Local Faces: Vikki Whelan

IT IS people like Vikki Whelan – one of the founding members of the Whitechurch Residents Association, who are dedicated and proactive in making our communities a better and safe place to live.

Born and bread Whitechurch woman Vikki says that sometimes the area is “hidden” as it is nestled between other large areas such as Ballyboden and Knocklyon and means that there is sometimes a bit of extra fight needed to get things done for the area.

Speaking about how the Whitechurch Resident’s Association came about, Vikki told The Echo: “It just started off because we were trying to get a bit more in the area because having three kids myself – there was nothing here.

“I did a community development course in An Cosán, and I did a demographic profile of the area and demographically we are worse off than areas like Jobstown, but because of where we are and surrounded by Ballyboden, Ballinteer and Knocklyon we are forgotten about a lot of the time.

Vikki Whelan

“It was back in 2017 when myself and a couple of women from the estate said ‘right, we will try and do something’. We put the feelers out to see if we could get people involved, and to be honest we didn’t get an awful lot of people, but I think people find it hard to commit to things long-term.

“The first hurdle was trying to get a playground and I think people were a bit apprehensive about it because they thought there would be gangs of kids hanging around and it would be a disaster.”

Vikki and the other members of the resident’s association’s fight for the playspace paid off in 2019, which is well used and enjoyed by kids in the Whitechurch area.

In addition to getting big developments built such as the playground in Whitechurch, the Resident’s association also organise regular clean-ups, seek funding for improvements and running family fun days to bring the community together.

Most of these events and activities were forced to be put on hold during the pandemic, with the association coming up with new safe ways to connect the community.

Whitechurch Boxing Club Members

“During Covid we did the bingo out on the road in the estate and that was brilliant – all of the local women came around with their fold up chairs and we all could keep our distance – it was a really big hit,” said Vikki.

“People were looking forward to that every week because they weren’t able to get out and do anything else during that time. At the end of the summer then we did a bingo night and a street party for the kids and the kids had a ball.”

Alongside her involvement in the resident’s association, Vikki is also instrumental in running the Whitechurch Boxing Club, which is based in Scoil Mhuire in Whitechurch with hopes to secure their own building for the club in the future.

“We are hoping to have our own place to train soon – it is very disheartening on the lads who are in every night putting up the bags and taking them all back down again afterwards,” said Vikki.

“Scoil Mhuire have been brilliant to us, and we did a show there a few weeks back which was great because some of the kids in the club are actually in the school and it was a great night.

Vikki Whelan

“If we could get a building for the boxing club, or a centre where the boxing club and the resident’s association can mix in together [that would be great].”

Also, a high priority on Vikki’s to-do list alongside securing a building for the boxing club, is to create a community space in Whitechurch that is inclusive of everyone and will allow them to connect.

“There is a place in England called the Inclusive Hub and it works with children that have disabilities,” she explained.

“I am now in that situation with my son Blaine, who has Down Syndrome, and I want to fight for funding for something similar that would allow local groups to come together and do things that facilitate everybody rather than one specific group of people.

“It is something that is needed – the boxing club is the only sports club in the area, and we don’t have a football club.”

Vikki Whelan with Pauline Loughran and Fiona Hall

Vikki’s dedication to making the area of Whitechurch a better, safe and inclusive place to live has not gone unnoticed, as she is a recent recipient of an award from the Mayor of South County Dublin for her hard work and tireless volunteering with the Whitechurch Resident’s Association.

“I wasn’t expecting it at all – councillor Alan Edge told me that he had nominated me, and I just said, ‘Oh ok’,” she said.

“When I realised that I was getting an award I was absolutely mortified.

“I am all for pushing other people and saying ‘you go for this’ and ‘put your name forward for that’ but I would rather hide in the background.

“I was delighted – it is nice to be noticed and appreciated.”