Out and Active NI...

The days have been getting darker and the winter woollies have been hoked out from attics and eaves around the country. It’s the time of year when a warm fire, a spooning partner, or – as in my house – a baked camembert, beckons us to stay inside and settle in for winter hibernation. It’s all too tempting as the temperatures plummet to lock ourselves away and hide the key, returning in the spring like a defrosted Mariah Carey.

This season can be difficult for everyone, and the cold weather isn’t the only thing that calls us to withdraw; we’re all too aware that grief and loneliness are just as likely to be found around the Christmas tree as festive cheer. For our LGBTQ+ communities in NI, where reports of loneliness and mental ill-health are already disproportionately high, and the idea of home as a space of sanctuary is often unrealistic, winter can feel particularly dark.

Against the pull of the duvet, therefore, we’re inviting you instead to get out and active – to come together to strengthen community, stay fit, and have plenty of laughs along away.

Out and Active NI was formed for these reasons precisely. Struck by the isolation that many in our community face and a relative lack of socialising opportunities outside of bars and nightclubs, Bangor-man Ryan started the initiative with an Instagram page and an idea to bring people together and make new friends. Soon joined by Alexis, Conor and myself, and with the recent addition of Dean and Rob to the committee, the group sometimes feels like it is growing by the minute. At the latest count, we have 175 members and nearly 800 followers – all in the space of just a few months.

And what a few months it has been!

The boys kicked off Out and Active with our signature sea dip in October, braving the cold at Ballygally Beach and warming up in the sauna after. They had such a good time that this has now become a staple event, with two more dips since and another in the diary for New Year’s Day. As a non-swimmer, I’ve yet to take this plunge but I’ve promised I’ll put on my big-girl spandex and be at the next!

From the waves to the alley, our second event was a Sunday-morning session at Hollywood Bowl in the SSE Arena and we were truly bowled over by how quickly the group had grown from one event to the next. There were 24 bowlers of varying degrees of competitiveness, split into three teams for a couple of hours of celebratory strikes, sour splits and glorious gutter-balls! When the games were finished, everyone was still on such a buzz that we spilled into Zizzi for our first new-family dinner, and we knew we had created a little bit of magic.

The word was clearly beginning to spread and at our much-anticipated Belfast Hunt, we had over 50 beautiful shining scavengers running about the city, solving riddles and completing challenges in the race for first prize. Ryan’s crafty clues and decoys proved too sophisticated for one team (we’ll name no names), who didn’t realise they had to open the envelopes with the clues in them and instead enjoyed a leisurely stroll around the city and a stop at Caffe Nero! When they eventually found their way back to the other groups, there was plenty of slegging and some homemade traybakes to console them on their loss. N’awww!

I was most excited to take the lead in organising our first social night the following week, Ciara’s Packed Lunch Quiz. Another sold-out event for us, with 50 of you joining us to put your general knowledge to the test, as well as your memory, your acting skills, and your phone-a-friend’s unreliability! A little bit of healthy competition never hurt anybody, and our smug winners were singing from the rooftops by the night’s end.

We were so grateful to all the businesses who donated to our fundraising raffle too – The Maverick Belfast, Paperxclips, Conor Ross Photography, The Lifeboat Press, First Avenue Coffee Company, HQ Fit, Yellow Dog Grooming, and Eithne McGuigan Art – and are thankful to everyone who bought tickets to help us cover the costs of setting up this group.

We’ll be ice-skating on Friday 6th December for our final event of the year and then taking a well-needed Christmas break before a jampacked January.

It’s been a whirlwind few months for us as we’ve welcomed so many new faces, tried new things, and stumbled upon something truly special. People have come from near and far, going to great efforts to be a part of this new community and play their part in building something that feels instantly important. I can personally attest to how warm, friendly and inclusive this group continues to be and the genuine love and care that can be found among what were very recently strangers. The support and enthusiasm we have been met with so far has inspired us to dream bigger and reach further, and we want you to be a part of it.

So how does it work?

At the minute, we organise three events a month: two of these are active events, and one is more social in nature. We have an Instagram account (@outandactiveni) and an ever-expanding Whatsapp group where you can stay up to date with our busy schedule. All of our events are bookable via the MeetUp app (where we are also listed as Out & Active NI), and you can opt to receive updates from us there.

The key purpose of the group is to combat loneliness and facilitate new friendships. This means that we actively encourage you to come along if you don’t know anyone, and you should expect to be placed into teams or mingle with people you’ve never met before. They won’t be strangers for long! Of course, we’d love you to spread the word and bring friends/family/ partners along with you, but bear in mind that for many of our activities you may be split up from them. It’s all part of the fun!

Who is it for?

The group is LGBTQ+ run and focused, and we welcome allies to join us. Our only stipulations for joining one of our events is that you are over 18 and a good egg.

How much does it cost?

There’s no membership fees and no commitment required – simply book the events you want to attend, you’re free to come and go as you please. What we’ve found so far, however, is that if you come to one, you’ll want to come to them all!

The price of events will vary, we anticipate that some will be free or the cost of a cup of coffee, while others will require higher fees to pay for the venue, facilities, instructors, etc. We are a Community Interest Company so we’re not trying to make a profit but may also need to include fees from time to time to cover administration costs.

When can I come?

You can catch us for our first event of 2025 at our New Years sea dip on 1 January, 10am, Brompton Beach.

By Ciara McAllister