Sport Aberdeen is still on a high after receiving national recognition at the ukactive Awards held at the International Convention Centre in Birmingham on 30 June. ✨
At the glittering ceremony, the award-winning charity was Highly Commended in the Healthy Communities category.
This category recognised organisations who inspire the wider community to make physical activity a part of its DNA, using their specific needs to shape initiatives and deliver significant results.
Sport Aberdeen’s Active Lifestyles Referral programme was celebrated for having a remarkable impact on many individuals, allowing them to exercise safely and experience the benefits of being active to help manage their condition and overall health.
Graeme Dale, Head of Sport and Active Communities, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to be highly commended at a national level for the work that we do.
“Giving back and improving the lives of those in the local community is the lifeblood of what we do here at Sport Aberdeen, so it is great to receive recognition for our efforts.”
Sport Aberdeen was crowned winner of the ‘Community Impact’ award at last night’s Elevator Awards ceremony, recognising the registered charity’s commitment to giving back to the local community and its contribution to society.
In front of a packed audience at Ardoe House Hotel, Sport Aberdeen’s targeted community initiatives including its SPACE programme (working with care experienced children and young people) and Active Lifestyles programme (supporting individuals with long term health conditions) were highlighted.
Presenting the award, Polly Barnfield OBE, CEO of category sponsor Maybe* said:
“All of the submissions were very strong, detailing a broad range of activity and engagement. Sport Aberdeen ultimately demonstrated the strongest collective community impact over a very challenging period for both the business and the wider community, as well as exciting and wide-ranging plans for the future.”
Graeme Dale, Sport Aberdeen Head of Sport and Active Communities, commented:
“We are absolutely thrilled to receive this recognition for the work that we do. What sets Sport Aberdeen apart from other leisure providers is that every penny we make is reinvested back into our local communities. This means that we can work with specific groups to ensure that everyone, regardless of age, gender, ability or background, can experience the positive, life changing impact of participation in sport and physical activity. I would like to take the opportunity to thank all the partner organisations that we work with who help to support these projects, and our staff right across the charity who work tirelessly to create opportunities, inspire people and change lives.”
Pictured (Left – Right): Alistair Robertson, Managing Director; Andrinne Craig, Healthy Communities Manager; Mark Durden-Smith, Elevator Awards Host; Kim McRobbie, Inclusion Manager; Sarah Gray, Head of Marketing & Commercial Development; Gary McEwan, Elevator Chief Executive.
- GCU teams up with Sport Aberdeen to launch new ProActive Minds programme to help support children and young people’s mental health
- Innovative new programme will see a sport and exercise psychologist supporting children and young people’s mental health through the Active Schools initiative
- Programme has backing from The Wood Foundation, sportscotland, Aberdeen City Council Education Department and SAMH
Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU) has teamed up with Sport Aberdeen to develop a new ProActive Minds programme, designed to promote mental and physical health in children and young people across the city.
To develop the ProActive Minds programme, GCU and Sport Aberdeen have secured Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) funding of £173,000 and will be recruiting a sport and exercise psychologist to become a KTP Associate and drive the project forward.
Charitable trust The Wood Foundation is funding Sport Aberdeen’s contribution towards the programme, and the programme has full backing from sportscotland, Aberdeen City Council’s Education Department and mental health charity Scottish Association for Mental Health (SAMH).
The two-year ProActive Minds programme, led by Sport Aberdeen and Dr Bryan McCann from GCU’s Department of Psychology, will embed a sport and exercise psychologist within the Active Schools team in Aberdeen.
The national agency for sport, sportscotland, works in partnership with all 32 local authorities to invest and support the Active Schools Network. GCU and Sport Aberdeen have ambitious plans to develop and research the ProActive Minds programme to be rolled out nationally.
Dr McCann, ProActive Minds project Knowledge Base Supervisor, will monitor the effectiveness of the project to support wider rollout, help develop resources and activities to upskill Sport Aberdeen staff, and support the new KTP Associate.
