Organisers of the North East’s longest standing road race are calling on charities to step forward and register for a chance to be part of the 2019 BHGE 10K Running Festival.
BHGE and registered charity Sport Aberdeen, have two affiliated charity spaces to fill ahead of the 2019 event and today said they are urging all charities interested in taking part, having fun and raising money to sign up to the 2019 charity waiting list.
Employees from BHGE will have the opportunity to vote for their favourite charity from the waiting list. The two with the highest number of votes will be invited to fill the remaining affiliated charity spaces for the 2019 event.
The cut off date to register for the 2019 BHGE 10K charity waiting list is Wednesday 23 January 2019.
The BHGE 10K Running Festival, organised by registered charity Sport Aberdeen, celebrated its 30th anniversary of the race in 2017 and raises tens of thousands of pounds each year in support of great causes through supporters and participants of the race.
Affiliated charities are offered additional support and exposure to assist with fundraising.
Commenting, Sport Aberdeen’s Director of Healthy and Active Communities, Keith Gerrard, said:
“The BHGE 10K Running Festival is a fantastic example of how partnership working allows us to bring great events to the North East, while raising money for very deserving causes.
“Over the years we have received countless support from our affiliated charities, highlighting just what can be achieved at the heart of our community. We strongly urge local charities to put themselves forward for the chance to become part of this long standing event.
“We look forward to welcoming two new charities on board for 2019 and hope that both new and old faces will sign up for the 32nd year of the race.”
Charities looking to be considered should email BHGE10K@sportaberdeen.co.uk by Wednesday 23 January 2019.
From today (Tuesday 15 January), off peak indoor tennis court access will now be included as part of local charity Sport Aberdeen’s Get active 4 (GA4), Active Starts and Active Futures memberships.
This addition to memberships will allow members access to indoor tennis facilities at off peak times all year round.
Sport Aberdeen’s Director of Community Leisure Operations, David Selkirk, said:
“After reviewing feedback from current members on how they would like to use the tennis facilities at Aberdeen Tennis Centre, we are delighted to be able to add off peak indoor tennis to our current Get active 4 membership offering.
“We hope this addition will encourage our valued members to get more from their membership all year round.”
Aberdeen Tennis Centre will also be launching five new group exercise classes as part of its group exercise programme on 4 February.
Sport Aberdeen are also offering a month’s free membership when you sign up to a Get active 1-5 membership during January.
For more information, please contact Aberdeen Tennis Centre on 01224 507748 or by emailing aberdeentenniscentre@sportaberdeen.co.uk.
Active Schools Aberdeen is celebrating increased results across the board this academic year, with more than 20,000 recorded volunteering hours within local schools, delivering a social return on investment of more than £250,000.
While nationally, volunteer numbers were static, Aberdeen’s increased by 31% to 797, illustrating that 91% of Active Schools activities were delivered by volunteers.
Participation levels also increased by an impressive 16% compared to last year, with 278,089 participant sessions and a 13% increase in female participation recorded in Aberdeen during the academic year 2017/18. This figure compares to 85,421 visits reported back in 2010/11, showing a phenomenal growth of 255%.
Award winning local charity Sport Aberdeen which delivers the Active Schools programme in partnership with sportscotland across Aberdeen, has been delivering opportunities for school pupils to get involved in sport and physical activity for more than a decade.
Commenting on the success, Sport Aberdeen Chairman, Colin Taylor, said:
“It is extremely encouraging and reassures me to know that young people across the city are being exposed to the best possible opportunities to participate in sport and physical activity from a young age.
“Sport Aberdeen is committed to creating opportunities, inspiring people and changing lives and real progress has been made this year in the more deprived areas of the city to close the poverty related attainment gap. This is the perfect example of the positive outcomes that can be achieved through partnership working.
“These results have been achieved through a true team effort from our partnership with the schools and I’d like to thank the volunteers involved, especially the PE teachers and teachers, for their continued commitment and support, because without them the programme couldn’t happen.
“Additionally, I’d like to thank our team of Active School Coordinators and the support received from sportscotland, Aberdeen City Council, schools, colleagues within Sport Aberdeen, parents and of course the children and young people themselves who have all been vital in achieving these results.”
Partnerships have been vital in achieving these results and help to boost the overall impact of Active Schools. Working with partners including RGU, NESCOL, the Wood Foundation and National Governing Bodies, alongside members of the Active Aberdeen Partnership.
