New posters to promote the ambassadors' blogs

As a means of boosting awareness of the ambassador blogs, on the 20th, 21st and 22nd of June, SportsAid will be working with a professional photographer to capture inspiring images of each ambassador athlete in an iconic Bradford location. These photographs will then be made into posters with the website address on them and be displayed prominently throughout Bradford to promote awareness of the Sporting Excellence programme.

Some of the iconic local venues to be used for the photography will incude Cow & Calf Rock at Ilkley, Salts Mill at Saltaire, Five Rise Locks in Bingley and the Alhambra Theatre.

Watch this space for more news of the poster project and eventually we hope to get the images themselves onto the website.  

Young tennis ace Serena Nash is our Athlete of the Month and has had a smashing summer scooping up titles throughout Yorkshire and down South - thanks in part to the SportsAid b active Sporting Excellence Programme.

Serena, age 12, of Thackley, has received £500 to buy equipment and pay for travel and expenses when she attends tennis tournaments.

Serena is currently ranked Yorkshire number 3 and British number 20 in her age group. This summer Serena has won three under 12 tournaments at the Ilkley Open, Hull Open, Yorkshire Open and was runner-up at the Leeds Junior Open. She also played for the under 14s at these tournaments and reached the semi finals at Ilkley and Hull and the quarter finals at Leeds.

Serena is one of eight athletes who qualified for the Sporting Excellence Programme following their nominations to SportsAid and although only 12 she has already spent a day at Bradford University learning media skills to help her be an ambassador for the district and her sport.

The athletes were given training to maintain blogs, videos and updates on www.sportsaidbactive.co.uk  so that they can talk about their sport and what they have got on the horizon.

Coun the Rev Paul Flowers, Bradford Council's executive member for Culture, Tourism and Sport, said: "As part of our b active campaign we do all we can to encourage young athletes in the Bradford district to fulfil their potential.
With the help of SportsAid we are helping young athletes participate in their chosen sport and even reach the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games."

Rob Clarke, Regional Development Manager for SportsAid, said ‘Serena is a great example of one of Bradford’s up-and-coming athletes and we’re very proud to support her as she continues on her journey to the top of her sport. Our partnership with Bradford Council has yielded huge benefits for all the athletes involved and will hopefully give Serena the boost she needs to realise her full potential. We very much look forward to following her progress on her blog on the Sporting Excellence website over the coming months.’

On Wednesday 1st September eight talented young athletes from Bradford will attend a media training session at the University of Bradford as part of the SportsAid b active Sporting Excellence Programme.

The athletes have recently been invited to become ‘Ambassadors’ for the Sporting Excellence Programme, which is an innovative new partnership between City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council and the sports funding charity SportsAid.

The Programme was formally launched to much acclaim at Bradford City Hall on 26th July. The Ambassadors scheme is just the latest strand in this unique and multi-faceted programme in which the overall aim is to improve the opportunities available to talented emerging athletes in Bradford in order to help them make the leap from junior elite to senior elite level. The Ambassadors strand is one of three strands of the Programme which have been awarded the prestigious ‘Inspire’ mark, which officially recognises innovative and exceptional projects directly inspired by the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The eight athletes, who qualified for the Sporting Excellence Programme following their nominations to SportsAid, will spend the day at Bradford University learning media skills which will help them to be outstanding ambassadors for their city and for their sports.

The athletes will be given the training to develop skills around maintaining an effective online presence through the use of blogs, videos and updates on the Sporting Excellence website which can be found at www.sportsaidbactive.co.uk . This element of the project will allow the athletes to develop their wider skills and help build their confidence through maintaining and updating their own profiles on the website where they can talk about their sport and what they’ve got on the horizon.

One of the Ambassadors is 13 year old Sam Thornton from Baildon who is currently a member of the England Talent Squad for diving, and is in the top six in Great Britain in Highboard and Springboard in the under 15 age category.

