Mintridge Bronze Netball Programme with Pamela Cookey – The Sutton Academy, September 2021

Our amazing Ambassador, Pamela Cookey, who is our former England Netball Captain, spent a day inspiring the students at The Sutton Academy as part of this fantastic Bronze Ravensdale Trust Programme. Throughout the day, the students learnt some valuable skills from Pamela through her presentation and Q&A sessions but also during the physical netball coaching sessions that she delivered.

We kicked off the day in style and the students had the opportunity to listen to Pamela talk about her ‘double life’ in the world of sport but also in her business career. It was invaluable for the students to hear Pamela talk about the importance of exercise and how that has helped her find a release from the many anxieties and obstacles that life involves.

Kitted out in some new fantastic Limitless kit, Pamela’s captivating persona quickly engaged pupils and staff in some fantastic discussions about how she came to captain the England Netball Team, whilst simultaneously pursuing her own personal career goals in the business world.

As a player who has had three major injury setbacks throughout her sporting career, the students learnt how Pamela overcame each obstacle by applying both physical and mental tenacity towards recovery. Furthermore, the pupils at The Sutton Academy were encouraged to find positive elements within every unforeseeable situation. Throughout the day, the pupils learnt the value of adopting a resilient approach when trying to discover a silver lining, even when this may not at first be apparent! 

Some questions that students and staff asked that really stood out during our day can be seen below:

How has sport helped you in your career and work?

What was the selection process for England?

What challenges did you face after injury and what did you have to go through to reach your goals?

What is the career path of a professional athlete?

How has sport helped you with your organisation skills?

How has sport helped you with teamwork and leadership?

How has sport helped you manage difficult situations?

How has sport helped you with your mental health?

Following the presentation sessions, Pamela led engaging netball coaching sessions with the girls at The Sutton Academy, providing insightful and fun activities that included using our dynamic Crazy Catch rebound nets, which the pupils thoroughly enjoyed using!

Whilst the amazing Pamela Cookey was delivering her netball sessions with the students in the sports hall, we were delighted to be joined by The Female Athlete Pod, who delivered a fantastic education session with the female students all about their bodies and managing them when taking part in sport and physical activity. The education session was so insightful for the students to be involved in and got them thinking more about what they can do to help themselves during their cycles.

Throughout the day, we had several girls who particularly stood out for their determination and really showed off their netball skills, which earned them goodie bags that included some brilliant products from our partners’ Nibble! All of the students had the chance to chat with Pamela throughout the day and took home a signed autograph card to remind them of the fun they had. The teachers also received a special teacher pack that included some incredible useful first aid supplies, from our partners at Sterosport and a Happy Co water bottle.

It was a wonderful day for Team Mintridge, Pamela, and the staff and students at The Sutton Academy. The immediate impact was apparent, as the students said they learnt a lot from Pamela about dealing with setbacks and now expressed more of an interest in pursuing their professional athlete careers goals, alongside academic and other career aims!

We are extremely grateful to The Ravensdale Trust for supporting this wonderful programme and we can’t wait to visit them again soon for the second part of our Mintridge programme with Pamela.

Thank you to the staff at The Sutton Academy for their support in organising this programme with The Mintridge Foundation. If you would like to see the photos and video from the day, please get in touch with the staff at the school.

If you are interested in a virtual or physical Programme with Pamela Cookey or any of our other inspirational Ambassadors, then please get in touch via the Mintridge website at www.mintridgefoundation.org.uk or with Katie at katie@mintridge.org.uk.

The Mintridge Foundation is a registered charity dedicated to enhancing life skills in young people through sport. We provide a support network for young people by harnessing the power of positive sporting role models. The Mintridge Foundation assists young people of all ages, abilities, and physical capabilities to develop confidence and resilience, and creates awareness of the importance of mental and physical wellbeing through sport.

Our team of Ambassadors - Olympians, Paralympians and other professional sports stars from over 20 sports, both team and individual - work with young people in schools, clubs and academies across the UK. Starting with visits including assemblies, coaching clinics and classroom sessions tailored to each organisation’s requirements, our ambassadors can then provide one- on- one remote mentoring in a safeguarded environment, delivered via technology such as FitSwarm and Playwaze to build a lasting legacy for individuals.

The Mintridge Foundation’s successes demonstrate 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 just through participation. Understanding life after sport, we also support our Ambassadors in their transition from active sport to the next stage of their careers.

To find out more about the Mintridge Foundation, please contact Alex Wallace.

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