Hundreds of school children to benefit from the SCF ‘Inspire Through Sport’ programme.
Funding boost will enable the charity to deliver new group and 1-2-1 mentoring schemes, as well as camps and enrichment activities for children most at risk during school holidays.
We’re delighted that we have secured a £10,000 grant from the National Lottery Fund which will be used to support hundreds of school children across Basildon in Essex. From September, we will partner with the CRESCO Multi Academy Trust which encompasses three Basildon primary schools, Great Berry Primary, Janet Duke Primary and Noak Bridge Primary to offer important new mentoring and sports programmes to pupils.
A key aim of the new partnership will be to help reduce the long-term impact that the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent national lockdowns have had on students, with research suggesting that children and young people in some areas of the UK have felt increasingly isolated and displaced over the course of the past year. The new activity sessions and mentoring programmes will help to build self-esteem, resilience and confidence, with children encouraged to develop new skills while at the same time identifying and working towards their personal goals.
Damian Pye, Headteacher at Great Berry Primary School Academy & CEO of CRESCO Multi Academy Trust, said: “Within the town of Basildon are areas and schools where a high percentage of the pupils come from disadvantaged families. The grant will help benefit the children of these families enormously, whose issues have unfortunately been compounded by the recent pandemic and lockdown periods. SCF Childrens Charity will now be able to provide memorable experiences for children that simply would not have otherwise had access to these opportunities.”
Karen Olden, Income and Engagement Manager at Sports Connections Foundation, added: “We have been delivering our ‘Inspire Through Sport’ programmes across the UK for over ten years and have witnessed the incredible impact the activities and support can have on young people, particularly for some of the most vulnerable. We are delighted to receive this funding boost from the National Lottery and are looking forward to working in partnership with the CRESCO Multi Academy Trust. The past year has been tough for many and schools across the country are under significant pressure to ensure the long-term effects of the pandemic are minimal for students. With mental health and social isolation concerns on the increase, using sport to positively engage with young people can make a real difference.”
This week a year 5 pupil from Great Berry Primary was presented with a pair of signed football boots donated by Gwion Edwards, former Winger for Ipswich Town and now with Wigan Athletic. The 10 year old was thrilled when he was presented with the boots and a thank you card as acknowledgement of his own resilience shown during lockdown. He had taken part in a Q&A session earlier this year with Gwion. The session, led by Gwion, was organised as part of our Inspire Through Sport mentoring programmes, and the pupils were encouraged to talk about how they have shown resilience throughout lockdown and they were praised for working so hard during this difficult time, as well as exploring aspirations that they have for the future