County Sports Partnership Update

 

 

 

With us there's more to celebrate

Staffordshire and Stoke-on Trent Sports Partnership

�Increasingly active, healthy and successful communities�

 

With the Olympics and Paralympics coming to London in 2012, we are building a high-performing team of inspired and influential partners to transform sport, physical education and active recreation across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent.

 

Recruitment of a Board Member representing the private sector

(Voluntary position, includes expenses only)

 

We are now looking for a Board member, with the drive and influence, to take up the challenge of assisting Sport Across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent to: support our partners in ensuring that Staffordshire is at the forefront of growing regular participation in sport and active recreation, sustain current participants and suport those with talent to excel.

 

The Sport Across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Partnership is one of 6 sub-regional County Sports Partnerships within the West Midlands and are one of 49 across England. 

 

We are seeking to recruit a Board member from a private sector background to join our successful Partnership.

 

You should ideally have knowledge of the sport, health, equity and physical activity agendas, partnership working and the ability and willingness to act as an advocate for this important area of work.

 

The successful applicant will be expected to take on the Board Champion role relating to the Partnership's work on Equity.

 

An application pack can be obtained from Leigh Morton, Admin Officer, Stafford Borough Council. Tel 01785 619349 or email lmorton@staffordbc.gov.uk

 

Closing date: Monday 23 February 2009.

For an informal discussion on the role please contact Mark Thornewill on Tel: 01785 619896.

 

The Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Sports Partnership are keen to increase the diversity of its members and welcomes applications from all sections of the community.

 

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New members join SASSOT's Executive Board

 

Sport Across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent are delighted to announce the recent appointment of four new board members: Jo Robins, Consultant in Public Health, South Staffordshire PCT, joins the Board as the health representative; Dr Nigel Thomas, Head of Department - Sport & Exercise, Staffordshire University, represents the higher education sector; Simon Dickie, National Youth and Community Manager, Amateur Rowing Association, is our second national governing body of sport representative; and Janene Cox, Assistant Director - Culture and Libraries, represents the wider cultural agenda on behalf of Staffordshire County Council.

The new Board members bring a wealth of experience from a variety of disciplines and their expertise will help the Partnership develop over the coming months.

 

To read more about all our Board members click here. For more information contact:

 

Mark Thornewill
Partnership Director
T: 01785 619896
E: mthornewill@staffordbc.gov.uk

 

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Sub-Regional Sports Facilities Framework - Consultation

 

Sport Across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent, together with our local authority partners, have commissioned the very first Sports Facilities Framework for Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent.

 

This sub-regional facilities framework concentrates on "hub level" facilities and above ie. those facilities both indoor and outdoor which serve at least a sub-regional need.

 

Indoor facilities:

With regard to indoor sports facilities, this includes: swimming pools, sports halls (at least 3 badminton court size for hubs), indoor bowls centres, indoor tennis and cricket facilities, ice rinks, athletics tracks, indoor climbing/extreme sports centres as well as fitness suites/clubs and martial arts, ski centre, archery and shooting ranges, boxing, gymnastics and any other specialist facilities.

 

Outdoor facilities:

Outdoor facilities consider artificial turf pitches, athletics tracks, tennis courts, cycling, velodromes, motor sports and extreme sports including water sports facilities.

 

The framework has been produced to help: 

• Guide sub-regional strategic planning
• Link recommendations with Sport England�s Active People survey results (1&2) taking account of population trends and the 1% year-on-year increase in participation target
• Help inform key issues such as cross-border working
• Coordinate the approach to sports provision with LEAs, including in relation to the BSF and Academy programme
• Test different facility options at CSP level (particularly in relation to sports hall and pools)
• Determine CSP level facility priorities and locations
• Provide an input into other agendas eg. health, regeneration
• Provide comprehensive coordinated information eg. on national governing body of sport priorities
• Provide generic brief for PPG17 assessments and support to local authorities undertaking this work
• Inform the need for and recommend appropriate locations of any sub regional level facilities. 

Comments can be made by completing the proforma . Please return this via email to lmorton@staffordbc.gov.uk by Friday 6th February 2009.

 

For more information contact:

Mark Thornewill
Partnership Director

T: 01785 619896
E: mthornewill@staffordbc.gov.uk

 

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SASSOT Coach Scholarship Scheme

 

SASSOT has set up a Coach Scholarship Scheme for use by NGBs, Local Authorities and SSPs to help build the capacity of the coaching workforce in the region.  Its aim is to train coaches to levels 1, 2 and 3 where a clear evidence of need is identified.  All applications are assessed by the SASSOT Workforce Steering Group based on the following criteria: 

• Evidence of need � why do you need this investment, is this a strategic investment
• Impact on participation � will the investment lead to an increase in coaching delivery and participation in sport
• Value for money �match funding to grant ratio
• Speed of implementation � how quickly will the qualifications be delivered   

The Workforce Steering Group has cross sector representation from Local Authorities, NGBs and School Sports Partnerships and assesses each application individually.

