By Lisa Ramsden
A BUNCH of brilliant basketball players and their biggest supporters are asking for your help. Members of the Shimna Stars Special Olympics Club have been selected to represent Ulster at the Special Olympics Ireland Summer Games next June.
Based in Newcastle and consisting of members from across the district, the club was established almost 20 years ago and continues to go from strength to strength. And it is this latest achievement, with athletes Caolan Hennessy, Patrick Hennessy, Emma Clendinning, Michelle Crawford, and Tori Campbell selected to represent the provincial team, that has the club appealing for the community’s help.
To get the five players, plus two chaperones, to the Dublin games, £3,185 needs to be raised. The cost per athlete and their assistants equates to £455 per person, and this includes kit, travel, and accommodation. To kickstart the fundraising, an online appeal via GoFundMe has been launched, and, thanks to people’s generosity, over £1,500 has already been raised.
Club members are thrilled with the donations made to date. Its secretary, Phil Quinn, said the community’s support has always been impressive and reiterated his thanks to everyone who has supported the club, now and through the years.
He explained that Shimna Stars Special Olympics Club is one of 58 clubs in the Ulster region. Formed in 2007, today this club has 30 athletes and 15 volunteers who meet on Tuesday evenings at Shimna Integrated College in Newcastle. He said that having five athletes selected for the Ulster squad is an amazing achievement and another indicator of how the club has not only evolved but excelled in the world of special sports.
To put it simply, Shimna Stars is more than sport, exercise, and fun. The club has, Phil explained, “matured into a community that supports wellbeing, mental health, learning, and social interaction, bringing together people of all ages and abilities in a safe, caring, and inclusive environment.”
Speaking of his pride in every athlete who has been a part of the club over the past 18 years, Phil said having five members participating in next summer’s event is a very special achievement. “Special Olympics are holding the Ireland Summer Games in 2026 in Dublin between June 18 and 21, and it will see around 1,200 Special Olympics athletes take part in competition at an All-Ireland level and, in some cases, qualify for the 2027 World Games.”
“We are proud and excited to have five athletes selected for the Games,” he said, adding that this will be a very important moment in the club’s history, and that it means “so much” to those Dublin-bound.
Phil continued by explaining just why going to this prestigious event will be so important for Shimna Stars. “We enjoy fun, exercise, and learning in a competitive sport environment, and the pinnacle of sport is representing our province, Ulster, at the Special Olympics Games. We are so proud of the five athletes who have accepted the privilege of competing at the 2026 Games.”
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