Welcome to issue 11 which I hope will have something to interest you as the dark nights take hold.
In recent newsletters I have referred to the changes in Sport England and the way in which sport will be supported in the future. These changes are now gathering pace with the implementation of Sport England’s new structure. This is detailed in the recent Sport England SW newsletter (see the link to the right) but I want to take this opportunity of paying tribute to what Regional Director Jim Clarke and his colleagues have achieved in the South West. They have been a constant source of support and advice to anyone working in sport. The new Sport England structure means that this support will not be as available in the future as it has been in the past. Together with the demise of the Regional Sports Board the changes amount to a fundamental shift in decision making from the regions to the centre and a refocusing of Sport England’s effort and influence. It remains to be seen how these changes will work in practise but I share the reservations expressed by many about the loss of a regional perspective.
There is also news of a major reorganisation of England Athletics. This too is a major shift in the way that Athletics proposes to go about its business and has been reached after extensive consultation within the sport (please see the article in this issue for more information). I suspect that this may be the first of many similar changes in other sports in the weeks ahead and that these will challenge clubs, local authorities and ourselves to consider how best to work together in the future. We have started already to consider the implications for Active Gloucestershire and I will be able to say more about this in future editions.
On the physical activity side it has been encouraging to see the Gloucestershire Primary Care Trust begin to build up momentum in this area and we look forward to supporting the PCT as fully as possible. Recently we have worked with Tewkesbury District Council, the PCT and Gloucestershire Food Vision to support a bid for funding from the Department of Health’s Healthy Towns initiative. As we go to press the bid has made it to the final stage and final presentations to the Department have been made. We now wait for news with everything crossed.
Finally we are always happy to receive suggestions and articles for inclusion in the newsletter so please do not hesitate to contact me if you wish to comment or contribute.
John Stevens
Chief Executive Officer
Judging of over 100 Nominations Soon to Take Place
Since 1st June we have seen a record 100 plus nominations for the Gloucestershire Sports Awards 2008, covering the period 1st September 2007 to 31st August 2008, flood into the Active Gloucestershire office.
On Tuesday 4th November 10 key representatives from around the county will meet to discuss the nominations and select 3 short listed nominees in each of the 16 individual awards.
All nominees have received letters to inform them on their nomination so we would like to take this opportunity to formally congratulate everyone on their nomination as well as thanking all those nominators who took time to write and submit the well deserved citations.
The short listed nominees will be sent a letter on Wednesday 5th November notifying them of their success and the shortlist will be published on the Active Gloucestershire website on Friday 7th November.
We look forward to what promises to be a night of celebration and recognition of those people who have dedicated their time and energy to improve the development of sport in Gloucestershire
Tickets for this year’s awards ceremony at Cheltenham Racecourse on Thursday 27th November go on sale on Wednesday 5th November. Tickets cost £25 per person and if a club or organisation would like to purchase a number of tickets there will be a reduced rate of £20 per person for a group booking of 8 or more. To spend an evening with Sharron Davies MBE and the unsung heroes and heroines of sport in Gloucestershire click here to book your tickets online from the 5th November.
To find out more about the Gloucestershire Sports Awards 2008 click here.
9,570 Young People in Gloucestershire to be offered New and Exciting Sport and Physical Activity Sessions
Sport Unlimited is a national programme run by Sport England in partnership with the Youth Sport Trust and County Sports Partnerships across England. The programme offers young people 10 weeks of high-quality taster sessions to try out a sport in which they have shown an interest and aims to help at least a third of participants to join clubs and continue with sport and physical activity following the 10 weeks of introductory sessions.
Following trailblazers in twelve counties including Somerset and Herefordshire and Worcestershire the project is now being fully rolled out across the country resulting in 4,000 new sporting projects being established across England. Sport Unlimited will make a significant contribution to the Government’s target of giving children and young people the opportunity to do 5 hours of PE and sport a week at school and in the community. The funding is part of the additional £100 million investment in sport for young people announced by the Prime Minister in 2007, with £36 million provided for Sport Unlimited. .
Year 1 of the programme is now underway in the county with young people from now able to try their hand at an exciting range of different sports and physical activities as co-ordinated by Active Gloucestershire.
Nationally the three-year programme will enable 900,000 young people to take part in more sporting and physical activities and to choose from a vast range of traditional and non-traditional sports and physical activities such as Powerkiting, Dance and Football. In Gloucestershire we aim to achieve or exceed a target of 9,570 young people participating in the programme
Rhiannon Herbert, Head of Community Sports Development and Investment for Active Gloucestershire said: “This is a great opportunity for young people to try different activities as well as accessing the more commonly available sports. There is a sport or physical activity out there for everyone to enjoy and this programme will help the young people of Gloucestershire access them in different settings and environments”.
For further details on Sport Unlimited activities in Gloucestershire and case studies please visit www.activegloucesterhsire.org/sportunlimited
Year 2 Planning
We are already beginning to plan year 2 and a briefing day has been set for Thursday 6th November to enable local partners and sporting providers to come together to work on evolving the programme and explore what opportunities and provisions could be made available in Gloucestershire.
