Thursday, 13 November 2008
Olympic and Paralympic gold medallists Darren Campbell and Helene Raynsford have given their backing to our Sky Sports Living for Sport programme. The renamed scheme which aims to engage 30,000 young people through sport by 2012 was launched today by Andy Burnham MP Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Steve Grainger chief executive Youth Sport Trust and Sky’s chief executive Jeremy Darroch.
Sky Sports Living for Sport will provide every secondary school in the UK with the chance to use sport to motivate and inspire young people, between 11 and 16 years old, at risk of opting out of school life. The free programme was created by us in partnership with Sky.
Living For Sport has been renamed Sky Sports Living For Sport to reflect Sky’s investment and support of sport at all levels through rights fees, promotion, airtime and sponsorship schemes which encourage the development and participation of sport.
Former sprint-star Darren Campbell, will be leading a group of sporting mentors who will provide help and advice to youngsters involved with the programme. The other mentors include:
- Gail Emms, Badminton, Olympic medallist
- Helene Raynsford, Rowing, Paralympic medallist
- Tom Davis, Judo; 2012 hopeful
- Joe Glanfield, Sailing, Olympic medallist
- Craig Heap, Gymnastics, Olympian and commonwealth medallist
- Rachael Mackenzie, World Nr.1 Thai Boxer
- Nicola Minichiello, Bobsleigh, World Championship medallist and Olympian
- Tim Prendergast, Athletics (Middle distance), Paralympics medallist
- Michelle Robinson, Athletics (Triple Jump), Olympian
- Kerry Jane Williams, England Hockey, 2012 Hopeful
- Adam Whitehead, Swimming, Olympian and commonwealth medallist
The scheme, supported by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF), aims to encourage pupils to take on different activities and learn new sports, from football to fencing and basketball to boccia. Teachers can use these sessions to help pupils work towards measurable self-development goals that help build interpersonal and leadership skills. As the pupils grow and develop they are encouraged to put their new skills and confidence into practice outside the initiative by conceiving and managing their own sporting events.
The ambition of the project is for 2,000 schools and 30,000 young people to register with Sky Sports Living for Sport by 2012 and to build the activities into curricular and extra curricular activities.
Darren Campbell, Sky Sports Living for Sport Ambassador said, “I have heard first hand from teachers and pupils at schools who talk passionately about Sky Sports Living for Sport and I've seen for myself the life-changing journeys many pupils have made. I always walk away from school visits both proud and incredibly humbled and I look forward to meeting even more of those who are benefiting from the programme.”
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