Sport Aberdeen is delighted to be a finalist in the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion category of the esteemed 2024 ukactive Awards.
The occasion marks one of the most anticipated moments in the physical activity sector’s calendar, being the biggest awards ceremony of its kind.
Entries were received from organisations, operators and suppliers across the public and private sectors.
Sport Aberdeen’s entry focused on its Football for All programme – a unique and innovative targeted project for New Scots in Aberdeen to participate in weekly five-a-side football sessions.
Football for All is designed to fulfil aims and objectives as set out by the Scottish Government’s ‘New Scots Refugee Integration Strategy: 2024’.
The strategy has six outcomes and the main one the project focuses on is to ensure ‘New Scots can pursue their ambitions through education, employment, culture and leisure activities in diverse communities.’
So far, the project has had:
- Over 100 distinct participants
- 65 pairs of football boots provided
- Over 80 attendees given full kit (jumper, t-shirt, shorts, socks)
- 80 hours of free football since October 2023
- Over 10 different nationalities attended
Mark Pain, Community Sport Manager at Sport Aberdeen, said: “It’s great news for us to be shortlisted in the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion category.
“We’re proud of the impact that Football for All has had on New Scots so far, giving participants a sense of self and community, as well as providing a safe space to enjoy a fun sport. Some players have even signed for amateur teams now.
“Jane who works for the Asylum and Refugee Care (AARC) charity commented that the individuals taking part in football every week appear happier and more confident.
“Congratulations to the other finalists and we look forward to celebrating in October at the ceremony.”
Huw Edwards, CEO of ukactive, said: “This year we have seen the ukactive Awards reach a new level of competitiveness, giving our judges their toughest task yet to choose from such a fantastic range of entries and nominations.
“The ukactive Awards are the perfect opportunity to acknowledge the incredible work that individuals, organisations and partners do every day to keep the nation active and healthy and we can’t wait to welcome as many people as possible to celebrate with us on the night.”
Ali Beckman, STA’s President and the headline sponsor for the ukactive Awards, said: “This year’s finalists have all shown true innovation and creativity and should be congratulated. Their achievements and what they have done to help promote and advance the physical activity agenda is incredible, and we wish them all the best of luck through the second stage of the ukactive Awards.”
The full list of finalists can be found on ukactive’s website here. Winners will be announced at the ceremony taking place on Thursday 3 October 2024 at the International Convention Centre in Birmingham.
Local 21-year-old Aberdonian swimmer Toni Shaw recently travelled to Paris for the 2024 Paralympics to compete in the Women’s 400m freestyle S9.
Taking a moment to look back at where it all began, she said:
“My swimming journey all started out with Sport Aberdeen when I was very young as I went to swimming lessons with my older sister Alex at the Northfield Swimming Pool.
“After progressing through all the Learn to Swim levels, I was offered the opportunity to join a club.
“I joined Cults Otters, where my love for swimming fully started. I loved being in the pool and being around my friends at training!”
Toni’s love for the water and talent continued to flourish. She said:
“After being part of Cults Otters for many years being coached by Liz Riley, I moved up a level to COAST (now known as the University of Aberdeen Swim Team) and I have done some training and competing with them, as well as with another swimming club too.”
Following her recent trip to the Paralympics, Toni had suffered with an injury at the beginning of the year – and finished fifth in the Women’s 400m freestyle S9 at Paris La Defense Arena.
She said: “I was excited and nervous for Paris. It was such an honour to get to race there!
“Sadly, I injured my back at the start of the year so my training was a bit disrupted but I gave it everything in my first event in Paris.
“There’s a lot of pressure at big competitions and I do get very nervous, but speaking to family and friends really helps me and just having confidence in all the training I’ve done.
“My advice I’d give to anyone new to swimming would be to just enjoy it!
“Swimming has given me so many amazing friends and memories and I owe so much to the sport.”
At only 21 years old, Toni is an inspiration to all swimmers and has achieved incredible things in her career so far.
Sport Aberdeen wishes her the best of luck in her upcoming para swimming events in Paris:
- Women’s 100m Freestyle – S9 on 4th September
- Women’s 200m Individual Medley – SM9 on 5th September
If Toni’s story has given you a burst of motivation, then why not apply for Sport Aberdeen’s Learn to Swim programme today – with spaces available from preschool up to adults.
Click here to find out more.
Sport Aberdeen is working in Aberdeen to #KeepThePromise by using a child-centred approach to its work, ensuring young people are the voice of the support they receive.
