Go-Ride Mountain Biking at Danbury is an instant success

Half-term proved to be a busy time within the Eastern Region with a Go-Ride Mountain bike activity at Danbury Outdoors Centre in Essex. Over 50 new participants to cycle sport engaged in the activity, which was delivered by Alison Lilley, Eastern Go-Ride coach.

Over the past few months the region has seen a steady growth of young people taking up the opportunity to experience British Cycling coached activities. The holiday programme at Danbury is just one part of a seamless programme running in the county of Essex.

After a long and gruelling week, Alison Lilley said “it’s been a really positive half-term week. I have noticed that a lot of individuals at our holiday activity programmes are the same young people that I’ve coached on our PESSCL schools programme. It’s really encouraging, what we are doing in schools is having a major impact and young people are coming on our holiday programmes for some more coached activities”.

Danbury provided an ideal facility where the children could progress their basic cycling techniques, learnt in the playground, in a more discipline specific arena.

The holiday activity at Danbury has not just been solely about running a coaching session for children, but working in partnership with Chelmsford Borough Council. This partnership has included promoting the activity within the various School Sports Partnerships and leisure centres in and around the borough. The sports development unit at the council not only supported the Go-Ride activity, but a whole week of cycling in Chelmsford, which included working with the local Go-Ride club, Chelmer Cycling Club.

Claire Cornwell from Chelmsford Borough Councils, Sports Development Unit said “this project had been very successful for us this week and we are really keen to repeat the programme next year. Our Cyclemania week was generously sponsored by Cycles UK, which enabled us to have promotional leaflets distributed across the borough and beyond”.

Cycling in the county is gaining momentum with the excitement of the Olympic mountain bike event in 2012 being staged at Weald Park. The county is gearing up and the Essex-based cycling clubs are getting ready for the influx of new participants coming into cycle sport on the back of the Olympic wave.

British Cycling’s Eastern Region programme moves on to an inter-schools competition this week, and we will bring you a full report on what’s proving to be a well dynamic programme to further engage schools in the sport.

Issued by Nigel Hampton

For further information contact Nigel Hampton (British Cycling, Eastern Region Manager 079940 738319 – email nigelhampton@britishcycling.org.uk

British Cycling is the National Governing Body for Cycle Sport

Go-Ride is a programme for young people to engage in to cycle sport

NGB Forum meeting - Pidley 27th Sept

Notes from meeting on 27th September 2007 at the Lakeside Lodge, Pidley, Cambridgeshire.

1. Attendance
Present –
Sports : Kevin Wray (swimming), Brendan Osborne (volleyball), Nigel Hampton (cycling), Lynsey Palframan (nee Mealham) (gymnastics), Russell Doel (cricket), Emily St John (netball), Tim Fitches (badminton), Simon Dowdy (Rowing), Darren Lawrence (Football), Neil Deans (Athletics), Neil Twitchett (Tennis), Dave Coldwell (Lacrosse), Rob Drinkwater (Rugby Union), Andy Hastings (Squash), John Hornby (Indoor Bowls), Hayley Scott (Baseball/Softball), Stuart Briggs (Canoeing), Charlie Farrow (Hockey), Ceri Winter (Triathlon), Greg Yarnall (Table Tennis)
CSPs : Angela Littlewood (Essex)
Sport England : Simon MacQueen, Kirsty Clarke, Simon Badman
scUK : Karen Woodrow

Apologies –
Karen French (Judo), Caro Wild (Rugby League), Kelly Hanwell (Golf), Emma Forward (Dance), Dennis Bell (Equestrian), Helen Errington (Orienteering)

2. Introduction
As with previous meetings, the morning session would be NGB specific issues, with the integration of the CSP (club & coach) officers during the afternoon session.
All presentations would be put on http://eastngbforum.blogspot.com/

3. Physical Activity – Dr Roz Coombes
Dr Roz Coombes introduced herself to the NGB Forum as the new Regional Physical Activity Co-ordinator., detailing her background and also the scope of her work. This is centred around increasing participation, and implementing `Active East`, the East framework for Physical Activity. Roz is keen to understand NGBs current involvement with PCTs and the Health agenda over specific projects. NGBs are encouraged to contact Roz on : roz.coombs@dh.gsi.gov.uk , or 01223 372515, or 07825 733613
Presentation

4. Regional and County Facility Strategies – Phil Raiswell / Angela Littlewood (angela.littlewood@sportessex.org.uk)
Phil Raiswell from Sport England highlighted the main findings and recommendations from the Regional Facility Plan, and then detailed that work was currently occurring on County Strategies. There were some concerns from the audience over :
The scope of the work of Strategic Leisure (Plan co-ordinators) does not necessarily reflect the needs of the NGBs over facilities – i.e. the `non` inclusion of grass facilities.
Some NGBs have not been consulted on local plans? NGBs are encouraged to feed their needs into the respective CSPs. (NB. Essex final consultation is 9th November)
NGBs must be able to clearly identify needs of their sport to the CSP in order to influence the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) agenda.
County & Regional Facility Plans would steer investment but would not be the complete determining factor.
Presentation

