Mintridge Celebrates the North Northamptonshire Council’s Active Communities Awards 2023 with Ambassador Heather Fell OLY
Mintridge Celebrates the North Northamptonshire Council’s Active Communities Awards 2023 with Ambassador Heather Fell OLY
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.
Our Sports Stars passionately embrace the opportunity and responsibility of being a role model. In lots of cases, they are providing the mirror to others that they might have lacked themselves growing up. They can provide a route by which others can follow in the footsteps of.
We know that is what Heather Fell OLY achieved as the Guest of Honour at the North Northamptonshire Council’s Active Communities Awards. Not only was Heather an inspiration to the Young Sports Performer Award Winner in the room (who is a budding Modern Pentathlete) but to the volunteers, parents, sponsors and more!
“Inspiration, Aspiration, Fun” - This is what sport should be full of…
…And it’s safe to say that Awards was full of each of these qualities.
The Mintridge Foundation’s Heather Fell OLY eloquently shared her Olympic Journey with the BBC’s John Griff and guests and we didn’t want her to leave the stage. Heather’s passion is always so evident as discusses the “failures” in her sporting journey, how to control the controllable and pressure. There was even time to discuss selfies with Sir Chris Hoy!
Thank you to everyone involved and congratulations to all of the shortlist & winners for your contribution to sport in the county of Northamptonshire. We had a wonderful evening celebrating the successes with you all and it was an honour to be able to share more about our important work with you all too.
For those that weren’t able to catch a glimpse of Heather’s Beijing 2008 Silver Olympic Medal, we hope that we will be able to visit you and your school or club soon to continue to share the inspiration, aspiration and fun. For now though, here are some happy snaps from a very happy occasion.
Roll on 2024!
#NNACA
To learn more about Heather, click here.
Where Can You Watch Our Ambassadors Compete?
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.