Sport Aberdeen has been shortlisted as a finalist in the ‘Staff Matter’ category at the Northern Star Business Awards 2019.
Organised by the Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce (AGCC), the Northern Star Business Awards recognises companies across the North East for their exceptional accomplishments in pioneering innovation and outstanding customer service to excellence in people development, environmental outlook and marketing prowess.
Sport Aberdeen has been shortlisted as a finalist in the ‘Staff Matter’ category which recognises organisations who take care of their people, so their people take care of their business.
Through investing in the personal and professional development of its people, Sport Aberdeen continuously enhances the scope of services offered to local communities, delivering its overarching commitment to continuous improvement as part of its aim of delivering excellence in all that it does.
Sport Aberdeen has grown into an award-winning charitable organisation which offers rewarding and fulfilling careers in the sport and physical activity sector and also in our business corporate support functions, offering career opportunities for local people who are interested in giving something back to their local communities.
Nickie Scorgie, Head of Human Resources and Organisational Development, commented:
“We are delighted that Sport Aberdeen has been shortlisted as a finalist in the Staff Matter category. Sport Aberdeen is committed to developing its employees who are recognised as key to the success of the company.
“Without each and every member of staff we would not be able to continue to deliver the incredible work that the charity does. We aim to create opportunities, inspire people and change lives through sport and physical activity, whether this is employees, customers or members of the local communities we work within.
“Sport Aberdeen prides itself on being far more than just a sport and leisure provider.”
A pioneering group of young people from schools across Aberdeen celebrated a staggering number of attendees at a local event aimed at getting more girls physically active.
The all-girls event was run by The Active Girls Committee, facilitated by Sport Aberdeen’s Active Schools team, whose main aim is to increase physical activity amongst girls by 10% by the end of school year 2019/20.
The event, now in its second year, took place on Friday 7 June at Aberdeen Sports Village and saw almost 300 girls from 11 citywide secondary schools attend the annual girl’s celebration. The event consisted of various activity stations which the girls took part in, encouraging them and their peers to engage in physical activity, breaking down barriers and building self-confidence.
Commenting, Keith Gerrard, Director of Healthy and Active Communities with Sport Aberdeen said:
“Since launching in 2016 the Active Girls Committee, with ongoing support from Sport Aberdeen’s Active Schools Coordinators, has gone from strength to strength. From winning a prestigious Community Leisure UK award, to the mention of the pioneering work in parliament, the initiative is very much an active catalyst for positive change within out city and the wider area.
“The energy and commitment shown by each and every member of the committee is astounding, and they are undoubtedly inspiring more of their peers to get more active, with participation from girls in Aberdeen City schools significantly increasing.
“I am sure the committee has a very active and successful year to look forward to.”
Aimee Work, Active Girls Committee Chairperson, also commented:
“The event marked a great ending to an amazing busy year where we have achieved so much as a committee.
“We have so much to look forward to going into the next academic year as we look to focus our efforts on the transition period from girls going from primary to secondary schools. Organising events within local primary schools will be a goal of ours so that girls are aware of who we are before moving up to academies.
“Furthermore, we are slowly expanding the number of members on the committee and hope to offer many leadership programmes for the girls to be put through as well as inspiring more girls to get involved in leadership roles.”
Stars of ITV’s Dancing on Ice, Mark Hanretty and Alex Murphy are due to make their much-anticipated return to the North East ice this July.
Building on the huge success of last year’s event in the city – the TV skaters are coming back to take part in the 2019 Summer Skating Spectacular at Sport Aberdeen’s Linx Ice Arena on Sunday 7 July.
The skating showcase will be the centrepiece of a day that also includes a series of workshops for juniors and adults – allowing skaters of all ages and abilities to receive, invaluable, expert advice from the two professional ice dancers who have competed and won medals for their respective countries at a championship level. There will also be a Family Fun Disco and a meet and greet opportunity with Mark and Alex.