 

The first batch of 22 applications were assessed on 10th Dec 08 with 16 being approved on the day and the remaining 6 deferred until the next meeting.  �6,824.50 of funding was allocated towards 107 qualifications costing �21,774.00.  These were across a whole range of sports including, football, swimming, gymnastics, dodge ball and athletics.  A large number of these qualifications will provide coaches for use in some of the deprived areas of Stoke-on-Trent helping with their �StreetGames� project.

 

In addition to those deferred from the last meeting, a further 5 applications totalling �5,394.00 worth of qualifications will be assessed by the workforce steering group on Feb 26th 2009. 

 

Additional applications are invited from eligible partners; the closing date is Fri 13th February.

 

For further information and an application form click here or contact:

Andy King
Acting Workforce Development Officer
T:01785 619317 
E: aking@staffordbc.gov.uk

 

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2009 Special Schools Sports Festival

The date of the 2009 Special Schools Sports Festival at Shobnall Leisure Complex, Burton upon Trent has been changed to Thursday 2nd July. More information will follow but in the meantime, please make a note of the date as this year's festival promises to be bigger and better than ever.

 

For more information contact:
Chris Turner
Club & PESSCL Development Officer
T: 01785 619681
E: cturner@staffordbc.gov.uk 

 

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Funding for Equity projects still up for grabs

The deadline for submitting a bid for the ACCESS Across Staffordshire Funding Scheme is fast approaching - don't delay get yours in today.

The County Sports Partnership is making a further  �5,000 available for individual awards of up to �500 through its ACCESS Across Staffordshire scheme to support projects which enable widened access to sport for the county�s under-represented groups including:

• Women and Girls
• Disabled People
• Black Minority Ethnic Communities
• Low Socio-Economic Groups

The fund is open to Local Authorities and National Governing Bodies of Sport who require financial assistance to support or develop a new project which has an equality theme and fits into one of the following categories:

• Widening Access
  Increasing the opportunities for under-represented groups to take part in sport and active recreation
• Learning & Development
  Providing education and training opportunities to address skills gaps in the workforce
• Raising Awareness and Creating Sustainability
  Using effective marketing practice to raise the awareness and profile of sporting activities and opportunities to under-represented groups

The closing date, for this fifth round of applications is 11^th February 2009.

For more information please click here

For more information contact:
Naomi Bird
Tel: 01785 619585
Email: nbird@staffordbc.gov.uk 

 

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Media pick-up on SASSOT's Olympic medalist team member

 

Alison Williamson, who joined us in December as Active Recreation Manager, hits the headlines as the media realise we've got an Olympic medalist on the SASSOT team. Follow the links to read more...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/stoke/content/image_galleries/events_gallery.shtml?17

and December's CSP Update

  

 

 

Alison's contact details are:

 

Alison Williamson
Active Recreation Manager
T: 01785 619695
M: 07800 619695
E: awilliamson@staffordbc.gov.uk

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Sporting Champions Update

As you may be aware Sporting Champions has an open allocation of 450 visits per year. Over the past few months they have been drumming up your support to ensure that as many community groups as possible can benefit from receiving a visit.

 

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Workshops 

 

The SASSOT website now contains details of the Education & Training Programme for 2009.  However, please be advised that you need to be checking the website on a regular basis, as updates are always being made to dates and venues.  Workshops are added and in some cases will be cancelled due to lack of numbers.

Due to public demand, we are planning to add 2 more dates for Safeguarding and Protection of Children and Community First Aid / Cricket First Aid.  The venues to host these workshops, will be in the North and the South of Staffordshire.

These workshops have been planned to take place, due to contacts we have received from individuals.  In view of this I would urge you to contact Kam Webster, if you cannot find a date or venue to suit you. 

 
We are currently working to produce a detailed programme that will contain information on the above, and much more with regards to areas related to Coaches and Volunteers.

As always we do advise that as some sports have more stringent First Aid requirements for Clubmark and coaching purposes, all delegates should check with their NGB before enrolling on these workshops in order to avoid disappointment after the event.  

Please be advised that in cases of cancellations, a 5 working day notice period is required.  Delegates can opt to change to another workshop or alternatively send another representative.

If you find that you cannot attend the workshops we have planned, contact Kam and she may be able to help you find alternatives. 
 

For more information please click here 

Kam Webster
Education and Training Officer
Tel: 01785 619695
Email: sassotadmin@staffordbc.gov.uk

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Jane's Baby Arrives   Congratulations to Jane Kracke and her husband Jem on the birth of their baby son. Jane, who is SASSOT�s Sports Manager, gave birth to Callum James on 16th January 2009, with baby weighing in at 8lb 6�ozs.