KTP is a government funded scheme designed to bring industry and world-class academia together. KTPs have been helping businesses innovate for growth since 1975. There are now around 800 businesses, 100 knowledge bases and over 800 graduates involved in KTPs.
Dr McCann, who is also a Chartered Sport and Exercise Psychologist, and researcher and Senior Lecturer in the School of Health and Life Sciences, forged close links with Sport Aberdeen while lecturing at Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen.
He led a range of award-winning projects including the Aberdeen Youth Games and the RGU GO: India initiative, and has given psychological support to Olympic and other high-profile sport athletes. He has worked closely with Sport Aberdeen and its Active Schools team for the past 10 years.
Dr McCann said: “There is an increasing need to support children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing. Physical activity is one way to do this. I feel strongly that sport and exercise psychologists are uniquely positioned to work in the overlapping space between physical activity and mental health, and that is where this project idea started.
“Sport Aberdeen is a charity and we put in the bid for funding based on there being lots of opportunities for Sport Aberdeen to increase its revenue.
“There are lots of societal benefits because if you have young people who are more active and have better mental health, there is a significant long-term cost saving to taxpayers in terms of health, education and social interaction.
“We need to employ a KTP Associate to develop the programme and through the KTP they will be able to develop their skills as well. The vast majority of KTP Associates end up being retained by the business as a staff member.
“Sport Aberdeen houses the Active Schools team. The Proactive Minds KTP Associate will be a qualified sport and exercise psychologist who will go in and work on the overlap between physical activity and mental health where we feel we can make a real contribution.
“There is a real opportunity here to develop the KTP in the future to have roles such as community sport and exercise psychologists across the whole Active Schools Network.
“Three prongs of the Proactive Minds programme are developing resources, upskilling staff and volunteers, and also giving one-to-one support for children and young people.
“At the end of the two years, there will be a Proactive Minds package of intervention that can be replicated in other areas or funded to be rolled out elsewhere.”
Graeme Dale, Head of Sport and Active Communities, said: “We are really excited to champion this innovative and unique ProActive Minds programme which is a first of its kind in the country.
“The programme presents a huge potential as it opens up a new avenue for working with sport and exercise psychologists so they can apply their skills and knowledge in an environment to benefit the mental health of children and young people who are in need.
“Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, there is ample evidence which demonstrates the positive impact that regular participation in sport and physical activity has on improving mental health.
“Having the sport and exercise psychologist as part of the Active Schools team in Aberdeen will allow others in the organisation to be trained and learn from them.
“We champion mental health at the core of our programmes, and we hope that there is the potential for this ProActive Minds programme to be rolled out nationally across other local authority areas if it is successful.”
Ali MacLachlan, UK Director at The Wood Foundation, said: “We are interested in innovative, scalable solutions which seek to address some of the complex social challenges facing our communities.
“The Proactive Minds pilot has potential to deliver long-term transformational change in terms of young people’s health and wellbeing in the North-east, and, in time, be replicated nationally. We look forward to seeing how this develops and the positive impact it can deliver for children and families.”
At the most recent meeting of Sport Aberdeen’s board of directors, the decision was reluctantly taken to temporarily decommission the leisure pool at Get active @ Beach Leisure Centre. This will take effect towards the end of August, with the pool open throughout the school summer holidays. The rest of the centre will remain fully operational.
Sport Aberdeen Managing Director, Alistair Robertson, stated;
“Sadly, the company is facing unprecedented and unsustainable rises in energy costs which are approaching £0.5million and the board had to take action to protect the rest of our network of sports centres and swimming pools. It is widely known that the flume slides and wave machine features have continually failed to the point that they are no longer operable.
“Leisure operators throughout the UK are facing a crisis with many swimming pools closing because of rising energy costs. We have not taken this decision lightly, however with Get active @ Northfield due to open late summer we know we will be able to move the vast majority of our programme of swimming lessons to other pools across the city. All staff affected will have their jobs secured at other venues and the management team is working hard to ensure that there is a smooth transition of lessons to other facilities.