Following on from the briefing day district based planning meetings will take place in the Community Sport and Physical Activity Networks (CSPANs). These meetings will provide follow on opportunities for local providers and partners to agree what potential projects they would like to fund based on local priorities identified through consulting with children and young people and the strength of local partnership working.
Related press releases...
New study dispels 'lazy teens' image 'We want more to do' say seven in ten teenagers 29/10/08
The Teen Talk survey forms part of Aiming High for Young People as part of the Department for Children, Schools and Families ten year strategy to increase young people's participation in positive leisure time activities.
To read the full article click here.
Gloucestershire Sports Training and Education Programme (STEP)
Active Gloucestershire have created a sports training and education programme (STEP) of courses running in Gloucestershire from now until July 2009 in partnership with Sports Coach UK, Running Sport and local authorities
The courses aim to support coaches, clubs, volunteers and students with their learning, development and progression thereby improving the quality of the experience for participants.
Recently updated on the Active Gloucestershire website you can now see the entire list of courses that are available along with descriptions and details of each course and their learning outcomes. If you cannot find a course within the events calendar please register your interest as with enough interest we will look to run additional courses outside of the current programme.
We have also updated Active Gloucestershire’s recommended coach operating standards detailing which courses we have identified as requirements for coaches working within Gloucestershire. We have also done the same for clubs based on the Sport England Clubmark scheme.
Why not have a look and see if you or your club have the right qualifications. Alternatively if you are a parent/carer with a young person involved in sport this will enable you to ask your child’s club and/or coach the right questions to see if they have the correct requirements and qualifications to ensure your that child is participating in a safe and equitable environment.
Also now set up are links to National Governing Bodies (NGB) for sport specific courses. For example for information on National Governing Bodies courses such as the UKCC Level One or Two coaching qualification please see the NGB section of our website.
Payments for any of the courses run by Active Gloucestershire can now all be done online using a credit or debit card giving you more flexibility in booking your courses!!
Should you require further information on any of the courses please contact Sam Kloos on 01242 715204 or e-mail skloos@glos.ac.uk
2012
Team South West and Team Gloucestershire
The right structures are critical to fulfilling the 2012 Legacy Vision for the South West and Team South West have developed a number of sub regional partnerships to make this a reality. These partnerships represent each county in the South West and Team Gloucestershire plays a key role in this vision. You can find out more about what is happening and the progress of the Team Gloucestershire partnership by clicking on the link below.
Team Gloucestershire
Delivering Better Outcomes Through The Gloucestershire Conference Event
Wednesday 10 December 2008, Gloucester Rugby Club
The power of 2012 and the potential benefits that it can bring is illustrated by its choice as a focus for a one day conference designed to strengthen the working arrangements needed to deliver the Gloucestershire Local Area Agreement (LAA). The event provides an opportunity to test out the robustness of the Gloucestershire Conference’s delivery arrangements by looking at a key area of delivery - Gloucestershire's Olympic 2012 Legacy Plan.
This has been chosen because it encompasses a range of service areas and can contribute to health, physical activity, leisure, tourism, economic development, volunteering and community development.
The idea behind the conference is to use 2012 and the county legacy plan as a ‘case example’ to explore the contribution of each partner agency and to build the shared arrangements and linkages necessary to make delivery effective.
Key individuals from all the agencies involved have been invited to create a ‘critical mass’ of decision makers and strategic thinkers who can help to identify effective ways of working together, resolve issues and problems and strengthen delivery.
The event is being sponsored by the IDeA (the Local Government Improvement Agency), as part of a wider programme of improving partnership delivery in a two-tier context.
For further information contact Rob Ayliffe, the LAA Manager at rob.ayliffe@gloucestershire.gov.uk
Fit as a Fish
Age Concern Gloucestershire is pleased to announce its latest project ‘Fit as a Fish’ which is part of a larger project known as ‘Fit as a Fiddle’ with sponsorship from the National Lottery through the Big Lottery Fund.
The project aims to set up supervised swimming sessions across the county for people over 50 with aninitial FREE taster session of aqua aerobics.
When: 24th November 2008
Time: 2pm including refreshments
Where: GL1 Leisure Centre, Bruton Way, Gloucester GL1 1DT
Places are limited so please call Sheryl as soon as possible on 01452 422660 or email her at SherylW@ageconcernglos.org.uk to book.
England Athletics Restructure
Following intensive consultation across the sport over the past 12 months, England Athletics have announced proposals for a significant restructure to England Athletics.
The proposals mark a fundamental shift from an organisation of nine semi-autonomous regional business units to a single national team with centralised administration and a greater proportion of staff and resources deployed directly in clubs and coaching at a local level. Core headcount will be reduced by around 15 to 20 staff and will redeploy approximately half a million pounds into clubs and coaching. England Athletics believe that the future of the sport lies in the hands of volunteers and this restructure will enable support for them with a more consistent, higher level of service.
Three core objectives of England Athletics:
- To increase participation across a wider cross-section of the community
- To improve the quality of experience of every participant
- To support the development of the next generation of champions.
For more information on this announcement please click here.
