Sports news from Stafford Borough Council

 

Stafford Borough Council and partner organisations recently worked together to hold a Community Fun Day to give young people in the area something to do in the summer holidays.  A variety of free activities and workshops were on offer at Rowley Park in Stafford targeting 10 to 16 year olds.

 

The Leisure team at Stafford Borough Council recently worked in partnership with external organisations to run a community fun day at Rowley Park for the young people from across the area.  The team worked with Staffordshire Police, Stafford and Stone Community and Learning Partnerships and the Youth Service to deliver the event which aimed to give youngsters something fun to do during the school holidays.

Activities on the day included a climbing wall, mobile skatepark, inflatables, sports sessions, workshops in cookery, graffiti and street dance, high wire ropes course and various displays in the central arena.  All of the activities were free of charge and family members as well as young people attended and enjoyed what was on offer.  Feedback about the day from people who attended has been extremely positive, the only complaints being that a day wasn’t long enough! The Police have also commented that the event contributed to community safety as young people known to them were happily engaged in the activities. 

 

Overall the day was a great success and attracted a large number of people from across the Borough.

 

Kath Fenn
Assistant Senior Sports Development Officer
T: 01785 619515
E: kfenn@staffordbc.gov.uk

 

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Brand new Wheelchair Skills Course proves a big hit!

 

The first week of the school holidays got off to a fantastic start with many young people taking part in a skills course designed to improve the way that they use their wheelchairs.

 

The Sports Development team worked in partnership with the wheelchair charity Whizz-kidz to put on the course which has never been tried before in the Stafford Borough area.

 

Young people aged between 4 and 16 came along to the course either in their manual or electric wheelchairs in order to help them to improve their everyday skills such as opening doors and picking up items from on the floor. The course took place at the Sir Graham Balfour High School, which proved to be an ideal venue for such a course with its excellent access, parking and toilet facilities.

 

This course provided the young people who attended with a huge sense of achievement and enjoyment and they left feeling a lot more confident about what they could do in their wheelchair without assistance from their loved ones and carers. A young lady who attended the course with her grandfather commented that the course had really helped increase her ability to get in and out of doors which to many is a very simple activity but to her is a real life daily challenge.

 

 

The course was also designed to help parents and carers to understand ways to improve their youngsters capability within the wheelchair as well as ensuring at all times that they continue to remain as independent at possible. One of the parents said that they didn’t realise how much their child could actually do on their own and so has learned that they need to perhaps give them a little more independence with some everyday tasks.

 

 

This was a very unique course and has proved to be very positive for all of the young people involved who have gained a lot from it. It is hoped that this course will run again in the next Summer holidays and so this is something that we can work on and ensure that we get many children on again.

 

Jenny Moore
Senior Sport & Physical Activity
Development Officer
T:01785 619565
E:jmoore@staffordbc.gov.uk

 

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Golf Coaching Course is Above Par

 

The Sports Development Team at Stafford Borough Council ran a successful golf coaching course for young people as part of their summer holiday activities programme. 

 

 

Twenty young people from around Stafford Borough got into the swing of things with a popular golf coaching course. The course took place at Ingestre Park Golf Club and was led by two professional coaches from the club.  A mixture of boys and girls were introduced to the basic techniques involved in the game and put their new skills into practice on the driving range, chipping area and putting greens.  Many of the participants had never played golf before but all really enjoyed the course with several saying they are keen to continue with the sport.   

 

Kath Fenn
Assistant Senior Sports Development Officer
T: 01785 619515
E: kfenn@staffordbc.gov.uk