Jon Behari, Learn to Skate Coordinator and NISA Level 2 Coach and Choreographer said:
“We are delighted to welcome Mark and Alex back to the Linx Ice Arena. Last year was a storming success and everyone that took part, Mark and Alex included, were very eager to return to do it again.
“The event provides a great insight into the number of paths available within ice skating and we hope it will encourage some spectators to come back and give it a try.”
Speaking on behalf of Alex and himself, Mark Hanretty said:
“We can’t wait to return to Aberdeen to work together for the skate spectacular!
“We were so impressed by the number and standard of the skaters at last year’s event and we are excited to see their improvements 12 months on.
“It’s always a pleasure for us to perform as a team and I’m proud to have chance to share my home country with Alex in front of a wonderfully welcoming Scottish crowd.“
The Summer Skating Spectacular will take place on Sunday 7 July. Discounted early bird tickets are on sale now and cost £6.00 for children and £10.00 for adults, with family tickets also available. With a limited number of places, book now to guarantee an exciting day on the ice with our stars! www.sportaberdeen.co.uk/summer-skating-spectacular
The future of Aberdeen’s Sports Awards has been secured after the Evening Express agreed to take on the event.
This year will be the 26th edition of the annual ceremony recognising the Granite City’s sporting heroes, from world-class athletes to the many clubs, coaches and volunteers in the community.
The Active Aberdeen Partnership (AAP) – who lead sport and physical activity in the city – have run the awards previously, but were forced to prioritise other areas, leaving the event with an uncertain future.
However, they will now go ahead on Thursday October 3 at P&J Live – Aberdeen’s new exhibition and conference centre.
Evening Express editor Craig Walker said: “The Evening Express has been a key partner in the sports awards since Alistair Robertson and his team at Sport Aberdeen approached the paper and we became media partners, helping promote the event and its different award categories and lifting the event to become the standout night to celebrate north-east sporting success.
“Thanks to the many sponsoring partners and the organisations that make up the AAP, it really has gone from strength to strength.
“The Evening Express champions local sport, from grassroots to elite, from schools competitions to world and Olympic level and the awards are a perfect fit for us.
“We look forward to continuing our excellent relationship with the AAP and we’re looking forward to taking Aberdeen’s Sports Awards to the city’s new event complex at P&J Live on October 3 for what will be the first event of its kind in the venue.
“We are also delighted to welcome our headline sponsors Fantastic Fanatics.”
The awards in their current form were established in 1994, when the Aberdeen City Council, Chris Anderson Trust and Sports Council awards were brought together in one ceremony.
In recent years, the main Sports Achiever of the Year prize has been dominated by athletes who’ve excelled on the international stage.
Sprinter Zoey Clark has won two years in a row as a result of relay medals at the World Championships and World Indoor Championships.
Before Clark, household names recognised include paracyclist Neil Fachie, canoeist David Florence and rower Katherine Grainger, as well as swimming sensations Robbie Renwick and Hannah Miley.
Speaking on behalf of the AAP, Alistair Robertson, managing director of Sport Aberdeen, said: “Over the last 25 years, Aberdeen’s Sports Awards have celebrated the city’s wealth of sporting talent and recognised the many clubs, coaches and volunteers that make an invaluable contribution to participation and community engagement.
“Championed in recent years by the AAP, I am now delighted to announce the awards will be taken forward by our commercial partners, the Evening Express, who will oversee the organisation and delivery of future editions of this important and highly valued event.
“I know the committed team at the Evening Express will do a fantastic job, continuing to shine a light on the sporting achievements at the heart of our city. From grassroots and community-driven sporting achievements, to those who progress to represent the north-east with pride on the national and international stage, all inspiring others to follow in their footsteps.
“We look forward to working closely with them to promote another exciting event in 2019.”
Nominations for this year’s awards are now open and close on Sunday August 4.
The categories and criteria for each section are listed to the right.