Stewart Harris, Chief Executive, sportscotland said:
“It’s really encouraging to see the continued growth in participation in Active Schools activities across the country. The success of Active Schools is the result of strong local partnerships between Active Schools teams, school staff, sports development teams in local authorities, regional managers from the governing bodies, and local sports clubs. By working together with Sport Aberdeen, we can continue to deliver more and better opportunities for young people of all abilities to take part in sport across the city as these latest figures show.
“It is also rewarding to see the impact of programmes like Active Schools on the lives of the young people who take part, increasing their confidence and motivating them to continue an active lifestyle in the future.”
View the 2017/18 city wide Active Schools Annual Review here.
Local charity Sport Aberdeen, in partnership with Action for Children has received £69,782 from the Changing Lives through Sport and Physical Activity Fund.
Awarded by Spirit 2012 on behalf of the Changing Lives Operational Group, the funding will enable Sport Aberdeen to support and enhance the delivery of Action for Children’s Priority Family Project and recruit a full time Project Activator.
Sport Aberdeen’s Development Manager – Active Communities, Graeme Dale expressed his delight at receiving the grant:
“This funding will allow us to undertake very important work with families in the greatest need around the city; ensuring that they enjoy better physical and mental health, engaging in healthier behaviours and lifestyle choices
“Our partnership with Action for Children makes perfect sense. We both operate on the premise that promoting inclusion and supporting new opportunities are integral for families to make positive and long lasting changes.”
Commenting, Nicki Martin, Manager at Aberdeen Priority Families, said:
“We are delighted to work with Sport Aberdeen to deliver this innovative piece of work and grateful to the funders for making this a reality. This partnership will allow us to recruit a full time project Activator to increase the physical activities for the families we support at Aberdeen Priority Families.”
This newly created position will specialise in developing physical activity and sporting opportunities for families involved in the project, utilising the benefits that participation in these activities can bring to help positively impact on their lives.
This partnership supporting the Priority Family Project will build on Sport Aberdeen’s Looked After Project, which has been in place for two years and has successfully utilised the power of sport and physical activity to positively affect the lives of looked after children and young people in Aberdeen.
Spirit of 2012’s Chief Executive, Debbie Lye, said:
“Getting people active is a route to making them healthier and happier, which in turn helps build healthier and happier communities.
“Our focus as a funder is to leave behind positive legacies like this, and so we’re delighted to be working with the Scottish Government, sportscotland and the Robertson Trust on the Changing Lives through Sport and Physical Activity Fund – and equally happy to announce that Sport Aberdeen will be one of the organisations who will put our plans into action. We can’t wait to see the results.”
With the aim of ensuring a tangible and lasting impact, the project will look to help families develop new interests, promoting and provide opportunities for families to spend quality time together through outings and sporting activities.
The Priority Family Project aligns with Sport Aberdeen’s vision of creating opportunities, inspiring people and changing lives by using physical activity and sport to effect change on the whole family.
On Christmas Eve the popular Aberdeen City Council Food and Fun project hosted its Christmas party at Sport Aberdeen’s Beach Leisure Centre for over 120 children.
The project which is supported by Sport Aberdeen, Aberdeen FC Community Trust (AFCCT), Community Food Initiative North East (CFINE) and Police Scotland, was originally initiated to combat ‘holiday hunger’. Holiday hunger is a serious problem for children who rely heavily on their daily free school lunches that are not available to them over school holidays.
The project ran successfully in the Summer and October holidays in the St Machar, Torry and Northfield areas of the city, with over 6,000 free meals provided over this time. Produce and ingredients were provided by CFINE and prepared by Aberdeen City Council’s Facilities Management School Catering Service and CFINE’s Cook at the Nook.
The Christmas party took place between 9.00am and 1.00pm and gave the children the chance to take part in multisport activities at the Beach Leisure Centre and ice skating at the Linx Ice Arena, provided by Sport Aberdeen’s Active Schools Team.
Present across all activities to assist Sport Aberdeen’s Active Schools Team were AFCCT coaches and volunteers from Aberdeen City Council’s Communities team.
After their activities, the children were then provided with a warm lunch served up by volunteers, including Sport Aberdeen Chairman Colin Taylor.
Commenting on his involvement, Colin said:
“Sport Aberdeen is delighted to be involved in the Food and Fun Project and hosting the Christmas Eve event. Christmas can be a challenging time for many families, so it is important that all partners involved in the project offer support where we can.
