2017 label design winner Daisy Rennie with Active Schools Coordinator Sam Main.
The countdown is on. There is only one week left to enter a competition to design the label which will appear on water bottles handed out at the BHGE 10k Running Festival this May. Entry Deadline for label designs is 12pm on Monday 12th March 2018.
Deeside Mineral Water, the official water partner of the BHGE 10K Running Festival, is running a competition for local children to design the label for the water bottles that will be handed out on race day to over four thousand runners.
Young people from schools across Aberdeen City are being called upon to design labels which will encourage children to drink more water and highlight the importance of staying hydrated.
This is the third year that Deeside Mineral Water have run the water bottle label design competition in partnership with Sport Aberdeen, with over 100 entries received from children across the city last year.
The winning design will be made into the water bottle label that will be handed out to everyone taking part in the BHGE 10k Running Festival on Sunday 20th May 2018.
The winning designer will have the chance to be part of the official 10k race start and be invited to attend a special tour of the Deeside Mineral Water facilities where they can see their label being applied on to the bottles.
The BHGE 10k Running Festival is the North East’s longest running road race and is organised by registered charity Sport Aberdeen in partnership with BHGE.
Jill Franks, Sport Aberdeen’s Director of Business Development, said:
“We have been hugely impressed by previous designs and are thoroughly looking forward to seeing more entries this year. Sport Aberdeen and Deeside Mineral Water are asking local children to think up new and inspiring ways to encourage their peers to drink more water and highlight the importance of staying hydrated, especially while running a race!
“This year we hope to see even more young people from across Aberdeen City and shire take on the challenge and get involved in this great opportunity and make a splash with their label designs!”
Managing Director of Deeside Mineral Water, Martin Simpson commented:
“For the last two years we have welcomed the winner to the factory at Ballater to see their label design come to life. As 2018 is Scotland’s Year of Young People we’re delighted to be launching this competition again, aimed at primary school children. It proved to be a great talking point with the runners on the day and we look forward to seeing what ideas the children create.”
Lesley McMullan, Marketing Specialist for BHGE said:
“As proud sponsors of the 10k we’re delighted that Deeside Mineral Water are running this competition for local primary schools again. It is a fantastic example to show that the BHGE 10k is a true community event and encourages people of all ages to have a healthier and more active lifestyle.”
For more information on how to enter click here.
Scan and email your entry to: bhge10k@sportaberdeen.co.uk or
Send you completed entry to:
Events Team
Sport Aberdeen
Broadfold House
Broadfold Road
Bridge of Don
Aberdeen AB23 8E
Thanks to the help of a Granite City volunteer, a brand-new netball club for young girls has been set up in the city.
The new ‘West End Netball Club’, for S1 girls from Harlaw Academy and Aberdeen Grammar, has been set up by Sport Aberdeen’s Active Schools Coordinators as there was nowhere for girls of this age in this area to take part in the popular sport.
Active Schools Coordinators approached Claire Pearson, a parent volunteer who previously ran the Active Schools netball for Ashley Road Primary. Claire agreed to take on the challenge and now helps to run the West End Netball Club.
The new club has also welcomed two senior Harlaw Academy pupils to take on a leading volunteering role having completed their leadership training through Active Schools.
The first session, at Harlaw Academy, saw 23 girls turn up and runs on a Monday evening from 8.30-9.30pm for S1 girls from Harlaw Academy and Aberdeen Grammar.
Jo Bell, Sport Aberdeen’s Director for Sport and Active Lifestyles, said:
“The long-term goal is for West End Netball to become a recognised netball club in the city which would allow for more age groups and schools to attend training and enjoy the sport.
“As a charity we rely heavily on volunteers giving their time to help keep Aberdeen’s communities active and give young people opportunities to take part in sport and physical activity.
“On behalf of Sport Aberdeen, I would like to thank everyone who volunteers with us. We are always looking for more people to get involved which in turn allows us to reach more people and changes more lives through sport and physical activity.”
Claire Pearson commented:
“The main reason I decided to volunteer is because as a young girl I played netball and it gave me so many life skills which have helped me throughout life, including confidence, working effectively in a team, friendships and general wellbeing.
“At West End Netball Club it’s great to see all the girls enjoying a team sport, making new friendships and enjoying physical activity. For me, if you have a skill or knowledge it great to share it with children who love to learn.”
Click here for more information on how to volunteer with Sport Aberdeen.
Colin Taylor, Sport Aberdeen chairman with Dean Philips Garthdee Alpine Sports (Aberdeen Snowsports Centre) chairman.