One big difference in the categories this year is the removal of the Disability and Junior Disability Sports Achiever of the Year sections.
Just like in 2017, when the separate Male and Female Sports Achiever of the Year prizes were combined, the judges have made this decision to promote inclusivity within sport.
Athletes’ will rightly be judged on levels of success within their own discipline, regardless of whether it is able-bodied or para competition.
Another difference is the separation of Coach of the Year into Community/Participation and Performance sections.
The aim of this is to give the judges the chance to recognise the people who have helped athletes achieve glory in elite competition, without ignoring those grassroots coaches – often volunteers – who dedicate their time to providing sporting opportunities to the Granite City public, young and old.
To nominate an individual or club you think are deserving of one of Aberdeen’s Sports Awards, visit www.aberdeenssportsawards.co.uk
An Aberdeen primary school has launched a fundraising drive to help kids living in poverty.
Staff at Kittybrewster School hope to raise cash to open up a sports clothes store for children.
The aim is to raise enough money to help children whose parents cannot afford sports gear.
The Kitty Kids Kits initiative was dreamed up by Jo Bell, the Active Schools co-ordinator at Kittybrewster.
She hopes to provide children with trainers, shorts and other sports clothing, in an effort to ‘remove the barriers to physical activity’.
Acting head teacher Ross Watson said:
“Our Active Schools co-ordinator Jo Bell is raising money for this.
“Jo is a valued member of staff at Kittybrewster – her commitment to the school community is evident through her desire to raise funds to support children who attend the school. Kitty Kids Kits is in addition to a range of initiatives at Kittybrewster to poverty-proof and close the poverty-related attainment gap.”
Jo has set up a GoFundMe page to raise the money which has already pulled in more than £1,000 of generous donations from members of the public.
Jo said:
“Kittybrewster Primary School is creating a Kitty Kids Kits sports equipment store to remove barriers to children’s participation in physical activity and sport.
“The store will provide free trainers, T-shirts, shorts and more specific kit where necessary.
“Participation in physical activity is crucial in the development of happy and healthy young people.
“It improves health and wellbeing outcomes, teaches valuable life skills and encourages social skills.
“International research suggests that enhanced health and wellbeing contributes significantly to improved school attainment.
“Therefore, the benefits are not limited to the games hall.
“All donations will go to the school and be used to purchase Kitty Kids Kits available to any child that requires it for school or extra-curricular activities.”
A popular sporting festival designed to get older adults active got off to a flying start this Wednesday.
Now in it’s 9th year, Aberdeen’s Golden Games which is delivered by the Active Aberdeen Partnership (AAP), launched it’s nine day programme of events with a Multi Activity Day at Aberdeen Sports Village.
The Multi Activity Day gave participants the platform to to try their hand at a wide variety of sports, games and activities which aimed to provide a small taster of what to expect from the diverse programming offered throughout the wider Golden Games festival.
Activities on the day included walking hockey, touch rugby, pilates as well as a walking challenge as part of the Big Fit Walk, where participants, chose the distance and took off in the overcast weather for a brisk stroll.
Alistair Robertson, spokesman for the Active Aberdeen Partnership, said:
“On behalf of the Active Aberdeen Partnership, I would like to thank each and every one of the ambassadors and organisations who support the initiative, for their part in bringing the citywide games to life.
“The Golden Games continues to grow year on year and the opening event never fails to showcase the eagerness amongst the older adult community to get out and try something new.
“This year’s programme is as varied as ever and we really cannot wait to see where it goes next.”
Sport Aberdeen has launched a new volunteer recognition initiative, to show appreciation to its volunteers and the dedication that they show to the organisation.
Volunteers are the backbone of Sport Aberdeen and the organisation is honoured to have hundreds of amazing volunteers who generously share their time, skills and experience to help Sport Aberdeen thrive in creating opportunities, inspiring people and changing lives.
