Stroud

The forum is being piloted within Stroud and will hopefully lead the way for multi sports forums being set up across the County. The forum is hoped to improve communication that the County Sports Partnership, Local Authorities and Schools have with clubs and increase support, guidance and knowledge provided to clubs as a result. Examples of key topic areas such as volunteer recruitment and development, creating links with schools and accessing funding are possible focuses for the group in the group in the future along with enabling clubs to influence when and where courses such as First Aid and Safeguarding Children courses are run.

The aim of the forum is to be a valuable asset to clubs within Stroud and we hope that once the forum is established clubs will feel they have increased support and guidance locally in addition to what they are provided with from their County Associations and National Governing Body.

For Stroud District Council and Active Gloucestershire this forum will be paramount to the development of relationships with clubs and a valuable opportunity to ensure that key messages and opportunities for clubs are communicated. It will also enable us to keep clubs up to speed on what's happening in sport nationally and developments that are occurring at a local level which could potentially impact upon their sport.

The consultation evening went very positively and representatives from the following clubs were involved in the evening, providing their views on the establishment of a forum.

Stroud Hockey Club
Golden Valley Rangers Youth
Rednock Ladies Netball Club
Painswick Tennis Club
Thamesway Canoe Club
Nailsworth Tennis Club
Frampton-on-Severn Tennis Club
Cam CC Youth section
Dursley and District Primary School Sports Association
Cam Ladies CC
Dursley Hockey Club
Stroud Athletics
Stroud and District Athletics Club
Rednock School
Stroud Cricket Club

All clubs were asked to vote on whether or not they wanted the forum to exist and if they would stay engaged as a club. Pleasingly, 100% of the attendees voted in favour of the forum existing subject to it reflecting many of the discussions that were brought up throughout the consultation.

'I feel strongly that the Stroud Forum should exist.'

Stroud Hockey Club and Golden Vally Rangers Youth representative.

'I think that the Stroud Forum should exist but with a view to reviewing the benefits of the Forum after say 18 months.'

Nailsworth Tennis Club representative.

'I am concerned about more 'group/clusters' and layers of structure, but fundamentally it must be good.'

Rednock School representative.

'The Stroud Forum should exist subject to review after 12months'

Painswick Tennis Club representative.

“The Stroud Forum was received well by all of the clubs and a valuable way of engaging with a number of clubs in one room. We very much hope we will be able to roll this programme out across all of the districts and get more clubs involved locally�.Jo Walker, Active Gloucestershire, Sports Development Team Leader (NGB's, Clubs and Volunteers).

For further details on the Stroud Forum please contact;

Jo Walker, Sports Development Team Leader (NGB's, Clubs and Volunteers)Tel: 01242 715194
E-mail: jwalker@glos.ac.uk

Jane Bullows, Stroud District Council, Regeneration through Sports Manager
E-mail: Jane.Bullows@stroud.gov.uk