Following a review commissioned by Aberdeen City Council, Sport Aberdeen, Aberdeen Snowsports Centre and Adventure Aberdeen are set to merge.
The review has established that it would be both feasible and beneficial to the City Council to bring the organisations together, and that there would be significant service advantages as well as efficiencies.
Aberdeen Snowsports Centre and Adventure Aberdeen will be merged into the larger charitable structure of Sport Aberdeen, creating an organisation that can draw on expertise across sporting specialisms to offer a more dynamic range of services and optimising opportunities to get active in the City.
The first phase of the merger sees Sport Aberdeen & Aberdeen Snowsports Centre formally taking steps to amalgamate, with the Chairs of the Charities meeting recently to plan the integration. In a joint statement they commented:
“We are fully aware of the financial pressures faced by our partners Aberdeen City Council and we must do what we can to help support the Council with the challenges that lie ahead. We also need to ensure that what we offer is sustainable going forward and our coming together will be an important step in that direction.
“We have listened to the Council and studied the review’s findings carefully and we can see the benefits that this will deliver, along with the opportunity to combine our broad range of services and management expertise together.
Dean Phillips, Chair of Aberdeen Snowsports Centre said:
“As we work towards this aim, we wish to reassure all our snowsports and football customers, users, clubs and organisations that it will be business as usual for the foreseeable future. The same message has also been given to our staff and volunteers who support the delivery of the many programmes. We have much to do behind the scenes and we will approach this with care and diligence to ensure the best possible outcome.”
Plans for the incorporation of the Adventure Aberdeen service are ongoing. The Council and Sport Aberdeen have established a Project Integration Team with the intention of completing a smooth transfer of staff and services by the end March 2018.
Commenting on the merger, Alistair Robertson, Managing Director of Sport Aberdeen said:
“Bringing the three organisations together makes sense and offers a number of advantages. I am confident that the merged services will be more efficient and effective in the way that they are planned, delivered and developed and we are all excited about the possibilities that lie ahead. We can really push on and make what we offer in Aberdeen the envy of Scotland.”
Aberdeen Judo Club this week welcomed Scotland’s gold medal winning sisters for a special one-off coaching session.
Sisters Louise and Kimberley Renicks, who are both Commonwealth gold medallists from 2014, led sessions with the junior and senior groups at the local club on Tuesday (20th February) at the Beach Leisure Centre.
Alongside their Commonwealth Games success, the siblings have competed at European and World level. Jean Davidson Aberdeen Judo Club Secretary said, “it was an honour for the Club to have them take the sessions”.
The Granite City Martial Arts club runs on a Tuesday and a Thursday for juniors and seniors. The junior session is for children up to the age of 13 years and the senior session accommodates ages 14 and upwards.
The night was a resounding success with over 50 participants turning up for the special session including those travelling from other judo clubs around the North East.
Jo Bell, Sport Aberdeen’s Director for Sport and Active Lifestyles, said:
“We were thrilled to welcome Louise and Kimberley to the Beach leisure Centre and to see such a strong turnout was great.
“Sport Aberdeen is committed to creating opportunities and inspiring people to take part in sport and through local clubs we can encourage more people of all ages and abilities to get active.”
Jean Davidson, Aberdeen Judo Club Secretary, said:
“Louise and Kimberly were fantastic and held everyone’s attention during both junior and senior sessions. It was an honour for the club to have them take the sessions.
“This is something we need to do more of and hopefully we will be able to have another session like this in the future. The turnout we had was amazing and I would like to thank the clubs present for their support.”
Aberdeen City Council has pledged to support a citywide transformational campaign aimed at getting more people more active in the North East.
The campaign, led by the Active Aberdeen Partnership (AAP), will champion a move to make 2018 the Year of an ‘Active City’, helping more people take part in sport and physical activity, creating better lifestyles and improving overall wellbeing.
Activate the City will strive to challenge national trends and create an active culture throughout Aberdeen, with a focus on impacting the health and social wellbeing of the Granite City’s communities whilst addressing overcoming barriers to participation.
Local communities will be called upon to help transform and encourage physical activity and sport engagement, with backing from strategic leaders, parents, teachers, friends and colleagues, helping to promote an active culture citywide.
The AAP is urging people to keep a look out as more information on this citywide campaign will be available soon which will give everyone the chance to pledge their support towards activating the city and helping to make Aberdeen healthier.
Tony Dawson, Active Aberdeen Partnership Chairman, said:
“Physical inactivity contributes to nearly 2,500 deaths a year in Scotland (1) and it is my hope that this is the beginning of a ground- breaking, transformational strategy, set to improve the health and wellbeing of the local population for years to come through embedding and celebrating an active culture citywide.
