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.
Sport Aberdeen is celebrating after receiving the prestigious Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service, the highest award a charity or voluntary group can receive in the UK.
Volunteers support Sport Aberdeen in the delivery of its community-based programmes including Active Schools, Active Lifestyles, supporting learn to swim programmes as well as helping to improve the quality of our golf courses at Hazlehead.
Volunteer representatives of Sport Aberdeen attended a garden party at Buckingham Palace in May, along with other recipients of this year’s Award. It is one of 281 charities, social enterprises and voluntary groups to receive the prestigious award this year. The number of nominations and awards has increased year on year since the awards were introduced in 2002, showing that the voluntary sector is thriving and full of innovative ideas to make life better for those around them.
The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service aims to recognise outstanding work by volunteer groups to benefit their local communities. It was created in 2002 to celebrate the Queen’s Golden Jubilee. Winners are announced each year on 2 June – the anniversary of the Queen’s Coronation. Award winners this year are wonderfully diverse. They include volunteers helping people to overcome mental health problems through sport, volunteers using caravans as mobile café/information centres in geographically remote location and another group mentoring children who have a parent in prison.
Representatives of Sport Aberdeen will receive the award from the Lord Lieutenant of Aberdeen later this summer.
Sport Aberdeen’s Chairman, Colin G. Taylor, was delighted with the news:
“It came as a complete surprise, as I wasn’t aware that we had even been nominated. Receiving the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service is fantastic recognition for the volunteers that work with us and to the outstanding work they do for us in the local communities on a daily basis.”
“We have nearly 1500 volunteers supporting our programmes across the company. Their commitment and enthusiasm helping us to deliver valued sport and physical activity programmes and services is incredible.”
This latest recognition is further evidence of Sport Aberdeen’s work in the community.
Sport Aberdeen recently hosted a delegation of educational staff from Iceland.
The educational study trip, which coincided with the Aberdeen Youth Games Primary Festival of Sport on Friday 24 May, was attended by 17 educational staff from preschool, primary school, sport and leisure backgrounds from the Municipality of Kopavogur in Iceland.
During the visit, the VIP guests learnt about Sport Aberdeen’s Active Schools, Looked After Children and Priority Families programs and received a tour of Aberdeen Sports Village, before observing the Aberdeen Youth Games Primary Festival of Sport opening ceremony and activities.
In a tribute to the VIP guests, school pupils and students from RGU and NESCOL welcomed the visitors to the games with a spectacular ‘Iceland Viking thunder clap’ as part of the opening ceremony.
Keith Gerrard, Director of Healthy and Active Communities at Sport Aberdeen, said:
“This year’s Primary Festival of Sport brought 1,500 children from over 45 schools together in the name of encouraging active lifestyles amongst young people. It was our absolute pleasure to be able to share this special event with our Icelandic friends and we are confident that the days activities and festivities were enjoyed by all.”
The educational group also visited schools with Unicef UK to learn about the Child Friendly Cities & Communities project, Children’s Rights Respecting Schools and best practice of implementation of the Convention on the rights of Child.
Around 1,500 pupils from 45 city primary schools descended on Aberdeen Sports Village on Friday 25 May, as the annual Aberdeen Youth Games culminated in a celebration of health, wellbeing and the benefits of an active lifestyle.
In the run up to this year’s Aberdeen Youth Games, children from all 45 schools were given the opportunity to submit a medal design for the 2019 games as part of a design competition with Sport Aberdeen’s Active Schools team and Gray’s School of Art.
The winning entry was that of Nada Fawaz, a Primary 4 pupil from Skene Square School. Nada’s design was selected by a judging panel with representatives from Sport Aberdeen’s Active Schools team and Robert Gordon University’s (RGU) Sport and Exercise Science team.
As the winner of the competition, Nada was presented with a bespoke replica of her winning medal design in addition to seeing her design feature on all this year’s medals.
The prize was awarded by Aberdeen Youth Games Ambassadors Sir Ian Wood KT GBE, taekwondo world champion Katrina Carr, table tennis champion Colin Dalgleish, snowboarder Douglas Green and Scottish basketball’s Chris Clearly.
