Mintridge Celebrate National School Sports Week at Ingham Primary School - June 2023
Mintridge Celebrate National School Sports Week at Ingham Primary School - June 2023
The Mintridge Foundation is a registered charity that wants every young person to have a positive relationship with sport. This is achieved by harnessing the unique platform of sporting role models far beyond their medals.
Monday 19th to Sunday 25th June 2023 was National School Sports Week and the Mintridge Foundation made a #PledgeToPlay to the Youth Sports Trust supporting young people getting active for 60 minutes every day. How will you spend your 60?
We were delighted to return to the wonderful community of Ingham Primary School on 21st June for our tenth programme of sport, activity and inspiration with Commonwealth Games finalists and Mintridge Ambassadors, Iona Lake (Steeplechase) and Grace Harrison (Gymnastics).
Building on the success of the previous nine programmes:
Laura Sugar MBE & Claire Steels (Athletics & Duathlon)
Beth Tweddle (Gymnastics)
Fil Kamps & Jade Windley (Football & Tennis)
Marko Backovic & Maggie Alphonsi MBE (Basketball & Rugby Union)
Georgia Lees (Netball)
Molly Thompson - Smith (Climbing)
Ben Smith (Cricket)
Danielle Brown MBE & Khadijah Safari (Archery & Kickboxing)
Pamela Cookey & Grace Balsdon (Netball & Hockey)
Grace and Iona started their day with the best inspiration possible – a presentation to staff and pupils about their sporting journey to a global stage.
“Sport not only builds better athletes but better people!”
It is safe to say that neither Grace or Iona have had a straight trajectory on their respective sporting paths and they shared this openly with all of the Ingham pupils from daring to dream big to dealing with the setbacks that elite sport brings.
“Big changes come from hundreds of tiny steps and they ALL matter.”
The children listened attentively and asked many questions centred around nutrition, inspiration and their favourite medals and trophies! Inspiration all round!
It was soon time for Iona to head to her happy place… the athletics track, while Grace converted the hall into a mini-Gymnastics arena. Each class in the school had the fortune of working closely with each of our athletes for masterclasses in running and gymnastics. By giving people the confidence to move, they will find the confidence to shine and overcome life's challenges.
By bridging a gap and sprinkling the Mintridge magic, we hope that we have helped the Ingham pupils see what they can be, and that possibilities really are endless. That’s not all though, being a role model has huge benefits. The “reciprocity of empowerment” improves the wellbeing of our mentors, it has huge physiological and psychological benefits. Giving and sharing with others is part of what makes us human and therefore the dual impact to Grace and Iona is equally as significant.
As well as coaching sessions, Sports Leaders were able to enjoy a Q&A with Grace to delve a little deeper into fun elements of her sporting career such as life in the Commonwealth Games village and her immediate support network! Meanwhile, Iona was delighted to welcome two new mentees to the #TeamMintridge family. For the next six months, Grace will work with them both remote. One-to-one remote mentoring ensures the greatest legacy for six months to offer continued support for student mental and physical fitness (delivered via safeguarded technology). We can’t wait to keep everyone updated with the progress. It was great to see mentees old and new during our visit as well, pupils looked back fondly on their six months and had great delight in sharing with us all. Mentoring has the power to change the world.
Thank you very much to the staff of Ingham Primary School for making us feel so welcome as ever, we love our working relationship with you all and it is amazing to see everyone’s progress each time we visit.
Thank you very much to Iona and Grace themselves. In sport, there are great expectations around role models, and we see this as an incredible opportunity to make positive outcomes, with stars like Grace and Iona at the forefront. Thank you also to the wonderful Jess Tarver, our Programme Coordinator supporting our summer term of programmes, your expertise helps us enormously. Here’s to an exciting summer of sport!
After lots of activity, we all felt a little like Charlie the school cat at the end of the day!
Where Can You Watch Our Ambassadors Compete This Summer?
GET INVOLVED!
The Mintridge Foundation is a registered charity that wants every young person to have a positive relationship with sport.
What Problem Are We Tackling?
In a world of superficial social media presence, increasing sedentary lifestyles, a mental health epidemic and the long reaching impact of Covid - 19, young people need to see a greater variety of sporting role models. Young people need the Mintridge Foundation more than ever.
Research commissioned by Continental Tyres, an official partner of the England Lionesses highlighted that 60% of girls aged between 11-17 believe an inspirational role model is the best way to kick start a sporting journey.
By giving people the confidence to move, they will find the confidence to shine and overcome life's challenges.
How Do We Achieve Our Mission?
The Mintridge Foundation harnesses the unique platform of sporting role models far beyond their medals.
Our team of Ambassadors - Olympians, Paralympians and other professional sports stars from over 20 sports, both team and individual deliver holistic sports provision in schools, clubs and colleges across the UK for young people from all walks of life, of all abilities and physical capabilities via four strands:
1) Presentations and classroom sessions to share their unique sporting journey.
2) Coaching sessions to kickstart a healthy sporting journey or to help nurture an existing pathway.
3) To ensure the greatest legacy, some students have the opportunity to be mentored remotely by the Ambassador for a period of six months to offer continued support for their mental and physical fitness (delivered via safeguarded technology).
4) One parent / carer and staff member with each mentee receives tickets to watch their Ambassador compete and get behind-the-scenes access at a live sports fixture to showcase the power and opportunities of sport.
Each child has a unique journey. We believe that Mintridge Ambassadors help young people live well and develop mental and physical fitness superpowers. Sports stars have an incredible ability to ignite a fire within the young people they work with. Mintridge athletes, previously only seen on television, stand in front of students in person, give their time, expertise and advice. This makes the students feel special, they truly listen to the athletes in a different way to many other adults in their lives. Someone important is giving up their time for them, someone relatable.
Our Impact?
Our programmes change lives, and we are always thrilled to learn just how far-reaching and positive the outcomes can be, demonstrating the incredible power of sport; from a mentee’s selection to represent Great Britain in their chosen field to enabling disabled children to find confidence and happiness through participation. Equally, we have helped rebuild families and given young girls the confidence to own their own stage!
By bridging a gap and sprinkling the Mintridge magic, we are helping young people see what they can be, and that possibilities really are endless.
Young people learn life skills such as teamwork and leadership, they gain a sense of empowerment and the ability to receive constructive coaching preparing them for the workplace too.
Dual Impact
Both parties (mentor and mentee) leave our programmes feeling enriched and inspired.
The ripple effect of the programmes upon peers and the young person’s family creates an even greater positive benefit – positive repercussions are ongoing to ensure that more people are living well.
Understanding life after sport, we also support our Ambassadors in their transition from active sport to the next stage of their careers.