5. Promoting Sport Toolkit – Simon Badman (simon.badman@sportengland.org)
Simon Badman provided a short update for NGBs around emotional marketing replacing the use of unique selling points. The short, but entertaining, presentation highlighted examples of good and poor practice of emotional marketing from business and sport.
NGBS were encouraged to think about how they currently market their courses and their sport in general?
Promoting Sport Toolkit (http://promotingsport.sportengland.org) was highlighted and NGBs signposted to the website.
There was a commitment to a session with greater depth to be held at a later NGB Forum
Presentation


6. 2012 update – Kevin Wray (Kevin.wray@swimming.org)
Kevin provided an update around his representation, on behalf of East NGBs, on the 2012 Sports theme group. The key message to drive home is to make sure that Olympics and all that comes from it isn`t over in 5 years time. Questions were asked :
What are NGBs doing to gear up for 2012, especially linked to the 2009-13 planning system?
What do NGBs want from the Representative on the East 2012 Sports theme group? Lynsey Palframan will now be replacing Kevin on this group.
Do NGBs have any regional or county events scheduled for 24th August – 17th September 2008, which could link into the Olympic Torch Handover?
Presentation

7. Club & Coach funding – Simon MacQueen (simon.macqueen@sportengland.org)
Simon shared and discussed the reporting form attached to the Club and Coach fund for NGBs for the purposes of consistency and also to highlight the areas and depth of attention to those NGBs not involved in the programme. Points to note from this session included :
Funding would not be released until information from all 9 SE Regions was `signed off`
Job descriptions need to specifically around `Coaching`
No communication plan was needed but NGBs were expected to provide press releases and encourage communication around the programme.
If not already done so, NGBs were encouraged to tell CSPs where their C&C funding would impact within a County.


8. Youth Sport Trust update – Chris Caws (chris.caws@youthsporttrust.org)
Chris Caws provided an overview of the current headlines from the YST. This included :
The Five hour offer
Coaching – Grow your own
Competition and Competition Managers – 1 per 2 SSPs, in place by Sept 2008
YST supporting NGBs with data/research from PESSCL survey
Chris used an example of work with Lacrosse and the mapping of schools vs clubs, using YST to access the PDM network as an excellent example of making schools sport more effective. Other NGBs were asked to contact Chris if they felt that this information would be useful for them in terms of development planning?
Presentation

9. Regional Coaching Centre – Steve Bentall (sbentall@sportscoachuk.org) / Angela Littlewood (angela.littlewood@sportessex.org.uk)
Attendees were asked to consider a paper regarding the establishment of a Regional Coaching Centre/Network that was circulated previously to all attendees. Whilst questions still remained around the vision, functionality, staffing structure and operating costs of the `Network` all CSPs and NGBs were asked to collectively agree to support/pursue a collaborative submission for a `Network` based around the 6 CSPs in the East. Attendees were asked to feedback any comments to AL, RD or Jane Hannah by 5th October. No communication would mean agreement with the proposed submission.

10. Regional Club Development Strategy– Ellen Falkner (ellen.falkner@sportengland.org)
A draft Club Strategy had already been circulated for comment and a steering group (Kevin from swimming, and Emily from netball are the NGB Reps) had met once over the matter. Ellen thanked people for their feedback and highlighted some areas where changes/prioritisation was suggested.
All attendees were encouraged to feedback what they wanted to see from a Regional Club Development Strategy, and also their general comments on it as part of a `post-it` note exercise and ongoing to Ellen (ellen.falkner@sportengland.org).

11. Sporting Champions – Louise Calton & Jenny Copnell
Louise, and then Jenny (International Mountain Biker) provided details and an update of Sporting Champions in the East. Work had recently occurred to make sure that the right athletes were designated Sporting Champion status in the East, and that their role was much more than just a handshake and photograph opportunity. Visits are targeted to people up to the age of 25.
All attendees were encouraged to think of effective ways to use the Sporting Champions and also of ay other potential ones (must be Ex or current International Athletes).

12. 2009-2013 Planning and Investment – Simon MacQueen
Simon Macqueen provided a short update clarifying that the 09-13 work was still being developed and that further information would be available at Dec 4th-5th event.

13. AOB
NGBs were signposted to a paper circulated recently around the future funding from European Social Funding (ESF). As part of this, Jane Hannah from Sport England collected brief information from all NGBs present regarding how their Coach Education courses were organised and run, and what scope there was to expand and develop them to meet local need.
All attendees were reminded of the 2 day event at Lakeside Lodge, Pidley on the 4th and 5th December. The agenda was not yet finalised but would potentially focus around 2009-2013 planning and workforce development.
Attendees were signposted to http://eastngbforum.blogspot.com/ for the presentations from the day

Sir Trevor Heads to Harlow - Essex Skills Coach Launch

Sir Trevor Brooking was in Harlow during September as 450 children helped launch the Essex FA Tesco Skills Programme at Hare Street Primary School.

Essex is one of twelve pilot projects across the country for the FA co-ordinated initiative which is funded by both Tesco and the National Sports Foundation and aims to give one million children aged 5-11 top-quality skills coaching by summer 2010.

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