Whitecross: Covid pandemic 'hit reset button' in rural communities

The population of Whitecross might be small but community groups are at the heart of the village

The effect of the Covid-19 pandemic has "hit a reset button" for people tackling rural isolation, according to community volunteers in south Armagh.

In the rural village of Whitecross, one resident said periods of lockdown generated an appreciation of isolation.

Sharon Doran said the pandemic had brought rural isolation more to the fore and people now "really understood what it meant".

"It's nearly like we hit the reset button and started again," she said.

"There's a want and there's a real desire to see things up and running.

Elaine Cunningham says that in recent months the Whitecross community has become more open to social gatherings

"In the winter nights it's very easy to stay in but if there's football on, if there's exercise classes on, you've something to get you out."

Terry O'Hanlon, chair of St Killian's Gaelic Athletic Club, said there had been a new-found appreciation for social interaction.

"We didn't value what we had until it was taken away.

"We were all sitting in our houses every evening and thought: 'There's bound to be more to life than this.'

"We are in an isolated rural area on the edge of the council boundaries.

Eileen McCann says rising costs are making it more difficult to host community events

"For people to start coming home in the evenings and get their kids to go back into Newry or back into an urban area it's a struggle to keep that going, whereas we're keeping everything here local."

The village now has regular "clubercise" classes for those who fancy a dancing workout with disco lights, and a new over-50s group to improve the wellbeing of the community.

But Mr O'Hanlon said there was still work to be done to encourage more men and elderly people back into social interaction in the village following the pandemic.

Sharon Doran is secretary of the Over-50s club and member of the Whitecross Community Association and says the residents "love coming for the craic".

"We would get someone in to do pilates, or dance classes but it's the craic people are lacking in - they want to speak to people," she told the BBC's Good Morning Ulster programme.

Sharon Doran says "the craic" is what people in Whitecross are seeking

Elaine Cunningham, a fitness instructor, said it was only since January this year that people had finally felt confident to move from online classes to face-to-face sessions.

In recent months there has been another strain on the efforts to tackle rural isolation in the village, the cost of living.

Eileen McCann, club secretary at St Killian's, said it had to charge more for use of the hall because of rising costs.

"One exercise class stopped running because it wasn't financially viable."