Keith Gerrard, Director or Healthy and Active Communities at Sport Aberdeen, said:
“The judging panel was very impressed with the high standard and variety of entries submitted for this year’s medal design competition.
“The winning medal design was chosen because it captured what the Aberdeen Youth Games is all about – health, wellbeing and participation from a vast range of backgrounds and cultures across the city.
“Our partnership with Gray’s School of Art this year, builds upon our close relationship with Robert Gordon University (RGU) and illustrates that not all partnerships are about sport.”
Daniel Sutherland, Academic Strategic Lead at Gray’s School of Art, said:
“The Aberdeen Youth Games medal design competition has been very popular as always and we saw a lot of creative entries this year.
“Nada’s design has given the medals a great new look for 2019 and it has been great to work with her to develop the finished product, which we hope pupils will appreciate when they take them home from the Festival of Sport.”
Primary school pupils from across Aberdeen had a ball this week as one of Scotland’s largest sports projects culminated in a celebration of health, wellbeing and the benefits of an active lifestyle.
Over 1,500 pupils from 45 city primary schools converged on Aberdeen Sports Village on Friday 24 May, as the annual Aberdeen Youth Games programme concluded with its Primary Festival of Sport.
As she prepares for the FIFA Women’s World Cup next month, Scotland captain and Aberdeen Youth Games ambassador Rachel Corsie believes that the programme can be a transformational one for the young people involved.
She said: “Sport for me has been a catalyst for so much of my success. It offers us the opportunity to work in teams, build friendships, de-stress from our studies and it has the potential to open the door to possibilities that we may have never thought possible.
“I feel privileged to be an ambassador for the Aberdeen Youth Games and I cannot wait to watch the next generation of sporting athletes thrive and push boundaries far outreaching the opportunities I have had so far.”
The pupils at this week’s Festival spent the day taking part in a range of fun sporting activities, coordinated by Sport Aberdeen’s Active Schools team, and were cheered on by a number of inspirational ambassadors to the programme, including Sir Ian Wood KT GBE, taekwondo world champion Katrina Carr, table tennis champion Colin Dalgleish, snowboarder Douglas Green and Scottish basketball’s Chris Clearly.
Launched by Robert Gordon University’s (RGU) Sport and Exercise Science team and Sport Aberdeen in 2013 – with support from North East Scotland College (NESCol) and The Wood Foundation – the Aberdeen Youth Games is an innovative and multi award-winning programme which promotes physical activity, health and wellbeing amongst young people.
A Legacy 2014 programme, it sees second year students from a range of RGU and NESCol courses deliver over 2,900 hours of skills-based coaching to pupils as part of their work placements with Sport Aberdeen’s Active Schools team.
This year’s programme expanded to include students from RGU’s new BSc (Hons) Sport Coaching course delivering sport activities at 8 secondary schools, alongside Sport Aberdeen’s Active Schools team, which included preparing them for the AYG Secondary Festival in February.
This addition means that a total of over 6,000 young people from every city school feel the benefits of the coaching, whilst the students themselves put their own skills to the test in a unique and unrivalled development opportunity.
Dr Bryan McCann, lecturer in Sport and Exercise Science at RGU, leads the development of the Aberdeen Youth Games in partnership with colleagues from Sport Aberdeen and has recently been honoured for his efforts in Universities UK’s MadeAtUni Nation’s Lifesavers campaign.
He said: “The Aberdeen Youth Games is made possible by our exciting and innovative partnership approach to allow our students to act as community assets. The programme provides them with invaluable and impactful real-life learning opportunities, which enhances their employability whilst making a huge difference to the lives of young people in Aberdeen.
“It has been incredible to see the programme grow over the years, touching the lives of thousands of the city’s young people and providing a fantastic experience for everyone involved.”
The Wood Foundation committed £50,000 over five years to support the delivery of the Aberdeen Youth Games. In this, the fourth year of the partnership, it provided an additional £10,000 to support the increased secondary school activities and enhance the overall quality of the programme through the purchasing of high-end sporting equipment.
Sir Ian Wood, Chairman of The Wood Foundation, said: “The Aberdeen Youth Games have engaged thousands of pupils from throughout the city with motivating and exciting physical education opportunities.