“We will review the position in the spring with the hope that the situation will have eased and we will be able to reopen the pool at that time. We very much look forward to the ongoing development of the Beachfront Masterplan and the new leisure offer that this will bring.”
Councillor Alex Nicoll, co-leader of Aberdeen City Council commented;
“We fully appreciate the pressures facing Sport Aberdeen and everyone else who runs swimming pools across the city. We understand that this is a pragmatic decision in exceptional times. If energy pressures ease, we hope that the pool will reopen in the spring.”
All participants in the Learn to Swim programme based at Get active @ Beach Leisure Centre have been contacted directly to advise that the learn to swim team is working very hard to plan the reallocation of all swimming lessons which are running at Get active @ Beach Leisure Centre to other pools in the city. We will be in touch with participants again later this month to begin the process of relocating lessons.
Further information on the impact of the energy crisis on the leisure industry can be found here.
Award-winning charity Sport Aberdeen bolsters its team with the recent appointment of Chief Instructor at Adventure Speyside, Tom Oxtoby.
Having a keen interest in outdoor pursuits from a young age, Tom obtained a BA (Hons) Outdoor Education in the Community degree from the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow in his early career.
Now with more than 30 years’ industry-relevant experience, Tom has worked at destinations including Blairvadach Outdoor Education Centre and centres based in Loch Lomond.
To add to his endeavours, he spent eight years working abroad at a summer camp in New Hampshire as Programme Director, showing 8 to 15-year olds the ropes with outdoor activities such as swimming and canoeing.
There is no doubt that Tom brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to his new role, based at Sport Aberdeen’s Adventure Speyside venue on a fulltime basis.
He has ambitious plans for the outdoor activity centre – which is situated in the heart of the Cairngorms and reopened in April this year. It offers activities including gorge walking, mountain biking, abseiling and rock climbing, to name a few.
Commenting on his appointment, Tom said: “I am really excited to embark on this new chapter of my career.
“I have a hunger for adventure and a passion for the outdoors, and I love sharing the experience with others so they can reap the benefits.
“Strathspey is a beautiful area of Scotland – it is my aim to attract new people to try new adventurous activities and enjoy all that is on offer.
“Whether it’s a corporate team building day out, a long weekend excursion for a group of adults or a school residential trip, Adventure Speyside has an array of bespoke packages to meet specific needs.”
Sport Aberdeen’s intake for its next 13-week course to become an outdoor activity instructor is also fast approaching, taking place from Monday 27 June to Friday 16 September. Accommodation is provided and participants will receive training towards seven National Governing Body qualifications. Further information and expressions of interest should be sent to adventureaberdeen@sportaberdeen.co.uk
Award-winning charity Sport Aberdeen has kickstarted a dynamic new partnership with Denis Law Legacy Trust and its flagship programme, Streetsport.
Streetsport, delivered in partnership with Robert Gordon University, aims to improve the lives of young people through free week-nightly sports and creative activity sessions across Aberdeen City.
The new collaboration will see Sport Aberdeen provide free access to its 3G pitches at both Lochside Academy Astro and Northfield Bill Burr Astro for Streetsport to deliver its weekly Friday night sessions.
The partnership will run until March 2023, enabling Denis Law Legacy Trust to plan forward and ensure the youngsters in their respective areas will continue to have access to free sporting facilities into next year.
Both charities play a key role in the local community, helping to inspire more children and young people to get active and have a positive impact on their lives through the power of sport.
Tony Dawson, Sport Aberdeen chairman, said: “The new partnership provides exceptional synergies as both Sport Aberdeen and Streetsport are committed to creating opportunities for young people to take part in sport and physical activity.
“We look forward to working more closely with Streetsport and supporting each other with future opportunities.”
Alistair Findlater, Denis Law Legacy Trust chairman, said: “We’re very grateful to Sport Aberdeen for their continued support and partnership. In a climate of spiralling costs for many, being able to host Streetsport sessions and offer free sport to young people across the city is so important.
