Member's statement: Feel Good Factor: 10th Anniversary
Member's statement by Mr Andrew McMurray on .
- MLA
- Mr Andrew McMurray
- Party at the time
- Alliance Party
- Date
- 21 January 2025
- Type
- Member's statement
- Business
- Members' Statements
- Heading
- Feel Good Factor: 10th Anniversary
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 4749540
Read the official Assembly record
Text
Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. I rise to acknowledge the 10th anniversary of the Feel Good Factor, which is a multisport outdoor pursuits club for women. The club has its origins in South Down, but it has now reached all across Northern Ireland. I was humbled to be invited to its anniversary dinner, which took place last Saturday evening at the Tollymore National Outdoor Centre. The 60 members who attended had taken part in a day of upskilling themselves in the mountains and on mountain bikes. There can be barriers to entering sports, not least outdoor sports, that require people to have a certain number of technical skills before they can be safely practised either on one's own or as part of a proficient group. The Feel Good Factor aims to create a safe space for women to come to so that they can be upskilled and actively participate in an outdoor activity and get all the physical and mental health benefits that come with it. Those skills range from being trained in first aid, should an accident happen, all the way through to being comfortable on the summit of Slieve Donard in temperatures of -11°C, although "comfortable" is perhaps the wrong word in that context. The club, which is comprised of complete beginners all the way through to instructors of the highest standards, prides itself, through its nature, on creating not only participants but instructors and coaches. It continues to be a pathway for others to engage in those sports. The club teaches competence, which engenders confidence. As is the way with these things, it is not only about sport. It is an inviting club that, in its own words, has become:
"a support network of sport and sisterhood".
In conclusion, I congratulate the founding members of the club as well as those who have contributed to its ongoing success and growth. Here's to another 10 years.
319 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Jev’s structured answers met the documented threshold for “not flagged”.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.02 (flagging needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not flagged).
- None of the five culture-war criteria was met (each was below 0.60).
- No identity-based framing was identified (1.00).
- Subject area: Sexism, misogyny, ageism and other equality groups.
- The overall probability was at or below the not-flagging 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 | 0.05 | 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 | 0.05 | No |
| Overall judgement | 0.02 | At or below not-flagging 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 |
|---|---|
| Sexism, misogyny, ageism and other equality groups | 0.61 |
| Gender, sexuality, abortion and related social issues | 0.25 |
| Sport (including the GAA), the arts and cultural bodies | 0.14 |
| No identity-related subject | 0.00 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.00 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 11:47 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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