Retired 64-year-old Jenny Gillon from Inverurie started out on Sport Aberdeen’s Aquaphobia programme back in November 2022 with the intention of conquering her fear of water.
She tells us all about her experience on the programme below and why more people should get involved.
“My fear of water originally started from my school days – when we had to do swimming at school it quite literally was a teacher standing there with a rope and stick.
“I decided to apply to be on the Aquaphobia programme by completing a questionnaire and I started attending in November. I go to Zumba classes and had always wanted to try Aqua Zumba, but I was scared to go. Similarly, I was too scared to go in the water on holiday.
“When I was driving in from Inverurie to attend my first session at Get active @ Northfield, I had lots of thoughts going through my head and I was very nervous. However, I didn’t feel too scared when I was actually in the pool.
“I am definitely becoming more confident now and I notice I’m more relaxed in the water since my first session. I’ve been to five or six sessions altogether and the classes have been really good.
“The staff are brilliant; you are given lots of one-to-one guidance and they are so supportive. I’ve gotten to know Donna McKenzie-McNeill really well and I like that the classes are small.
“The steps at Get active @ Northfield are really good, it makes me feel comfortable that I can see them when I’m going into the pool.
“Now when I get flustered in the water, I know what to do. I’m not so panicky or feeling like I’m going to drown.
“I’ve gone from using two pool noodles to one, and I’ve managed to go from one side of the pool to the other whilst holding onto the side.
“I broke my hip, so I also have arthritis now, and I know that being in the pool helps me to move more and I’m not as sore afterwards.
“I know I’ve got a long way to go but I’m feeling determined. I don’t have an explicit goal, but I would like to swim when I’m on holiday this year and feel confident whilst doing so. I guess being able to swim by the end of the year would be my aim.”
If you feel inspired and would like to find out more and register your interest in the Aquaphobia programme, you can do so here.
A popular local event providing an afternoon of team sports, games and entertainment for adults and children with additional support needs – Aberdeen Funolympics – made its return on Sunday 13 November at the city’s Beach Ballroom venue.
The event took place from 1400 to 1900, welcoming around 200 individuals across 18 teams which were mixed with both adults and children (each team had a maximum of eight participants).
It was jointly sponsored by Aberdeen City Council and Aberdeen City and Shire Hotels Association, with Dr David Cameron, Lord Provost of Aberdeen and his wife in attendance.
Ten sports stations were set up around the room, consisting of fun team challenges inspired by different sporting activities including indoor golf, racquet sports, curling and hockey.
The participating teams were from organisations including Inspire PTL, Create Aberdeen, Doric Dolphins, Len Ironside Centre and HANDSS group.
Staff from various hotels across the north eastvolunteered on the day, as well as Kim McRobbie and Andrinne Craig from Sport Aberdeen to help out at the stations and ensure everyone had fun.
Every participant received a medal and the team from Back Hilton Road were crowned the overall winners so collected a trophy.
After the games were finished, attendees enjoyed a disco and some refreshments to round up the day – generously supplied by Aberdeen City Council.
Special thanks must go to Bill Farquhar – one of the main event organisers, along with Frank Whittaker and Jim Byers from Aberdeen City and Shire Hotels Association as they are both pivotal in the event organisation and help to make the Funolympics a success each year.
Bill Farquhar said: “It was great to see so many teams taking part in the Funolympics after nearly 3 years being away due to COVID.
“The camaraderie and friendship between the teams was all to see in abundance and the games were competed in the true spirit of enjoyment and fun.
“Everyone was a winner on the day.”
Andrinne Craig, Healthy Communities Manager, said: “The Funolympics was a great day full of fun, joy and laughter – well done to everyone who participated in the event, their team managers and the volunteers who made the event possible.
“We are so grateful to Aberdeen City and Shire Hotels Association for its £1,000 to Sport Aberdeen. This will be used to arrange more fun sports activities for individuals with additional support needs and we look forward to doing this soon.”
Photo credits: Norman Adams, Aberdeen City Council
As the cost of living crisis becomes more prevalent, Aberdeen City Council (ACC) has established a Warm Spaces programme to do everything it can to support local households.
Working alongside other partner organisations in Aberdeen, the programme is designed to offer friendly public warm spaces for people to come together, share and use resources.
Sport Aberdeen is pleased to make a positive contribution by offering free hot showers during opening hours at five venues as per below:
- Get active @ Beach Leisure Centre
- Get active @ Peterculter
- Get active @ Sheddocksley
- Get active @ Kincorth
- Get active @ Beacon
Anyone is welcome to use the showers, there is no requirement to be a Sport Aberdeen member.