“Having free access to the Astro pitches means we can deliver these sessions to the best of our ability with added staff and sporting equipment to provide a safe and enjoyable environment for our participants.”
Image: L-R Mark Williams, Chief Operating Officer, Denis Law Legacy Trust, Alistair Findlater, Chairman, Denis Law Legacy Trust and Tony Dawson, Chairman, Sport Aberdeen
Congratulations to Active Schools Coordinator, Katrina Carr, who won the ITF Taekwon-Do European Championships in Porec, Croatia.
Katrina competed in the -56kg senior female sparring division with her coach, Mark Boydell. At the competition, she had five bouts with wins against competitors from Poland, Spain, Romania and Italy.
Forming part of the ITF Scotland National Taekwon-Do team, Katrina has now scooped the ITF -56kg European Champion title. This is her 5th European Title and she also currently holds the -56kg World Champion title.
Having started Taekwon-Do at nine years old, Katrina holds her 3rd degree blackbelt. She has been training for 15 years with Boydell Blackbelt Academies based in Laurencekirk and has competed for Scotland since 2012.
Commenting on her accomplishment, Katrina said: “I’m still on a high after becoming the European Champion at the ITF Taekwon-Do Championships in Croatia.
“I’m really passionate about Taekwon-Do and committed to my training, so this is a fantastic achievement for me! “I have to thank my coaches, family and friends for their support and Sport Aberdeen for granting me paid leave to compete.”
Twenty-five individuals from Special Olympics GB’s World Winter Games team gathered in Aberdeen to take part in a weekend of fun and celebration from Friday 20 May to Sunday 22 May.
The assembled team of 10 alpine skiers and five ice skaters (plus four management and six coaches) were due to compete in the Special Olympics World Winter Games which were supposed to be held in Kazan, Russia in January 2023.
In what would have been the pinnacle of the Special Olympics GB winter sports calendar, sadly Special Olympics International took the decision to cancel the Games when the war in Ukraine started earlier this year.
The team faced additional setbacks including the postponement of the Games due to the Covid-19 pandemic and a change of venue prior to that.
Laura Davies, Assistant Head of Delegation for the Special Olympics GB World Winter Games team explains: “Given the many setbacks this fantastic team have had to go through, it felt only right to get together to have a weekend of fun to celebrate their journey from selection to this point.
“Throughout the last two years, our athletes have never stopped training and doing their best under very stressful and difficult circumstances. Training at home on their own via Zoom and being creative in venues other than ice-rinks and ski-slopes during lockdown, their resilience and determination to give it their all throughout has been truly amazing. Huge thanks to the management and coaching team who have been fantastic throughout. Huge thanks also to our families for their continued support during this time.”
With the sun shining, Saturday was the big day with a packed schedule full of fun activities and wellness sessions in the morning. In the afternoon, the ice-skaters had the opportunity to perform their World Games routines in front of the skiers. And as they changed venues, the skiers got a chance to take part in some races and show off their skills to the ice-skaters.
Scottish Olympian freestyle skier, Kirsty Muir also made a special guest appearance as she spent time with our athletes, watching them race and demonstrated her amazing freestyle skills. Kirsty is no stranger to the local Special Olympics Grampian athletes and often trains at the same time as them.
Kirsty Muir said: “I’m a big fan of Special Olympics Grampian and what they do. I often watch the local athletes training while I’m at the Snowsports Centre. To meet the rest of the World Winter Games team and watch them in action was a real pleasure. It’s such a shame the team couldn’t compete at the World Winter Games in Kazan, especially given how hard they trained during the pandemic, but these guys are brilliant and it’s fantastic the athletes were able to get together and celebrate their achievements so far.”
With activities centred around the Adventure Aberdeen Snowsports Centre ski slope and Linx Ice Arena, Sport Aberdeen has been fantastic in its support of Special Olympics GB throughout the World Winter Games training by providing free access to venues, transport and pro-bono Communications support on the ground. All of which made the Special Olympics GB training weekends possible.