“It has been great to see so many smiling faces today and Sport Aberdeen are pleased to be able to provide each child with a Christmas present of a selection box and free family passes for use at our facilities across the city. These will allow families to have fun and enjoy being active together.”
At the end of the event, the children went home with a donated present from Sport Aberdeen and a food parcel courtesy of CFINE to last the children and their families through the festive period.
A local teenage snowboarder was recently selected to take part in an invitational event organised by two time Olympic Snowboarder, Aimee Fuller.
Sixteen year old Abby Greig, who has been snowboarding at Sport Aberdeen’s Aberdeen Snowsports Centre for four years, received the unexpected letter alongside eight fellow female athletes for the Aimee Fuller TSC Invitational.
The invite came after a recommendation from Abby’s Go Beyond Park & Pipe coach, Euan Baxter.
The event which took place on 13 December at London’s Hemel Hempstead Snowcentre consisted of a warm up led by Aimee and an hour long session on the slope. This was followed by a series of interviews and a photoshoot with the athletes.
The whole event was documented by Sky Sports and broadcast on Sky Sportswomen on Tuesday 18 December.
This experience was the icing on the cake following a year of achievements for Abby who said:
“I really enjoyed the event, it was great chance to be able to ride with Aimee and all the other girls!”
2018 saw her come first in the Scottish Dryslope Open Championships and the Cairngorm Outdoor Championships as well as the under 16’s ‘Go Big or Go Home’ competition in Aberdeen. Aimee is also Sport Scotland’s overall Triple Crown Champion for 2017/2018.
Get active @ Jesmond, operated by local charity Sport Aberdeen, has been awarded an Excellent accreditation in the UK’s leading national, quality scheme for the sport and leisure industry.
The Quest Plus assessment noted the positive atmosphere in the centre and the evidence of a commitment to delivering customer service excellence.
It also remarked on the centre’s front of house which was presented to a very high standard and noted that staff were motivated to deliver a quality service.
Quest Plus demonstrates long standing and continuous high operational standards, as well as the positive impact the facility has on the local community.
Commenting on the award, David Selkirk, Director of Community Leisure Operations said:
“It’s fantastic that Get active @ Jesmond has improved and achieved this excellent standard of accreditation. Quest is a very thorough and rigorous process and the facility continues to go from strength to strength. As well as being voted ‘Centre of the Year’ for Scotland at the 2018 UK Active Uprising awards, this level of accreditation underpins the high standards and quality of provision at the facility.
“With January right around the corner, our venues have never been more accessible to the local community than they are right now. There really has never been a better time to get more active with Sport Aberdeen.”
A recent funding boost from Sports Leaders UK will be used to up skill and engage over 75 young people from schools across Aberdeen in Dance Leadership as part of Sport Aberdeen’s Active Schools programme.
Local charity Sport Aberdeen was recently awarded £5,700 from Sports Leaders UK to provide Dance Leadership training for 20 teachers from Hazlehead, Lochside and Bucksburn Academies, in addition to three Dance Development Officers from Citymoves Dance Agency.
As part of the project, the newly trained Teachers and Dance Development Officers will deliver five Dance Leadership workshops across the city to over 75 senior pupils between January and March 2019.
Once qualified as Dance Leaders, these pupils will go on to deliver dance sessions to their peers and younger pupils in extra curricular clubs in their respective schools, thus helping to increase the number of pupils in the city being active.
Dance is one of the most popular physical activities for teenagers in the UK and is the perfect way to help young people develop and enhance their leadership skills whilst helping themselves and others stay physically active.
Graeme Dale, Development Manager – Active Communities at Sport Aberdeen said:
“We are delighted to have been chosen by Sports Leaders UK to receive this funding, with it having tangible benefits for the city. Working closely with local schools and City Moves, this funding will allow us to build both the dance tutor and dance leader workforce and ultimately get more children and young people taking part in and enjoying the benefits of dance.”
Designed with today’s education landscape in mind, the training courses, deliverable through a wide variety of subjects are designed to improve the vital skills and employability prospects of young people of all ages and abilities.
Sports Leaders UK Partnerships Officer, Fiona Kennedy, commented:
“Sports Leaders UK is delighted to support Sport Aberdeen to enrich their Dance Programme across the City. Our SCQF Dance Leadership qualifications provide a platform to engage and develop young people with all abilities and experience.
I believe the Dance Tutors will empower and inspire a passionate and qualified dance workforce who will become role models to a younger generation. We look forward to supporting all tutors, schools and community groups involved to ensure an excellent Dance Programme across Aberdeen.”
