Member's statement: Ballynahinch Olympic Football Club: Fundraising
Member's statement by Mrs Cathy Mason on .
- MLA
- Mrs Cathy Mason
- Party at the time
- Sinn Féin
- Date
- 4 June 2024
- Type
- Member's statement
- Business
- Members' Statements
- Heading
- Ballynahinch Olympic Football Club: Fundraising
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 4493775
Read the official Assembly record
Text
I congratulate Ballynahinch Olympic Football Club on its hugely successful 24-hour sponsored walk and community fun day, which took place on Sunday past. Several members of the club completed a full 24-hour walk — a huge achievement — with many members, young and old, joining them along the way. In the past while, the club has had to deal with the news that two of its very popular players and dedicated club members have been diagnosed with life-changing illnesses: Connaire Quinn was diagnosed with motor neurone disease and Steven Noade with multiple sclerosis. The club decided not to stand by and wallow but to get into action. It organised a fundraiser for two charities: the MS Society and the Motor Neurone Disease Association. Connaire and Steven are young, fit men who, along with their family and friends, have to come to terms with this difficult news, and I know that the local community has been a huge support to them so far. Their story should remind us that all of these diseases do not discriminate. They can affect any one of us at any time. Both men, though, are tackling their diagnosis courageously, head-on, determined not to let their diagnoses stand in the way of them enjoying their lives to the full. Although changes in their lives are inevitable, they will not back down, and I have no doubt that their fun-loving personalities will carry them through. Ballynahinch Olympic has once again shown that it is much more than just a football club. Despite its struggle to find its own home ground, it is embedded in the local community, and, on Sunday, that community, in turn, came together in its hundreds to raise money for the two worthy causes in order to help others who have found themselves with a similar diagnosis. I commend Ballynahinch Olympic for its actions in raising a huge sum for the two charities; the local community for its generosity; and the two men for their courage. I wish them and their families the very best in the time ahead.
344 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Jev’s structured answers met the documented threshold for “not qualifying”.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.02 (qualifying needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not qualifying).
- None of the five culture-war criteria was met (each was below 0.60).
- No identity-based framing was identified (1.00).
- Subject area: Disability (including neurodivergence and mental health), disabled people and disability or sickness benefits.
- The overall probability was at or below the not-qualifying threshold.
This is an AI-generated assessment of the text, made against published criteria. It is not a finding of fact about the MLA or their intentions. The Assembly record itself is the fact.
Jev’s structured answers
| Question | Probability | Met? |
|---|---|---|
| Identity framing | 0.03 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.01 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.02 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.01 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.02 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.03 | No |
| Overall judgement | 0.02 | At or below not-qualifying threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 1.00 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.00 |
| Adopts it | 0.00 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| Disability (including neurodivergence and mental health), disabled people and disability or sickness benefits | 0.95 |
| Sport (including the GAA), the arts and cultural bodies | 0.04 |
| No identity-related subject | 0.01 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.00 |
| Parades, bonfires and commemorations | 0.00 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 10:36 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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