To view the full list of participating organisations and what is on offer, you can visit the Warm Spaces directory on ACC’s website here.
Active Schools Aberdeen has been working alongside Scottish Cycling’s Rock Up & Ride pilot programme (funded by Transport Scotland) and Deeside Thistle Cycling Club to enable more local children to participate in free, easy to access sessions and increase their cycling activity.
Rock Up & Ride is specifically aimed at children who would not otherwise have access to their own bike, giving them the chance to acquire new skills, techniques and confidence for cycling in an inclusive environment – it has been delivered at eight pilot sites across Scotland.
The Aberdeen City schools involved in the pilot programme were Westpark, Bramble Brae and Heathryburn, as well as 10 children from Aberdeen City Council’s Virtual School.
32 children from primaries 5, 6 and 7 participated in four ‘Learn to ride and look after your bike’ sessions, delivered by Deeside Thistle Cycling Club at Sport Aberdeen’s Northfield 3G pitch from 1500 to 1700 on 11 November, 25 November, 2 December and 9 December.
At the end of the fourth session, the children were each given a fully-funded, brand new bike to take home along with accessories including a helmet, lock, lights and gloves, and bike maintenance support.
The children will be able to use their bikes for active travel such as cycling to school, the shops or other short journeys, and experience the independence that cycling provides.
Michael Devine, Rock Up and Ride Coordinator at Scottish Cycling, said: “The Rock Up and Ride programme has been extremely successful in providing young people with the opportunity to be coached by our fantastic club coaches to help them develop a real love of cycling.
“It’s been a pleasure to provide these brand-new bikes to the young people of Aberdeen who will hopefully push on and participate in the sport for years to come as well as using their bike as a means to commute.
“I would like to extend my sincere thanks to both the Aberdeen Active Schools team and Deeside Thistle for all their hard work in organising and putting on the sessions. Hopefully this is the start of many more Rock Up and Ride sessions to take place in Aberdeen.”
Kathleen Fraser, Deeside Thistle Cycling Club Coach, said: “It has been extremely rewarding as a coach to help children learn to ride a bike and develop their cycling skills over a 4-week block of lessons.
“The children have grown in confidence and have been an absolute delight to coach, demonstrating enthusiasm and determination to learn a new skill. We know that they will enjoy riding with their friends and continue to have fun on bikes.”
Graeme Dale, Head of Sport and Active Communities at Sport Aberdeen, said: “We are delighted to be part of the Rock Up & Ride pilot programme – it is incredible that 32 children in Aberdeen have received their own free bike to use and maintain.
“It’s great to be working in partnership with Deeside Thistle Cycling Club and Scottish Cycling on this programme. I hope the children continue to enjoy cycling, reap the positive impacts that it brings and have lots of fun whilst riding!”
The first event of the 2023 North East Scotland Indoor Championships took place at Sport Aberdeen’s Aberdeen Tennis Centre from Friday 6 to Sunday 8 January, welcoming some high-level players from across Scotland.
Having started in 2008, the popular grade 3 open tournament has been running for 15 years and is organised by The North East of Scotland Lawn Tennis Association (NESLTA) and Tennis Scotland, with Vikki Paterson as the referee.
Sport Aberdeen is delighted to continue its support for the event, with its chairman Tony Dawson in attendance to present the trophies at the final on Sunday 8 January.
2019 tournament champion Bruce Strachan (Rubislaw Tennis Club) scooped the trophy and secured the men’s singles title after defeating his opponent Jed Alexander (University of Stirling) 6-3, 6-1.
Sorcha Caves of Newlands Tennis Club took victory against opponent Zoe Moffat (Giffnock Tennis Club) who had to retire in the second set due to a shoulder injury. Caves beat Moffat 3-6, 4-0 ret.
Tennis Scotland’s 14+ National Pathway Coach said: “It was great to see such a high-level event so early in the year. The TS Open Tour is a key part of player development for players over the age of 14 in Scotland. The North East of Scotland Open Championships is the first TS Open Tour Leader board Event of 2023.
“More details about the TS Open Tour can be found on the Tennis Scotland website or just search for ‘TS Open Tour’. We are looking forward to a high-quality tour this year and look forward to seeing some great tennis being played.”
Sport Aberdeen’s chairman, Tony Dawson, said:“It was fantastic to be at Aberdeen Tennis Centre on Sunday as a spectator and to present the trophies to club players Bruce, Jed, Zoe and Sorcha.
“It was an enjoyable experience to watch quality tennis matches whilst having the chance network with members of the tennis community.