“Locals leaders have backed a drive to Activate the City, underling commitment to helping people take part in physical activity and sport, creating better lifestyles and improving wellbeing through being active more often.
“It is down to each and every one of us in Aberdeen to support the ambition to Activate the City and make Aberdeen the most active city in Scotland by 2020 by helping establish an active culture and making personal and organisational commitments to change.
“Everyone will soon have the chance to pledge to help Activate the City and work towards a healthier and happier Aberdeen together.”
Cllr Jenny Laing, Co-Leader of Aberdeen City Council, said:
“Aberdeen City Council is committed to ensuring every community thrives and giving individuals the opportunities to prosper in all aspects of their lives. Health and wellbeing underpins that ambition for the people of the city and we are delighted to support an initiative which will have a positive impact across the city.
Cllr Douglas Lumsden, Co-Leader of Aberdeen City Council, also commented:
“Through our events programme, which this year included the introduction of the Great Aberdeen Run and brought Tour Series Cycling to the north-east for the first time, we are making an investment in sport – both at elite level to encourage engagement but also crucially in opening up avenues for residents to participate.”
Golden Games Ambassadors
The Winter Golden Games were hosted at Westburn Outdoor Centre last Thursday (8th February), marking the launch of this year’s summer event and thanking those who work to bring the citywide games to life.
The Winter Golden Games, which launched last year, are delivered by the Active Aberdeen Partnership (AAP) and aim to get people aged 65 and over actively involved in physical activity regardless of age or ability.
The event also served as a thank you to the Golden Game Ambassadors for their continued support in developing, promoting and running the games, which has become a hugely successful and permanent fixture in Aberdeen’s sporting calendar.
The action-packed day included activities such as Boccia, Technogym, Pickleball, Health Walks and Seated Exercise, allowing new and regular Golden Games attendees to take part in physical activity.
The 2018 Golden Games will take place on Thursday 7th to Friday 15th June.
Tony Dawson, Active Aberdeen Chairman, commented:
“Physical activity has a hugely positive and lasting effect on overall health and wellbeing and taking part in sport is something that people of all ages and abilities can enjoy.
“The Winter Golden Games give us the perfect stage to recognise ambassadors and organisations who support the award-winning initiative, and I would like to thank each and every one of them on behalf of the Active Aberdeen Partnership.”
2017 label design winner Daisy Rennie with Active Schools Coordinator Sam Main.
Deeside Mineral Water, the official water partner of the BHGE 10k Running Festival, has launched a competition for local children to design the label for the water bottles that will be handed out on race day to over four thousand runners.
Young people from schools across Aberdeen City are being called upon to design labels which will encourage children to drink more water and highlight the importance of staying hydrated.
This is the third year that Deeside Mineral Water have run the water bottle label design competition in partnership with Sport Aberdeen, with over 100 entries received from children across the city last year.
The winning design will be made into the water bottle label that will be handed out to everyone taking part in the BHGE 10k Running Festival on Sunday 20th May 2018.
The winning designer will have the chance to be part of the official 10k race start and be invited to attend a special tour of the Deeside Mineral Water facilities where they can see their label being applied on to the bottles.
The BHGE 10k Running Festival is the North East’s longest running road race and is organised by registered charity Sport Aberdeen in partnership with BHGE.
Jill Franks, Sport Aberdeen’s Director of Business Development, said:
“We have been hugely impressed by previous designs and are thoroughly looking forward to seeing more entries this year. Sport Aberdeen and Deeside Mineral Water are asking local children to think up new and inspiring ways to encourage their peers to drink more water and highlight the importance of staying hydrated, especially while running a race!
“This year we hope to see even more young people from across Aberdeen City and shire take on the challenge and get involved in this great opportunity and make a splash with their label designs!”
Managing Director of Deeside Mineral Water, Martin Simpson commented:
“For the last two years we have welcomed the winner to the factory at Ballater to see their label design come to life. As 2018 is Scotland’s Year of Young People we’re delighted to be launching this competition again, aimed at primary school children. It proved to be a great talking point with the runners on the day and we look forward to seeing what ideas the children create.”
Lesley McMullan, Marketing Specialist for BHGE said:
“As proud sponsors of the 10k we’re delighted that Deeside Mineral Water are running this competition for local primary schools again. It is a fantastic example to show that the BHGE 10k is a true community event and encourages people of all ages to have a healthier and more active lifestyle.”
Entry Deadline for label designs is midday on Monday 12th March 2018.
Click on the links to download entry form and fact sheet. Active Schools Coordinators will also be handing out competition entry forms in schools.