Sport Aberdeen works with the aims of The Promise in mind when delivering its innovative SPACE (Supported Physical Activity for Care Experienced) programme that positively shapes the lives of care-experienced children through the transformative power of connection, sport and physical activity.
The Promise reflects Scotland’s commitment that all care experienced children and young people will grow up loved, safe and respected. The promise is built on five foundations: family, voice, care, people and scaffolding; all of these are embedded within Sport Aberdeen’s SPACE programme.
The young people supported through SPACE get to choose the activities they participate in, with some opting for a ‘walk and talk’ in nature and another choosing horse riding lessons. Whatever they choose, taking part in sport and physical activity will enable them to build connections, feel a sense of achievement and benefit their physical health and mental wellbeing.
Katrina Carr, Lead Active Schools Coordinator at Sport Aberdeen, explains the essence of the programme: “Our SPACE programme offers one-to-one or small group activities to support care-experienced young people either during or out with the school day.
“Partnerships are a crucial part of the programme, we work closely with Virtual School Aberdeen, Aberdeen City Council’s Social Work department and other third sector organisations in the city.
“We’re also looking at how we support their siblings, families, caregivers and their wider support networks to become more active. Essentially, we use sport and physical activity to create positive behaviour change.”
Kim McRobbie, Active Schools and EDI Manager, echoes this sentiment, highlighting the holistic approach of the programme: “From an organisational perspective, it’s important that this comes from a top-down approach. Our Chief Executive has made it clear that supporting care-experienced young people is a priority. This message is disseminated throughout the organisation, making it a topic of discussion and action across all areas of our work.”
Sport Aberdeen’s commitment to care-experienced children goes beyond the activities of the SPACE programme. It’s about creating an inclusive culture within the organisation.
Kim emphasises the importance of this top-down approach: “Through discussions with the leadership team, it’s clear that supporting care-experienced young people is a priority for Sport Aberdeen as a whole – it’s not just limited to the Active Schools arm of the organisation.”
Kim further elaborates on the importance of supporting the entire family unit: “Supported memberships and the whole family approach is crucial. Any care experienced young person and a member of their support network receives a free Sport Aberdeen Get active membership so they can continue to reap the benefits of getting active in their own personal time. The Get active membership provides access to every Sport Aberdeen activity including ice skating, tennis, swimming, golf, padel and more. If we can create a more positive environment, we’re setting up not just the young people for success, but also their families. This holistic approach is essential for breaking the generational impact of the care system.”
Katrina adds: “We’re not always trying to add to a young person’s life but use the positive relationships they already have to create a support network. It’s about listening to what the young people need and piecing the jigsaw together to support them effectively.”
Both Kim and Katrina passionately advocate for the role of sport and physical activity in the development and well-being of care-experienced children.
Kim explains: “Sport and physical activity offers a host of transferable skills.
“Beyond physical and mental well-being, they teach turn-taking, social skills and a sense of belonging. These are crucial for building positive relationships with peers and adults.”
Katrina agrees, emphasising the broader impact of sport: “Participating in sport can open pathways to employment and higher education. Through our SPACE programme, we provide opportunities away from the traditional classroom setup, giving young people tangible skills and experiences.”
The SPACE programme supports children from primary age through to secondary school leavers. Katrina shares a touching story: “We’ve had young people who couldn’t ride a bike or swim, skills you’d think are just part of childhood. By providing bikes, helmets and swimming lessons, we’ve given them opportunities they might not have had otherwise. This sense of belonging is crucial.”
Kim adds: “It’s about taking those two words ‘corporate parent’ and losing the ‘corporate’ part. It’s about being the parent for the children, ensuring they have the happy, healthy experiences every child deserves.”
The impact of the SPACE programme is profound.
From August 2023 to July 2024:
- 729 free Get active memberships were provided
- 38 families attended the SPACE Christmas Party
- 40 care experienced young people were supported to access free bikes
- 30 were supported to access free swimming lessons
Katrina recounts numerous success stories: “We’ve seen young people who initially couldn’t engage in conversation develop the confidence to lead activities and even find employment. The progress they make week to week is incredible.”
Kim highlights the importance of celebrating these achievements: “We use SPACE journals to document their journey. These journals are filled with jokes and fun things that have happened, challenges overcome, and successes. One parent was overwhelmed by the positive reinforcement their child received, seeing the sense of achievement and pride in their eyes.”
The Promise has also facilitated greater collaboration among organisations. Kim notes: “The Promise has brought organisations together, helping us identify gaps and improve our services. By working together, we can provide a more comprehensive support system for care-experienced young people.”