“The Festival of Sport is a sight to behold – a field full of happy, energetic and enthusiastic children in a celebration of healthy living and exercise. We are delighted to be supporting Aberdeen Youth Games as part of our commitment to developing Scotland’s young people.”
Everyone who participated in this year’s Festival received a special commemorative medal which was designed by Skene Square School pupil Nada Fawaz, as part of a competition with Gray’s School of Art.
This year’s Primary Festival of Sport had an added Nordic touch, as Sport Aberdeen’s Active Schools team hosted a delegation of 17 education staff from the Municipality of Kópavogur in Iceland. The pupils and students paid homage to the guests with a spectacular ‘Iceland Viking thunder clap’ as part of the opening ceremony.
Keith Gerrard, Director of Healthy and Active Communities at Sport Aberdeen, said: “The Aberdeen Youth Games has become a hugely anticipated and enjoyable event in Aberdeen’s sporting calendar and underlines the importance of keeping young people active in a fun environment.
“Our partnerships with RGU and NESCol encourage a healthy and active lifestyle and help to get more children, more active, more often. Having so many primary schools take part again this year clearly illustrates the powerful and positive impact that sport can have on the health and wellbeing of our local communities.
“I would also like to thank The Wood Foundation for their funding support, as the programme would not be possible without it.”
Chris Clearly, who helped Scotland reach the bronze medal match in his Commonwealth Games debut last year, has been bowled over by his first experience as an Aberdeen Youth Games ambassador.
He said: “It has been incredible to see so many young people having the time of their lives and truly seeing the benefits that sport can bring to your life. The enthusiasm has been infectious and I have to credit everyone at RGU, NESCol and Sport Aberdeen for making it all possible.”
Award winning registered charity Sport Aberdeen struck gold at the prestigious Community Leisure UK Awards last night in Manchester, winning two of the three categories that they were a finalist in.
Get active @ Sheddocksley won the much coveted Leisure Capital Project of the Year Award, ahead of the hot favourite, Warrington’s £20m sports & health hub. A simply staggering achievement for the Granite City facility which has been transformed following a £300,000 investment by Sport Aberdeen towards the end of last year.
Fifteen year old Aimee Work, Chair of the City’s Active Girls Committee, deservedly won the Outstanding Individual Volunteer Award. Aimee was acknowledged for using her personal challenges as a catalyst to become an advocate and ambassador, championing girls’ participation in physical activity to help maintain a healthy active lifestyle.
An inspirational role model, exemplar of volunteering and exceptional speaker, Aimee uses her experiences to help others and has raised the profile of the Active Girls Committee and helped get more girls and young women to be more active – facilitated by Sport Aberdeen’s Active Schools team and the first of its kind in Scotland – to a level commended by the Scottish Parliament.
The awards recognise the extraordinary impact that leisure trusts make throughout the UK and in their local communities and Sport Aberdeen was the only UK trust to pick up two awards.
Responding to this latest success, Sport Aberdeen Managing Director, Alistair Robertson, said:
“I could not be prouder of everyone in Sport Aberdeen; our Board, staff and volunteers for helping to put our hard work on a UK stage. These prestigious awards are just reward for great team work and the partnership focused approach that we take to all we do.
“I am also absolutely thrilled for Aimee too. It is fitting tribute for what she has achieved at such a young age and she is an ambassador that 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.”
Chairman of the Sport Aberdeen Board, Colin Taylor added:
“It is wonderful to know that our efforts are recognised by leisure industry experts and I hope that Aberdeen and Scotland are proud of these accolades, which take us ever closer to our aim of being regarded as the best leisure trust in Scotland.”
In addition, Sport Aberdeen’s Aberdeen Aquatics team were one of four finalists in the Workforce Development category, for their Aquatics Workforce Development Pathway which helps to enable the sustainability and development of aquatics services in Aberdeen.
Sport Aberdeen was the only trust in the UK shortlisted in three award categories.
Award winning registered charity Sport Aberdeen is delighted to announce that its Get active @ Sheddocksley facility has taken the organisation to the finals of the prestigious 2019 ukactive Awards, in the Scottish Centre of the Year category.