Sports Leaders UK work with over 2,000 organisations and 90,000 young people every year across the UK to upskill them through formally recognised leadership awards and qualifications.
A recent funding boost has allowed for significant improvements to be made to the provision of sustainable cycling across the city.
Adventure Aberdeen, part of local charity Sport Aberdeen, the city’s award winning community leisure trust, has received a total of £38,000 from Cycling Scotland and Aberdeen City Council, to promote cycling to schools, community groups and local businesses.
£18,000 has been awarded by Aberdeen City Council through the Civitas Portis Transportation Project and the Smarter Choices, Smarter Places fund, to make sure every 11 year old in the city can ride a bike.
Working with schools and young people across the North East, Adventure Aberdeen has noticed children in almost every p7 year group who don’t have the key skill for life. This project is designed to ensure that active travel and healthy lifestyles are made even more accessible for everybody across the city and that nobody needs to leave primary school without being able to ride.
In addition to this, £20,000 was awarded to Adventure Aberdeen by Cycling Scotland to facilitate the coordination of the Bikeability Scotland cycle training programme, which is designed to give children the skills and confidence they need to cycle safely on the roads as well as encouraging them to continue cycling into adulthood.
In addition to the funding from Cycling Scotland, Adventure Aberdeen received a further The Civitas Portis Transportation Project is a four year £3.2 million project led by Aberdeen City Council that tests innovative and sustainable urban mobility solutions in five European port cities; Aberdeen, Antwerp, Trieste, Constanta and Klaipeda.
Commenting on the recent funding, Sport Aberdeen’s Director of Healthy and Active Communities, Keith Gerrard, said:
“We are delighted to have secured this funding from Cycling Scotland and Aberdeen City Council. Sport Aberdeen is committed to creating opportunities, inspiring people and changing lives and getting children out and on their bikes from an early age is so important to ensure that this practice carries into their adult lives and helps move Aberdeen towards being the most active city in Scotland.”
Many schools across the city struggle to deliver regular Bikeability sessions due to staff shortages or teachers unable to give up class time. The money received from Cycling Scotland will be used to run Cycle Training Assistant (CTA) courses which will enable volunteers to deliver Bikeability Levels 1 and 2 in schools citywide and will combat these issues.
World Para Swimming European Champion Toni Shaw, was announced as a Learn to Swim (L2S) Ambassador for Scottish Swimming’s National Framework for Swimming in Scotland on Tuesday 13 November 2018 at Aberdeen Sports Village.
Toni’s swimming story with Sport Aberdeen began in 2002 at the age of one at the Beach Leisure Centre, as part of what is now known as the Aquatics Aberdeen Learn to Swim Scheme. From there she moved to Northfield Swimming Pool where she continued her swimming lessons before progressing to club level swimming with the Cults Otters.
Since her Aquatics Aberdeen days, Toni has gone on to be Team Scotland’s youngest athlete at the Gold Coast XXI Commonwealth Games and won six medals at the Allianz European Championships in Dublin in August.
Commenting on her achievement, Toni said:
“I am really pleased that swimmers with disabilities are taught in an inclusive environment. It has been great to develop as a swimmer and be seen beyond my disability, this has helped me integrate into a performance environment where I get to train alongside the likes of Hannah Miley.”
Contributing to her remarkable year, Toni was also named Junior Disability Sports Person of the Year at the Aberdeen’s Sports Awards 2018 on 4 October at the AECC, which is an event run by the Active Aberdeen Partnership (AAP).
Dianne Breen, Coached Programme Manager for Sport Aberdeen said:
“We are delighted that Toni has been named as a Learn to Swim ambassador by Scottish Swimming. She is an excellent role model and we are proud to see a former member of our Learn to Swim Scheme achieving so much at such a young age.”
Sport Aberdeen’s Aquatics Aberdeen deliver Scottish Swimming’s fully inclusive L2S framework offering a fully inclusive lesson programme with sessions for all age groups, from birth to Active Aging sessions with emphasis put on adapting lessons plans to ensure anyone with an impairment is able to take part.
In addition, Aquatics Aberdeen deliver specialist classes for small groups of all ages, abilities and disabilities at six pools across the city. These classes ensure children and adults with additional support needs can take part in the same pathway as mainstream classes, but with additional support and resources where required in an environment appropriate to their needs.
These specialist classes include; ASN, PASN, deaf awareness, autism friendly, transition squad, older beginners, everybody active, water confidence, private lessons and one to one lessons for people with cerebral palsy.