“It is important that we raise the standard of competition in Scotland and provide regular local opportunities for players to compete – well done to the organisers.”
Andrew Fyfe, NESLTA President, said: “Thanks to all the competitors for making the event such a success, it really has got the year off to a really positive start. Also, a big thanks to our referee Vikki Paterson and the officials on duty, for ensuring everything went smoothly.”
The full list of results can be viewed here.
Award-winning charity Sport Aberdeen was delighted to host Judy Murray OBE and her team on Sunday 18 December at Aberdeen Tennis Centre for its free ‘Battle of the Brits’ tennis sessions.
From cardio tennis and adult beginners’ sessions to children’s skills challenges and more, a key theme of the day was to enable more people to get involved in tennis and realise that it is a sport for all.
Sport Aberdeen also had the privilege of welcoming tennis stars for a practice session in the evening of Wednesday 20 December at Aberdeen Tennis Centre ahead of the Battle of the Brits tournament the following day.
The tennis players at the practice session included Jamie Murray, Paul Jubb, Jack Draper, Dan Evans and Neil Skupski.
Battle of the Brits was an action-packed two days – 21 and 22 December – and the full tournament results can be seen here.
We are pleased to advise customers that all venues and programmes will be operating as normal from 9am today (Thursday 15 December).
For the opening hours of all venues please click here.
Customers visiting Tullos Swimming Pool are advised to take extra care on Ladywell Place approaching the swimming pool as conditions remain tricky on that road.
Due to the ongoing adverse weather warning, the following venues will have their opening time delayed until 09:00 on Thursday 15 December, for the safety of customers and staff:
- Get active @ Beach Leisure Centre
- Get active @ Jesmond
- Get active @ Northfield
- Get active @ Sheddocksley
- Linx Ice Arena
We will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates via our website venue pages and social media channels.
Thank you for your patience and understanding.
For the safety of our customers and staff, we are making the below changes to our operations and programmes today (Wednesday 14 December):
- The following venues will not open today:
- Get active @ Peterculter
- Get active @ Kincorth
- Get active @ Cults
- Get active @ Lochside
- Bridge of Don Swimming Pool
- All golf courses and outdoor pitches
Furthermore, the following venues have changed their opening hours:
- Get active @ Alex Collie will close at 14:30
- Aberdeen Tennis Centre will close at 15:00
- Tullos Swimming Pool will close at 16:00
- Bucksburn Swimming Pool will close at 16:00
- All other venues will close at 18:00
There will be no fitness classes after 16:00.
- All lessons and coaching programmes running after 15:30 today are cancelled. We will be in touch with customers directly with further information regarding this.
- All Active Lifestyles classes are cancelled, except for Pickleball at Get active @ Jesmond at 13:00 and Zumba Toning at Get active @ Alex Collie at 13:00.
Please note that these closure times are subject to change. If conditions worsen then venues may close earlier with updates posted to our website and social channels.
Please also be aware that all staff based at Head Office are working from home, so response times to calls and emails may be slightly delayed.
Based on the current forecast and Met Office Weather Warning, we expect further disruption into tomorrow. Please check our website venue pages and social media channels, or call the venue you plan to visit ahead of setting off, to check that the venue is open. Thank you for your patience and understanding.
Award-winning charity Sport Aberdeen recently trialled a six-week Nordic walking pilot course with a small group of six participants who already attend its Parkinson’s specific classes.
The aim of the pilot was to enable participants to learn the fundamental skills of Nordic walking, improve their leg strength and cardio vascular fitness, and improve the pattern of how they walk (gait).
It was delivered by two Nordic walking qualified instructors who completed additional Parkinson’s training – they designed and led the course – and the poles used were supplied by Sport Aberdeen.
The sessions lasted for 60 minutes and took place in the local Westburn and Victoria parks nearby the charity’s Get active @ Westburn venue.
The focus initially looked at technique and turns, then as the participants progressed, they took part in uphill and downhill walking, as well as more complex turns, intervals and medium-to-long duration walks using their newly acquired skills.
Each session finished with a strength circuit consisting of five exercises. These exercises were compound movements targeting all the major muscle groups.
One participant commented: “The class was small and personal, it was very enjoyable with just the right amount of instructions to gain more experience.”
Another participant said: “It has given me the confidence to attempt daily walks at home, I feel my length of stride has increased.”
Outcome measures were completed before the pilot and on week seven – results demonstrated that all participants improved their leg strength (tested by a sit to stand test in 30 seconds with repetitions).