The new Volunteer of the Month initiative – launched in conjunction with National Volunteer Week – will recognise an individual, team or group of volunteers each month, who have done something special or have really gone the extra mile.
Nickie Scorgie, Head of Human Resources and Organisational Development at Sport Aberdeen, is delighted to be introducing this initiative, stating:
“We actively recognise and celebrate outstanding achievements. The ‘Volunteer of the Month’ scheme will allow us to celebrate volunteer successes, recognise outstanding contributions and those who go that bit extra”
Alistair Robertson, Sport Aberdeen Managing Director, said:
“I simply cannot overstate the importance volunteers play in allowing Sport Aberdeen to achieve it’s aim of creating opportunities, inspiring people and changing lives.
“These volunteers are very often the people who are working directly within the communities in which we operate.
“We have found that our Employee of the Month initiative has been a great way to build moral and recognise the efforts of our staff and it’s only right that this same attention is given to our hard-working team of volunteers.”
For more information or to nominate a Sport Aberdeen volunteer, please visit: Volunteer of the Month Initiative
An inspirational Aberdeen teenager hopes to use her own experience of an eating disorder to promote physical activity.
Aimee Work, 15, suffered from the problem from the age of just 10.
It started as a dissatisfaction with her teeth but then grew into severe body image issues which led to the schoolgirl restricting her diet.
Despite a battle with her own mental health, Aimee made it to the other side – eventually volunteering with Sport Aberdeen’s Active Schools and serving as the chairwoman of the Active Girls committee.
Aimee, who has just left Hazlehead Academy, hopes her experiences can now help inspire a generation of youngsters to love themselves, as well as take up sport and physical activity as positive outlets.
Aimee, from Mannofield, volunteers at her former school, as well as the feeder primary schools Airyhall and Hazlehead.
Her first involvement in the committee was in her second year at school, after a PE teacher let her know about it being formed.
She said:
“They thought it would really benefit me.
“However, the real reason I wanted to be able to take part was, when I was about 10 years old, I suffered from an eating disorder.”
Aimee told the Evening Express she would under-eat and over-exercise in a bid to improve her view of herself.
She said:
“I lost a significant amount of weight, and it got to a point where my body couldn’t cope – both physically and mentally – with what I was putting it through.
“I was quite depressed and I broke down and revealed what I had been putting my body through.
“I really struggled to come to terms with how much I had damaged my body and the measures I went to.
“It was at that point I wanted to bring physical activity back into my life in a positive way.
“When I heard about the committee being set up, I knew I could use the determination and drive I had to ensure issues like self-confidence and body issues were being addressed.
“I think it’s really important that girls and young women are given the mental support they need at this really vulnerable age.
“It’s something Sport Aberdeen and the committee are really good at doing.
“Whenever we do talks or events, mental health is something we always try to address.”
The teen was told she was just a month away from being hospitalised with her disorder.
She said:
“That hit me really hard. I think at the time I was quite young and naive.
“I was aware of what I was doing but I just had this extreme self-hatred about how I looked, and a never-ending battle with my weight.
“It was an extreme focus on how much I ate and exercising as much as I could.”
Aimee now credits her commitment to being active with aiding her recovery, saying she is “in a much better place” and she tries to use her own experience to help others.
She said:
“I’ve completely turned around from what I went through a few years ago.
“We try to highlight the more emotional, social and mental things that come with physical activity, not just the health benefits.”
For her inspirational work with younger girls, Aimee was recognised at the glittering UK-wide Community Leisure awards in Manchester, which presented her with the outstanding volunteer award.
Having left Hazlehead Academy a few weeks ago, Aimee plans to head to college to study for Highers and her goal is to go on to university to train to become a nutritionist in the hopes of being able to promote healthy dieting.
Sport Aberdeen managing director Alistair Robertson said:
“I am absolutely thrilled for Aimee.
“It is fitting tribute for what she has achieved at such a young age and she is an ambassador the city should cherish.
