Mighty Man Ronan ‘taken aback’ by award

A MOORTOWN man who was awarded the special ‘Mighty Man of the Year’ award at this year’s Mighty Women NI Awards in Belfast’s Titanic Quarter said he was ‘taken aback’ by the achievement.

26-year-old Ronan Conlon is a child development coach who promotes healthy living. He works with children of all abilities throughout nursery schools, learning support centres and special needs schools in the North.

Working alongside thousands of children all over the country, Ronan is on a mission to ensure that everyone can reap the benefits of an active, healthy lifestyle from an early age.

He also works alongside parents to help empower them with insight and ideas in nurturing their children’s needs on a journey to a brighter future.

The Moortown man has raised thousands of pounds for numerous charities in recent years, with his latest ambitious project including a special Christmas concert for 1,200 children in Magherafelt in which he raised £4,500 for the Northern Ireland Children’s Hospice, as well as having previously raised £25,000 for Laurel House Chemotherapy Unit in Antrim when he walked from Dublin to Belfast over a three-day period, covering 107 miles.

Speaking with the TyroneHerald, Ronan said it was an honour to be recognised for what he does.

He said, “It really is an honour, but what means the most to me is being able to give back to families and children in order to help them develop later in life, as well as bringing them a bit of joy in the process.”

Ronan described what he calls the ‘three pillars of coaching’ that help him carry out his ambitious work with great success.

He said, “The three pillars of coaching are engagement, inclusion and enjoyment – making sure everyone is taking part no matter their race, ability or religion, and most importantly ensuring that they are having fun and enjoying every minute of it.”

The ambitious Moortown man has been keeping busy with no signs of slowing down.

Speaking of what’s next on the cards for the development coach, he said, “I’m hoping to head to Dublin soon to take twenty Icelandic teachers for a training day to talk about our ways of learning with kids in Ireland, teaching them what we do, and finding out what we can learn from their ways and what they do.”

Ronan also has plans for numerous upcoming events next summer including a festival and further fundraising events for the Northern Ireland Children’s Hospice.

His work has been described by numerous parents as ‘inspiring’, ‘brilliant’ and ‘encouraging’.

To keep up to date on Ronan’s journey, you can follow him on Instagram by searching ‘fitmindscoach’.