The second annual Ratoath College Fun Run Fundraiser will take place on 23rd May 2025.
The event is a continuation of a major fundraising initiative begun this time last year towards our goal of renewing and improving sports and physical activity facilities and equipment in the school.
Thanks to your generosity during our inaugural Fun Run, phase one of the project was successfully completed over the summer holidays of 2024 and saw the upgrade and expansion of our Fitness Suite with new flooring and new state of the art equipment.
Over the coming summer break, our goal is to complete phase two, which will involve the replacement/installation of new ball stop netting on the Pitch and the purchase of UEFA-rated soccer goals and equipment.
Parents and families can contribute using Way2Pay. You will receive a payment link later today, or log in to Way2Pay at any time. The amount has been set at €25 which can be adjusted if you wish. If you would like to make a donation in excess of this, please contact Angela in the office and she will arrange this for you.
We are as ever deeply grateful for the support of the school community as we embark on this venture with a view to ensuring the young people of our community have access to high-quality, modern and safe sports and PE equipment and facilities into the future.
From the school’s establishment twenty years ago next September, it has always been clear to us that sport and physical activity are hugely important parts of community life in Ratoath and Curragha. We see this in school every day, from the unparalleled numbers of students who walk and cycle to school, to huge levels of participation by students in sports of all codes both in school and in the community as well as in the enthusiastic participation of students in PE and in the enormous levels of interest and participation in the new Leaving Cert exam PE.
We are proud to be part of a community that values sport and an active lifestyle and works so hard and so successfully to promote those values in young people. We value very deeply the excellent relationships and cooperation we have developed over the years with local clubs and organisations whose volunteers work tirelessly to provide access for the young people of our communities with the highest quality coaching and facilities. Together with them, we all pull in the same direction with the same goal – to instill in our young people a deep and positive understanding of the value that sport and physical activity can bring to their lives, for their health, their wellbeing, their relationships, their enjoyment, and their success.
We take very seriously the responsibility that comes with being in the unique position of having access on a daily basis to almost every young person in the communities we serve and, as such, as a school community we have worked hard over the last twenty years to do our part in sharing and teaching the value of participation in sport and physical activity with our students and they are and always have been a central part of school life, day in and day out.
After twenty years however, some of the sports and PE equipment and facilities that are needed to impart these crucial values are now in need of replacement, refurbishment or improvement.
Unfortunately, the Department of Education does not provide direct funding for this nor is the school eligible to apply for the Sports Capital Grant/National Lottery funding and our annual non-capital funding simply does not allow for the kind of investment that is now necessary, particularly with the dramatic increases in everyday costs that we have all experienced over the last number of years.
As a result, the fundraising initiative that we are renewing today has the goal of ensuring that our students and teachers have access to high-quality, modern and safe sports and PE equipment and facilities into the future.
What has been achieved so far
Thanks to your generosity during our inaugural Fun Run, phase one of the project was successfully completed over the summer holidays of 2024 and saw the upgrade and expansion of our Fitness Suite with new flooring and new state of the art equipment:
What is still to do
The Pitch
- Nearly twenty years ago, thanks to the hard work and generosity of students, parents, staff and the community, we were able to ensure that our then brand-new school was provided with a high-quality grass pitch.
- The pitch is of very high quality and extremely well drained, meaning it can be used the whole year round.
- At present however, after nearly twenty years of use, the age and condition of the ball stop netting and goalposts mean that the pitch is not currently usable for several sports and activities.
- Funds raised will therefore be used to replace/install new ball stop netting and for the purchase of UEFA-rated soccer goals and equipment to ensure this outstanding facility can be used to its full potential and for the benefit of all students
The equipment and works required to achieve these goals are by their nature expensive and so we aim to complete this work in three phases, with phase one now complete, over the next two years (or as soon as funding allows):
- Phase 1 (complete, Summer 2024)
- Expansion & installation of new flooring and equipment in the Fitness Suite
- Phase 2 (Summer 2025)
- Complete upgrading, renewal and installation of new equipment on the pitch.
- Phase 3 (Summer 2026)
- Complete renewal and installation of new equipment in the Fitness Suite
Our goal for this year’s Fun Run is to enable us to complete Phase 2 of the project over the summer of 2025.
How Can I help?
This initiative is very much a whole-school project.
- Parents can contribute at any time using Way2Pay. Simply log in as normal, select ‘Sports Fundraiser’, and enter the amount you wish to contribute.
- Do you work for a company that has a community outreach/support programme that may be interested in contributing funding? Pass on our details or let us know who to contact.
- We are contacting all suppliers and contractors who work with the school to seek contributions.
- We have applied for the Physical Activity in Teaching and Learning Pilot Programme recently announced by Minister for Sport and Physical Education, Thomas Byrne TD.
As we continue on this venture, we remember our late friend, colleague and Chaplain Fr PJ Nyland. Throughout his many years of dedicated service to our school and our community, Fr PJ was a tireless champion and advocate for the value of sport in the lives of young people. We pray for his blessing on our endeavours and hope this project can help us to ensure that the joy and love for sport that were so much a part of who PJ was and of the message he so passionately shared throughout his life and work will continue to improve the lives of our young people for many years to come.
As ever, we are deeply grateful for your continued support.