Looking ahead, Kim hopes to extend these opportunities beyond Aberdeen: “We’re fortunate that Sport Aberdeen values opportunities for care-experienced young people. We aim to ensure that regardless of postcode, all care-experienced children get equal opportunities to benefit from our programmes.”
Paving the way for a more positive, equal and inclusive future, award-winning charity Sport Aberdeen is thrilled to be shortlisted in this year’s The Herald & GenAnalytics Diversity Awards.
Since launching, the awards have made a significant impact on raising awareness of diversity and inclusion and celebrating those making remarkable contributions towards equality for everyone.
At its very core, Sport Aberdeen exists to create opportunities, inspire people and change lives through sport and physical activity – breaking down any barriers to participation.
One of the charity’s core values is inclusion and it has a dedicated forum meeting on a monthly basis to ensure employees keep learning, developing and being accountable in this area of work
This year, Sport Aberdeen is a finalist in the Diversity in Sport category, sponsored by sportscotland, with the entry focused on its targeted programmes and initiatives including those for care experienced young people, New Scots and older adults with long-term health conditions.
Forbes Dunlop, Chief Executive Officer of sportscotland, said: “Huge congratulations to all of the finalists, it’s fantastic to see so much good work being done in this area and the impact that work is having.
“At sportscotland we are committed to creating the environment for change in the sporting sector and ensuring equality, diversity and inclusion is embedded in our work.”
Graeme Dale, Director of Sport and Active Communities, said: “We are delighted to again be shortlisted as a finalist in the Diversity in Sport category.
“This is a testament to our hardworking teams always striving to make a difference and break down any barriers to participation.
“We’re really proud of the New Scots Football For All project and the impact it has had so far.
“Well done to everyone shortlisted and we look forward to celebrating at the ceremony in September!”
The glittering ceremony will take place at Radisson Blu Hotel, Glasgow with host Eilidh Barbour.
The full announcement via The Herald online can be found here.
Learning to swim was something that Olaniyi Olaosebikan had always wanted to do, so he took the plunge and signed up for his first swimming lesson in 2004 at age 39 years old – and he’s never looked back since.
“It was something I’d always wanted to do, I wanted to do it systematically till I was confident enough. As soon as I got the chance, I just took it”, he explained.
But weekly lessons at Bridge of Don Swimming Pool weren’t enough:
“I’d practice every day, sometimes even twice a day. I’d go to Linksfield Swimming Pool, Hazlehead Swimming Pool and Northfield Swimming Pool – anywhere there was water, I’d be there!
“Alison McDonald was my swimming teacher; she actually went on to teach my kids too – she asked me to enrol in the swimming teacher course.
“I hadn’t realised the opportunity existed to become a teacher.
“My friends would say to me – oh, you can swim now, can you teach me?!
“If I can teach my friends successfully, then why not help loads more people, I thought to myself.”
Olaniyi completed his teaching qualification through Sport Aberdeen in 2014 and teaches several classes per week across all the charity’s swimming pools.
He commented: “My contract at Tullos Swimming Pool has been the longest – Graham Dutton put me to work there in 2015 and I’ve taught there ever since.
“I was also part of the Bridge of Don Masters Club – when I was taking my kids to their lessons, I thought there’s no point sitting here watching them, so I thought I’d help out with the coaching team.
“I can’t believe I’ve been teaching now for over 10 years; I teach all ages and it’s ace!
Olaniyi then decided to complete his National Pool Lifeguard Qualification (NPLQ) training in 2022.
“Back when I initially learned to swim, the lifeguards at Linksfield encouraged me to become a lifeguard. They said they’d never witnessed someone go from 0 to competent before like I had done.”
“At the moment I’m doing around 8 hours of teaching per week and 7 hours of lifeguarding, but my lifeguarding hours can be as much as 20 in a week.
“Sometimes I will pick up a lifeguarding shift right before I teach at Tullos Swimming Pool and Bridge of Don Swimming Pool. But this is only my part-time job,” Olaniyi laughed.
Leading a busy life by nature, Olaniyi’s full-time job is teaching and mentoring engineers in-person down in Glasgow, primarily for students.
Explaining how he manages such a busy schedule, he remarked: “I write everything in my calendar so I can fit everything in.
“I swim every day if I can find the time. I go to Get active @ Northfield, Get active @ Lochside and Tullos Swimming Pool, sometimes Bridge of Don Swimming Pool on Sundays if I’m not working. I actually use every Sport Aberdeen pool.
“I try to swim 100 lengths in an hour, if the pool is open for 3 hours, I’ll be in there for those 3 hours.”
Speaking about how he feels whilst swimming, Olaniyi said:
“When I swim, it’s a feeling I’m not sure I can describe. It’s therapeutic, it clears my mind. It’s amazing, honestly.
