Parents and young volunteers partner with Active Schools sports coaches
Parents and youth volunteers are going to great lengths this term to help Moray Council’s Active School co-ordinators make sure Forres Academy pupils get fair access to activities
Parent Heather Powell will be coaching an after-school swimming club founded by Forres Active Schools Co-ordinator, Rosalyn Carruthers.
These sessions are for pupils who no longer want to join club swimming but still want to have fun and stay fit.
The school will continue to meet pool booking costs and several spaces have become available for new swimmers to join the free sessions.
Rosalyn said: “I’m delighted we've had such a good mix of young people coming along last term. Some of them wanted to improve the perceptions they might have about their own body image. Others said the sessions were good for their mental health, and some came along to get better at lane swimming.”
She added: “I set the club up because I knew there was a demand from secondary school pupils who didn’t want to attend a public session where they felt uncomfortable swimming alongside adults. They wanted the chance to lane swim without having to be part of a competitive club and without the expense associated with this. All sessions are free.”
The school’s new netball team also has high hopes for another successful term after qualifying last year for the Highland and Moray North Schools League and competing in the Moray Netball Festival at Gordonstoun School.
The team was kitted-out by parent Mandy Anderson, who made the kit donation in memory of her late mum Christine Wallace, who had been passionate about the sport.
The team is sponsored by community fundraisers, including Forres Active School volunteer, Hannah Rogan’s partner Adam Scott, who ran 62 miles and did 3,100 pull-ups, 6,200 press-ups, and 9,300 squats, all while wearing a 10kg weighted vest, to add £600 to the coffers.
Rosalyn added: “We want to say a huge thank you to Mandy and Adam for their generosity, and also to the parents for helping us to transport our junior and senior teams to the away fixtures and the Moray Netball Festival.
“Thanks also go to our players for their commitment to training and for being so supportive to one another and making the sessions so welcoming and so fun.
“We would encourage more people to sign up to join the clubs or to volunteer.”
The Active Schools programme is a key element of the Scottish Government’s drive to get Scotland more active.
It is funded by the Scottish Government and Scotland’s national sports agency, Sports Scotland, in partnership with local authorities.
Email rosalyn.carruthers@moray.gov.uk for details.