
We are also working with an architect-led design team for our joint €8.2m Rural Regeneration project with Donegal County Council. The project will fund regeneration of buildings in Carndonagh to create a Digital and Creative Hub, co-working space and office space. It will provide a youth space for teenagers, community kitchen, and sensory garden. We will also continue to develop our mental health programmes, disability services for adults, and STEAM activities.