“I feel very good when I come out and I sleep like a baby.
“If I don’t pick up my phone, it’s probably because I’m in the water haha.”
Showing his appreciation for Sport Aberdeen, he went on to say: “All I can say is thank you to the people at Aquatics Aberdeen – Grant MacKnight, Tom McNeill, Donna McKenzieMcNeill and all the teachers.
“Jennifer Hughes gave me my first lesson; she would watch me from a distance and then correct what I was doing wrong.
“She made sure my kids got lessons and today they talk about her as if she’s family.
“Teaching is one of my ways of giving back to Sport Aberdeen for all the support and advice I received throughout my swimming journey to date.
“My kids are all grown up now – one is a swimming teacher too and another is completing the paperwork to become an aquatics assistant.”
Sharing advice for anyone new to swimming, Olaniyi said: “Just respect the water, as long as you respect the water and follow the teacher’s advice, you’ll be fine.
“Oh, and don’t be afraid to ask any questions. Anything you are worried about, just ask.
“For me, I wanted to find out about breathing. As soon as I worked this out, I just pushed myself.”
If Olaniyi’s story has inspired you to learn to swim, then you can register for lessons with Aquatics Aberdeen here.
If you are interested in becoming a swimming teacher, email coachedprogrammes@sportaberdeen.co.uk for further information.
Sport Aberdeen’s Community Sport team, in partnership with Aberdeen City Council’s Family Learning team and Sustrans, recently hosted a series of engaging cycling sessions for nine children from the Northfield and Cummings Park areas at the Aulton Cycle Hub. These sessions, which took place over the last three Thursday mornings, were specifically designed for young participants who either had not yet learned to ride a bike or were still building their confidence as cyclists.
With the sun shining brightly on each session, the children made remarkable progress. Many successfully mastered riding without stabilizers, while others are well on their way to doing so with a bit more practice. The positive atmosphere and supportive environment also inspired some of the mothers and Family Learning staff to join in on the fun.
These initiatives, led by Sport Aberdeen’s Community Sport team, not only provided valuable skills to the children but also strengthened the community’s connection to cycling. Sport Aberdeen looks forward to welcoming these new riders and their families to the regular Rock Up & Ride sessions when they resume after the holidays.
32-year-old Sylwia Kazmierczak started swimming lessons at RGU Sport in September 2022, after posing a question in the Aberdeen Helping Hands Facebook community group asking where she could take lessons.
She attended RGU Sport every Tuesday for 30 minutes until March 2024, completing 18 months of lessons.
Sylwia explained: “I have always loved water and I wanted to learn to swim but I couldn’t do it because of Covid-19 and the lack of availability.
“I absolutely loved my lessons – it was such a challenge starting from zero but with the teachers always believing in you and pushing you, this really helped.
“It was frustrating at times when I couldn’t get something, I’d research and watch videos on YouTube before lessons to see particular techniques.
“Anytime something wasn’t going my way, they’d reassure me that it would come and to keep practicing (which I do), I practice my technique occasionally at weekends.”
Sylwia describes how she felt in the beginning: “I was anxious going to the lessons at the beginning but I stuck to it and it started getting better and better. I would progress to the next level and then I was doing lanes and reaching the deep end.
“I was diving to pick things up from the bottom of the deep end. I felt amazing and excited!”
The road to teaching
Telling us about how the next steps naturally happened, Sylwia said: “One of my teachers at RGU encouraged me to do something with teaching.
“I was surprised and thought… me? I have only just learned to swim.”
Encouraged by the teacher’s enthusiasm, Sylwia applied for the swimming teacher training course at Sport Aberdeen.
“I managed to get a place on the course and I just became fully qualified last week. I’m waiting on my certificate after being assessed by Aileen Dawson at Dyce Swimming Pool on 10th July.
“As part of the training course, you have to do some shadowing and helping shifts to gain more experience. Most of my shifts as an Aquatics helper were at Get active @ Northfield and Tullos Swimming Pool.
“I’m willing to teach at any Sport Aberdeen swimming pools to gain more experience at the moment, I’m happy to take any shift that will help with my progress and development. Ideally, I’ll eventually only teach at Get active @ Northfield to be closest to home.”
Sylwia is delighted to have passed her training: “It’s so fresh and I’m still buzzing. I’m over the moon! My partner is so proud of me. My daughter is doing swimming lessons at Get active @ Cults so we are doing the demonstrations together, it’s ace. She has been learning since she was 3 years old and my young son will hopefully soon get into toddler swimming.”