Scan and email your entry to: bhge10k@sportaberdeen.co.uk or
Send you completed entry to:
Events Team
Sport Aberdeen
Broadfold House
Broadfold Road
Bridge of Don
Aberdeen AB23 8E
A Master’s student, studying at the University of Aberdeen, is set to present their work at a prestigious poster competition for early career science researchers held in Westminster.
Josefine Björkqvist has been selected for the STEM for Britain Awards, a prestigious series of poster competitions and exhibitions which are held in the House of Commons during British Science Week.
Josefine undertook an industrial placement year with Move More Aberdeen, an award-winning partnership project funded by Macmillan Cancer Support and delivered in partnership with Sport Aberdeen. The focus of her research during her time with Move More Aberdeen was to evaluate the long-term impact of exercise referral for people living with cancer.
Candidates will present frontier UK research within science, engineering, and mathematics to members of both Houses of Parliament on the 12th March 2018.
Josefine said:
“Advances in medicine mean that people diagnosed with cancer are living longer, however many experience long-term side-effects of the cancer and treatment. Being active not only reduces the side-effects of treatment but it has also been shown to improve survival for some types of cancer.”
“Move More Aberdeen has demonstrated a significant long-term increase in activity levels, a decrease in fatigue and improvement in quality of life for participants. The programme is a feasible model for integrating physical activity into routine cancer care.”
Jo Bell, Sport Aberdeen’s director for Sport and Active Lifestyles, said:
“This achievement is a true testament to Josefine’s hard work and commitment to improving the lives of people living with, and beyond, cancer and her drive to develop an innovative approach to achieving positive outcomes through physical activity.
“On behalf of Sport Aberdeen I would like to congratulate Josefine and wish her the best of luck at the competition.”
Macmillan Partnership Manager Joanne Adamson said:
“I am delighted that Josefine has been selected to present her work at Westminster. She has been key to establishing an innovative, person centred physical activity programme for people living with, and beyond cancer in Aberdeen, which has demonstrated great outcomes for people. On behalf of Macmillan Cancer Support and our Move More projects across Scotland we wish Josefine every success.”
As part of Ashley Road Primary School’s health week, Sport Aberdeen’s Active Schools coordinators arranged a sport ‘Taster Day’.
The action-packed sessions took place at the Beach Leisure Centre and the Linx Ice Arena and saw almost 50 primary 7 pupils attend the event.
Each pupil received a 30-minute taster of the following, alongside an ice skating session at the Linx Ice Arena.
- Badminton delivered by badminton Scotland
- Netball delivered by Netball Scotland
- Volleyball delivered by Aberdeen Grammar School Volleyball Club
- Basketball delivered by Panthers Basketball Club
- 45 minutes ice skating at the Linx Ice Arena
For more information on Active Schools Aberdeen, click here.
Challenge seekers of all ages and abilities are being urged to come forward for the chance to be part of a team to take part in the BHGE 10k Running Festival.
Registered charity Sport Aberdeen is on the lookout for 10 people to join their #naeexcuses team and take on the BHGE 10k Running Festival 2018 which will take place from Aberdeen’s Beach Boulevard on Sunday 20th May.
The chosen #naeexcuses team ambassadors will be selected by a Sport Aberdeen panel and will be given free entry to the race alongside ongoing advice and support from the charity’s Health and Wellness team including a 10-weeks to 10k training plan.
Alongside the 10k and children’s 2k challenges, the running festival is the only event in Aberdeen to offer wheelchair road races, allowing people of all abilities to come together and take part in physical activity.
The BHGE 10k Running Festival is the North East’s longest running road race and each year attracts thousands of participants from all over the country whilst raising money for deserving charities.
Jill Franks, Sport Aberdeen’s Business Development Director, said:
“Sport Aberdeen is calling on real people who want to set themselves a goal, whether that is beating a personal best or taking part in any of our races for the very first time. The #naeexcuses team will bring together ambassadors of all ages and abilities to take on in Aberdeen’s longest standing running event.
“Each year we are overwhelmed by the support given to the event from the community. It’s an important part of Sport Aberdeen’s commitment to creating opportunities and changing lives through sport and physical activity and this year we want to inspire you to take on a new challenge.
“The BHGE 10k Running Festival is set in the heart of the community and we are proud to run an event which gives people of all abilities the chance to take part in the long-standing race.”
Are you finding it difficult to find motivation to train? Nervous to do your first ever race? Looking for advice and support in overcoming life and health concerns and obstacles, or even looking to take on a challenge to raise money for a cause that is close to your heart? If this sounds like you then click here to submit your application to our team.