Sam usually trains six days a week and has to fit this around school on weekdays. As well as his diving commitments, Sam also enjoys rugby at school and plays cricket for Thackley CC on Thursday evenings and Sunday mornings. 

In the coming season Sam aims to be selected for the England National Squad and in the long term he has his sights set on the GB team, goals which, given his exceptional start to his diving career, seem very much within his reach as he continues to develop. 

Sam and his fellow Ambassadors are looking forward to helping to promote their city and their sports as they continue to benefit from the SportsAid b active Sporting Excellence Programme over the coming months.

Rob Clarke, Regional Development Manager for SportsAid, said ‘the ambassadors project is just the latest part of a programme which is really opening doors for Bradford’s emerging sporting talent. We’re confident that the athletes selected to be ambassadors will be exceptional role models and will do a great job in representing their sport and their city.’

Councillor the Rev Paul Flowers says: "This project will be a great boost to all those youngsters with sporting aspirations, especially in the lead up to the 2012 Olympics."

Seb Coe, Chair, London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic
Games said: "SportsAid b active Sporting Excellence is encouraging young athletes in Bradford to fulfil their potential. I am proud that with the help of partners such as the City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council and SportsAid we are delivering on our vision to use the power of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games to boost participation in sport.”

For more information on the Sporting Excellence Programme and to follow the progress of the Ambassador athletes, please see the profile and blog pages at www.sportsaidbactive.co.uk

The SportsAid b active Sporting Excellence Programme was launched to much acclaim at a prestigious event at Bradford City Hall last night.

The programme is a unique partnership between City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council and the charity SportsAid, which identifies and provides financial support for emerging talented athletes.

The programme, which is the first of its kind, has five key elements and aims to provide a package of support to young emerging athletes in Bradford to help them achieve their full potential, inspire others around them to take up sport and put Bradford on the map as a centre for sporting excellence.

Three strands of the programme - elite level sport services, disability talent development and a sporting ambassador’s project - have been awarded the prestigious Inspire mark. The London 2012 Inspire programme officially recognises innovative and exceptional projects directly inspired by the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The partnership began in 2007 and now boasts 57 individual athlete awards, equating to £65,100 of joint funding for emerging Bradford talent. The athletes are generally between the ages of 12 and 18 and will be competing at national or international level. The funds help them to cover the high costs associated with training and competing at elite level.

The first element of the programme will be delivered in partnership with Leeds Metropolitan University. This will see the development of a first class sport science support programme resulting in tailored service packages for each individual athlete based around the core areas of injury prevention, strength and conditioning, sport nutrition, sport psychology.

The Sporting Excellence Programme will also seek to enhance the opportunities available to emerging disabled athletes within the Bradford local authority area by developing existing talent pathways and helping to improve the support structures available for talented performers.

And last but not least, the programme will develop a Sporting Ambassadors project with the athletes supported by the programme. The athletes will be given media training through the University of Bradford and additional support to add value to their wider development. Each athlete will help to promote the wider programme and inspire young people across Bradford to excel and to make the most of their own talents. This aspect of the programme will see the launch of the Sporting Excellence website which will include, athlete blogs, video diaries and an inspirational footage of the athletes competing.

Councillor the Rev Paul Flowers, Executive Member for Culture, Tourism and Sport, said: "We are delighted to support our young athletes, some of whom may be on their way to the next Olympics. These young people are a real inspiration to others and we hope we can help them fulfil their dreams."

Seb Coe, Chair, London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games said: "SportsAid b active Sporting Excellence is encouraging young athletes in Bradford to fulfil their potential. I am proud that with the help of partners such as the City of BradfordMetropolitan District Council and SportsAid we are delivering on our vision to use the power of theOlympic Games and Paralympic Games to boost participation in sport.”

Tim Lawler, SportsAid Chief Executive, said: "SportsAid is delighted to be working with a partner like Bradford MDC who understand the importance of helping emerging talented athletes at this crucial stage of their journey. We hope this innovative approach to nurturing talent provides some richly deserved recognition for the athletes and inspires their peers and local community to support the future of British sport.”