“I think because I recently completed swimming lessons myself, I could really relate to the feelings of anxiety and I try to help people with those feelings and put them at ease. It’s making them realise that anything can be achieved, it just takes some time.
“I did one of the helping sessions two weeks ago with a group of adults. I was really able to get in their shoes about how they were feeling. I remembered my times when I was starting out.”
“My partner has now started swimming lessons – he could swim but he wanted to learn as well so he goes to Tullos Swimming Pool. I’m happy that I inspired him!”
Piece of advice
Sylwia gives her advice for anyone looking to start swimming lessons: “Definitely go for it, it’s so rewarding to do something for yourself. It was the time for me.
“Go and achieve something, take it step by step. I thought to myself… I can’t not achieve this, that’s not an option. Everything is achievable.
“Swimming makes you happy, it makes you relaxed. It’s just awesome!”
10 athletes from Special Olympics Great Britain (GB) descended on Aberdeen as part of a training weekend in advance of the 2025 Special Olympics World Winter Games in Turin, Italy.
Eight athletes came along to Adventure Aberdeen Snowsports Centre on Saturday 13 July to practice skiing and two athletes practiced ice skating at Linx Ice Arena on Sunday 14 July.
Special Olympics Great Britain is a registered charity, which uses the power of sport to transform the lives of children and adults with an intellectual disability.
As part of the global Special Olympics movement, the Special Olympics World Winter Games is a quadrennial event, which takes place in 2025 across Italy and France, from 8 to 15 March, bringing together more than 1,500 athletes from 103 countries to compete in eight winter sports.
Within this, the Team Special Olympics Great Britain delegation will participate in the Alpine Skiing and Figure Skating competitions.
The ten athletes competed in their sports earlier this year at the first Special Olympics GB National Winter Games in Folgaria, Italy, before they were nominated and subsequently selected by the coaching and management team, who assessed multiple criteria including commitment to training, life goals, leadership skills and more.
Bob Thow, Alpine Skiing Head Coach at Special Olympics GB, said: “I would like to thank Sport Aberdeen for allowing Team SOGB to use their sport facilities for the first training weekend in preparation for the World Winter Games in Italy and France.
“It was very beneficial to the athletes as some of the coaches are from Sport Aberdeen and know the facilities at the Adventure Aberdeen Snowsports Centre.
“Linx Ice Arena and Get active @ Lochside have put together a training programme for each athlete in the lead up to the World Winter Games. The athletes really enjoyed their weekend in Aberdeen.”
Kris Bell, Operations Manager at Adventure Aberdeen Snowsports Centre, said: “We were delighted to host the Special Olympics GB team for their training session this year.
“We have a great relationship with the team having held training sessions before, and it’s great to see the team progress and have fun whilst they are here!”
Over the month of July, the Community Sport team piloted a series of skateboarding and BMX taster sessions in partnership with Aberdeen City Council’s Family Learning team. Using local, free-to-access facilities and engaging over 30 families, these short sessions introduced kids and their parents to the basics of these exciting Olympic sports. The team collaborated with renowned BMXer Ashley Armstrong to deliver the BMX segment of the sessions.
Held at Northfield Skatepark and Sunnybank Park, the sessions also included other sports and arts activities. These events aimed to gauge the popularity and demand within local communities for such offerings. Feedback collected so far indicates a high level of enthusiasm from young people who might not typically engage with traditional, mainstream sports.
Joe Coleman, Lead Community Sports Hub Coordinator at Sport Aberdeen, said: “There are great skateparks dotted all over the city but young people often don’t know how to use them or have the correct equipment. These sessions have been great in introducing families to the basic skills needed to access these spaces and to inspire young people in new ways of getting active on their doorstep. We’re stoked on how it went and hope to do more work in this area based on the success of the pilot”
You can read more about Ashley Armstrong’s inspirational story here.
On Monday, July 8th, 15 dedicated staff members began the challenge at 5 AM, going on to complete 72 holes and cover 20 miles!
The group started the challenge at 5 AM at Balnagask, then proceeded to play Kings Links. They were scheduled to play Hazlehead, but due to the weather, both Hazlehead courses had to close. This meant that Kings Links had to be played three times to make up the 72-hole challenge!
The last teams finished their 72nd hole at 10:30 PM!
This was all in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support, and the golfers raised an amazing £400. A big thank you to everyone who donated and shared the link; it’s very much appreciated!
The link will remain live, so it’s not too late to contribute: JustGiving
Sport Aberdeen wants to congratulate all who took part and give a big well done to everyone who participated.
The golfers said, “It truly lived up to its name; it was a challenge alright.”