A six-minute walk test was carried out and the group average increased by three laps – on week zero, the average group score was 49 laps, and this went up to an average of 52 laps by week seven, resulting in improved cardiovascular fitness.
Jonathon Lurie, who co-led the pilot said: “Having set aims for each weekly session enabled the participants to learn new skills and see their progress, which led to a high level of motivation and enjoyment.”
“With two instructors present, it gave us the capacity and flexibility to tailor certain movements for participants when required.”
Feedback was gathered after the pilot through a survey, with all six participants agreeing that six weeks was a suitable duration for the course, and they would attend a weekly Nordic walking group if it was set up.
Those with an interest in Nordic walking or working with individuals who have long-term health conditions are invited to get involved as volunteers. Sport Aberdeen will offer training and support to help get a permanent Nordic walking group up and running.
To find out further information or express an interest in volunteering, please email activelifestyles@sportaberdeen.co.uk
Award-winning charity Sport Aberdeen’s impressive new health and wellbeing venue Get active @ Northfield has been officially opened by The Lord Provost of Aberdeen, Councillor David Cameron.
The opening ceremony took place on Wednesday 30 November and welcomed over 60 guests to view the venue and hear from the Lord Provost and Sport Aberdeen Chairman, Tony Dawson.
The newly refurbished £4.8m venue – funded by Aberdeen City Council and Sport Aberdeen and supported by sportscotland’s highest value grant of £100,000 – opened its doors to the public on Monday 3 October.
It boasts a 25m swimming pool, 40-station gym and a studio offering a range of fitness classes for all ages and abilities, as well as community wellbeing space.
A thriving swimming lesson programme is in place at the venue with over 600 participants, ranging from babies to adults, and public swimming sessions are also well attended.
The excitement and buzz in the local community is evident, with one customer commenting: “The pool temperature is great and so clean, the gym is fab, and the staff have been brilliant each time we have been in.”
With over 700 new members already, it is clear that the local community of Northfield and surrounding areas are making good use of the facilities.
Dr David Cameron, Lord Provost of Aberdeen, said: “In the space of just two months, the city has embraced Get active @ Northfield.
“In providing a chance to enjoy all the fun and health benefits that sport brings, this is above all an investment in people and their wellbeing.”
Tony Dawson, Sport Aberdeen chairman, said: “It has been such a rewarding feeling to welcome the local community to their newly-renovated venue and it is great to see it being well-used so far.
“Through shared knowledge and resources from Sport Aberdeen, Aberdeen City Council and sportscotland, we are delighted to offer more opportunities for people across the city to get active and get involved in sport and physical activity.”
Mark Cowan, Head of Facilities at sportscotland, said: “Increasing the opportunities for more people to be able to access sport and physical activity is a priority for sportscotland and projects like Get active @ Northfield have a significant role to play in improving the lives of local communities.
“Working in partnership is the key to success in delivering the right facilities in the right places to really have an impact. It’s great to see our partners, Sport Aberdeen, working with local partners and the wider community to ensure that as many people as possible from a diverse range of backgrounds will benefit and be active.”
Award-winning charity Sport Aberdeen held its annual Chairman’s Awards Ceremony at Rev de Cuba in September, toasting to its employees and teams for all their hard work and commitment.
Each Employee of the Month was presented with a framed certificate from the charity’s chairman Tony Dawson, and colleagues continued the evening’s celebrations over some tapas and refreshments.
Norma Chalmers was crowned Employee of the Year for showing compassion and helping a member of the public on her way to work at Get active @ Kincorth.
The individual had sustained noticeable injuries but was adamant he would be fine to take the bus home, however Norma persuaded him to contact a family member to take him to hospital.
She waited until said family member arrived, helping to keep the individual calm with her friendly and reassuring manner.
Another member of the public appeared and was amazed by the level of care and compassion delivered by Norma and wanted to ensure she was given recognition by her employer.
The Team of the Year award went to the Get active @ Beach Leisure Centre team for their impressive effort to transform the former creche space into a new studio. The attractive studio space has proven popular with customers and members attending fitness classes, and every team member played a key role in the transformation.
Tony Dawson, Sport Aberdeen chairman, said: “It is so important to recognise and reward staff success, and the Sport Aberdeen Annual Chairman’s Awards is a great way to do so.
“I’m impressed by all the employees and teams who received certificates on the evening, demonstrating their outstanding contribution to the core values and purpose of Sport Aberdeen.
“I must also take a moment to appreciate that every employee across the charity plays their part in helping more people in Aberdeen to get active and for this they should be proud, as I certainly am.”
