Ten out of ten for The Hub

Such has been the positive impact of the social enterprise – which is celebrating its tenth birthday with a fundraising sunrise walk this weekend (April 23) – lots of people cannot imagine life without it.

With the indefatigable Carol Doey at the helm, The Hub has been the focal point of truly life-changing social interaction for people from all walks of life through its varied programme of classes and therapies. It has more than lived up to its name -The Hub – by playing host to major community events like the Cookstown Carnival, countless charity events and providing Christmas dinners for those families struggling to get by.

More recently, the team at The Hub have been thrust into the front-line by the huge surge in people coming forward seeking help for their mental health.

And it is this ‘new pandemic’ as Carol puts it, that is at the heart of the fundraising walk and has focused their minds in this landmark year for the centre.

“I cannot believe it’s been ten years since this all started, it’s flown by, but at the same time there’s been a lot that has happened at The Hub since we opened,” said Carol.

“When I started The Hub, the whole idea was a space for amateur drama and a bit of community activity and we never really dreamt it would turn into what it has become.

“To be honest, we are all really really proud that The Hub has been such a success. When you see people going out the door with a smile on their faces, then that’s all the wages you need, right there, making a difference to someone’s day, whether it’s big or small, that’s what it is all about.”

Few people could have foreseen such a seismic crisis as the outbreak of Covid 19, but Carol maintains that she always feared the subsequent impact of the lockdown, particularly for some of the regular users of The Hub, where people had been establishing vital new connections and interests.

“We now have a mental health pandemic and we are really starting to see it now. Everyday we have people coming through the doors in need of help.

“Some of these people are at their wits’ end. They’re getting no help from the NHS and they cannot get talking to a doctor. They are desperate for help.

“The lockdown has made some of them afraid to come out of their houses and they’re struggling badly.

“At the minute, we have four counsellors working out of The Hub and they are just flat out all the time, seeing people. We have brought in two more counsellors to help as we cannot turn people away.

“That’s why we are using the tenth anniversary to raise money. It was my husband who came up with the idea, and every penny raised from the (Sunrise) walk will go towards paying for counsellors. People will know their money is being used to help people, it literally is being used to save lives.”

‘Support’

Hundreds of people have already signed up for The Hub’s Sunrise Walk on Saturday, April 24 which starts at 4am and will raise money for the mental health services at The Hub.

A whole host of familiar faces including Leeds Utd and Northern Ireland footballer Stuart Dallas, Tyrone GAA legend Peter Canavan, NI Women’s goalkeeper Jacqueline Burns and local singer Justin McGurk have all lent their support to the fundraiser.

“Ah the support has been really great, as always,” Carol continued. “People like Stuart and Peter Canavan have been brilliant, their support means a lot and I was speaking to Jacqueline Burns and she was lovely and really understood about the huge mental health crisis that’s happening. People right across the community know what we do here at The Hub and during the last ten years their support has always been brilliant. That’s what makes this place tick, is that everyone has got behind it and supported it in their own way.

“At the very start, when we opened this place, we wanted it to be for everyone and thankfully that’s what has happened. When people walk through the doors, we want them to feel like they were home and that’s exactly how they feel.”

‘Breakfast’

The Sunrise Walk is one of ten events being organised The Hub to mark their tenth anniversary.

For those who manage to make it out of bed and complete the 5km route through Cookstown next Saturday morning, their reward will be some of Carol’s famous cooking.

“Everybody knows I make the best porridge in Cookstown and I am thinking about making some pancakes as well. So anybody thinking of coming along, will know they are going to get well fed and looked after and there will be a t-shirt in it for them too. And there will be plenty of laughs and craic too. But most importantly they will really be helping to raise money to directly help people who are in desperate need right now. We don’ get any funding for our counselling services, so we have to raise the money ourselves.”

The huge success of The Hub over the last decade has seen Carol win a host of awards, including a BEM for all of her work in the community and she also won a Spirit of Northern Ireland Award. Carol added, “It’s fantastic to make it to the ten years and the whole team here at The Hub and all the volunteers have really made this place a great success and I am just very proud of what we have achieved during the ten years and we’re looking forward to keeping it going for many more.”

To sign up for the Sunrise Walk on Saturday, April 23 – which starts outside The Hub on the Burn Road at 4am – visit The Hub’s Facebook page and follow the link.