The ukactive Awards are a flagship awards scheme that celebrates facilities that offer excellent customer service with the aim of getting more people, more active, more often.
The award process comprises of an extensive award submission, illustrating the transformation of Get active @ Sheddocksley and detailing feedback from regular users. The final stage of the process will involve independent auditing of the facility.
Winners will be announced at the annual ukactive Uprising Conference, held in Manchester on 6 June 2019.
Director of community leisure operations, David Selkirk, said:
“We’re delighted to have made it through to the finals. Last year, we won Scottish Centre of the Year for our Get active @ Jesmond facility and we are hoping to replicate this success at this year’s awards with Get active @ Sheddocksley”.
This recent recognition continues what has so far been a successful awards season for Sport Aberdeen, with its Get active @ Sheddocksley facility recently being shortlisted in the Community Leisure UK and Elevator Awards, respectively.
Get active @ Sheddocksley underwent an extensive refurbishment which culminated in its reopening in November 2018. The work involved renovations and extending the fitness gym, more than doubling its size, improving the reception space to incorporate a comfortable seating area and the transformation of the squash courts into a dedicated functional training room and a new group exercise studio.
Hailed as an example of what can be achieved through community collaboration, Sport Aberdeen’s Get active @ Sheddocksley facility has been firmly re-established within its local community and has helped to create a sense of local civic pride.
After the successful 32nd year of the BHGE 10K Running Festival, organiser Sport Aberdeen and main sponsor Baker Hughes, a GE company (BHGE) would like to give thanks to all who participated in and supported this year’s event.
Cameron Strachan from Metro Aberdeen was delighted to win the 2019 BHGE 10K, completing the course in a staggering 32 mins 20 secs and Fiona Bruce, also from Metro Aberdeen, won the women’s race for the fifth time with a time of 35 mins 50 secs.
Murran Mackay (Red Star Athletics Club) was victorious in the 10K wheelchair race in 52 mins and 55 secs and Catherine Lewis triumphed in the 10K handcycles race in 1 hour 10 secs.
The Specsavers 2K was won by Meldrum Academy’s Ross Chalmers with a time of 6 mins 50 secs, Jessica Beaton from Harlaw Academy was the fastest girl with a time of 7 mins 45 secs and Portlethen Academy’s Jack Laird won the Specsavers 2K wheelchair race in 14 mins 24 secs.
First place in both the Male and Female Team race was secured by Metro Aberdeen Running Cluband the title of Corporate Team Challenge Winners was taken home by Team Sport Aberdeen.
BHGE 10K WINNERS:
Men’s Overall Winner – Cameron Strachan (Metro Aberdeen RC)
Women’s Overall Winner – Fiona Bruce (Metro Aberdeen RC)
Senior Men – Cameron Strachan (Metro Aberdeen RC)
Senior Women – Fiona Bruce (Metro Aberdeen RC)
Veteran Men – Michael Carroll (Perth Road Runners)
Veteran Women – Rebecca Watt (Rebel PT)
Super Veteran Men – Paul Eggeling (Aberdeen AAC)
Super Veteran Women – Veronique Oldham (Aberdeen AAC)
Vintage Men – George Mcpherson (Metro Aberdeen RC)
Vintage Women – Carolyn Milne (Ambelside AC)
Junior Men – Aaron Odentz (Aberdeen AAC)
Junior Women – Vicki Elder (Fraserburgh RC)
Wheelchair – Murray Mackay (Red Star AC)
Handcycle – Catherine Lewis
Overall Team – Metro Aberdeen RC
Men’s Team – Metro Aberdeen RC
Women’s Team – Metro Aberdeen RC
Corporate Team – Sport Aberdeen
SPECSAVERS 2K WINNERS:
P6/7 Male – Jamie Ferries (Airyhall Primary)
P6/7 Female – Abby Farquhar (Airyhall Primary)
S1/2 Male – Findlay Murray (Hazlehead Academy)
S1/2 Female – Jessica Beaton (Harlaw Academy)
S3/4 Male – Ross Chalmers (Meldrum Academy)
S3/4 Female – Eloise Cruickshank (Cults Academy)
Wheelchair – Lucy Caird (Portlethen Academy)