“It is also recognition of the great work of the Active Schools team and the Active Girls Committee who work hard to get girls engaged in sport.”
A popular Aberdeen Walking Football project recently celebrated its third birthday. The project, a partnership between AFC Community Trust and Sport Aberdeen’s Beach Leisure Centre, has continued to grow and attract a wider range of participants.
Weekly footfall has increased year on year since its inception. Fourteen players attended the very first session in 2016.
Today, there are around 40 regular participants with over 118 people in total having attended. Over the three years the sessions have attracted participants ranging from the age of 35 to 72. Together they have clocked up almost 5,000 participation hours.
Sport Aberdeen’s Active Lifestyles Development Officer, Andrinne Craig said:
“It has been a delight to see the group go from strength to strength over the past 3 years.
“Its success is all thanks to the volunteers and players who have embraced walking football and created a fun, social and supportive environment to be active.
“We are pleased to work in partnership with AFC Community Trust to offer an opportunity for Football Fans In Training participants to continue their fitness journey in the Community.”
The project, coordinated by volunteers Stephen Harvey and Dougie Henderson, aims to provide people with a lower impact alternative to a standard football game, but with all the skill, fitness, fun and teamwork you would expect from a regular game.
Walking Football is a growing national sport amongst older participants, and these sessions operate an ‘open to all’ policy welcoming male and female players across a variety of ages, including those who have experienced injury or who are keen to return to physical activity after experiencing a long-term health condition.
David Smith, Senior Community Projects Officer at Aberdeen FC Community Trust said:
“It’s been great to work with Sport Aberdeen to enable this group of men and women, most of whom started their journey to become more active with Football Fans in Training, to stay active and connected in the community. Huge thanks must go to Stephen and Dougie for this commitment and helping the group week in week out, a credit to the city and the community.”
Aberdeen’s Golden Games, which is organised by the Active Aberdeen Partnership (AAP), started in 2011 with five activities and 80 participants. Such is the ever growing popularity of the games, by 2018 this ballooned to 89 activities held over ten days with 425 participants.
2019 sees the games enter it’s ninth year with it’s biggest and most diverse programme to date.
One activity which has been an integral part of the Golden Games since its inception is the Care Home Pentathlon which see’s residents from care homes across Aberdeen come together to compete in a series of five activities in a bid to win trophies and medals.
Hayley Buchan, Wellbeing Coordinator and Dementia Ambassador for the Aberdeen Health & Social Care Partnership said:
“The Care Home Pentathlon is such an important part of the Golden Games. It gives people, who may not be able to take part in the other activities on offer during the festival the chance to be a part of this inclusive event.
“It’s great to see care homes coming back year after year with their residents and staff. They take the games very seriously, but the room is always filled with laughter!
“It’s also great to see that the care homes continue these kinds of activities with their residents throughout the year. For them, this may be a one off event, but they continue to take part in activities in the care home and out in their local community”
Each year, residents take part in a variety of challenges which have included weightlifting, shoot and score and floor basketball.
Organised by Aberdeen Health and Social Care Partnership’s Wellbeing Team and supported by members of care staff and families, the residents take part in activities which are adapted to suit a wide range of abilities. Fun and laughter are plentiful along with a friendly but competitive spirit.
Anna Philip, Activity Coordinator Tor-Na-Dee Care Home has nothing but praise for the event. She said:
“Tor-Na-Dee residents have taken part in the Care Home Pentathlon since the very first event and have loved coming back year after year. it is important for our residents to meet other folk, to go out and experience a different location, they are over the moon with medals which are treasured for months after and the cup provides a focus of pride for the whole home.
“Self esteem and confidence increase and physical activity is shown to be not so hard as anticipated. It’s a high light of the year with everyone in the community, residents, relatives and staff anticipating success.”
2019’s Golden Games Care Home Pentathlon will take place on Thursday 6 June at Westburn Park.