Bob Thow, Alpine Skiing Head Coach for Special Olympics Grampian said: “Huge thanks to Sport Aberdeen for their incredibly generous support. Training for a Special Olympics World Winter Games is never easy, but Sport Aberdeen have stepped up on several occasions and we are very grateful to them. Watching our athletes grow in confidence and develop their skills and friendships through their participation in sport is wonderful to be involved with and Sport Aberdeen regularly play a key role in making this happen.”
Graeme Dale, Head of Sport and Active Communities at Sport Aberdeen, said: “After the setbacks faced by the Special Olympics GB team, it was our pleasure to host and welcome them to our venues Linx Ice Arena and Adventure Aberdeen Snowsports Centre.
“It was great to see the action-packed schedule come to life at the weekend and we were delighted to work in partnership with the Special Olympics GB team to make this happen. A huge well done to the athletes involved for their hard work and dedication to training – it definitely paid off!”
Aberdeen-based indoor adventure park Jump In recently hosted its inaugural rebound and trampoline festival for pupils with additional support needs (ASN).
A collaborative partnership between Sport Aberdeen’s Active Schools team, Live Life Aberdeenshire’s Active Schools team, Grampian Disability Sport, Scottish Disability Sport and Jump In brought the event to life, after it had been postponed from April 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The event itself took place on Wednesday 27 April, with a morning session from 1015 to 1200 and an afternoon session from 1230 to 1400.
86 pupils with additional support needs gathered from across the city and shire for the festival, which was completely free to attend.
Grant Wilson, Active Schools Operations Manager at Sport Aberdeen, said: “This festival demonstrates the positive impact of partnership working – bringing new activity opportunities to children and young people with additional support needs across the city and shire.
“The smiles on their faces told the whole story; it was clear they had lots of fun and thoroughly enjoyed themselves.”
Sport Aberdeen has been shortlisted for the Healthy Communities award at this year’s ukactive Awards.
The organisation is in the running for one of the industry’s biggest accolades, as trade body ukactive recognises the very best in the physical activity sector.
Held in partnership with Active IQ, the shortlist for the ukactive Awards 2022 includes fitness and leisure operators of all sizes, local councils, prominent suppliers, leading universities, sports bodies, and charities.
Placing community focus at the forefront of everything it does, Sport Aberdeen’s entry focused on its unique Active Lifestyles Referral Programme (ALRP). The programme offers specialist classes across Aberdeen, specifically designed for people living with a range of health conditions including cancer, arthritis, stroke, breathing conditions and those at risk of having a fall.
The winners will be announced at a glittering awards ceremony at the International Convention Centre in Birmingham on Thursday 30 June, with hundreds of leaders from the worlds of fitness, health, leisure and sport expected to attend.
“We are delighted to be shortlisted for the Healthy Communitiesaward in this year’s ukactive awards.
“Giving back and improving the lives of those in the local community is the lifeblood of what we do here at Sport Aberdeen, so it is great to receive recognition for our efforts.”
Graeme Dale, Head of Sport and Active Communities at Sport Aberdeen
Huw Edwards, CEO of ukactive, said: “We are delighted but not surprised by the number of incredible entries and stories we have received for this year’s ukactive Awards, which is testament to the unquestionable resilience and innovation within our sector.
“We are extremely proud of all of our members, who have worked so hard in rebuilding the sector and our nation’s health following the challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Congratulations to all the finalists and we look forward to seeing celebrating our industry at the awards ceremony this summer.”
Jenny Patrickson, Managing Director at Active IQ, said: “I’m delighted to see this year’s awards attract such a strong field of entries and send my congratulations to all the finalists.
“The standard has been very high once again this year and I would like to thank everyone who took the time and effort to put forward their entry for consideration.
“Active IQ is proud to once again be the headline sponsor for the ukactive Awards and we’re particularly looking forward to seeing everyone in person at this year’s event. Ahead of that, I wish all the finalists the best of luck for the next stage of judging.”
Join us at the ukactive Awards 2022 in Birmingham on Thursday 30 June.
