Active News Edition 14 - Spring 2021

SPORT ABERDEEN | EDITION #14 | SPRING 2021

Sport Aberdeen is a private limited company, registered in Scotland, Company no SC350981

CREATING OPPORTUNITIES, INSPIRING PEOPLE AND CHANGING LIVES THROUGH SPORT AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY.

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CONTENTS

Page 3

Editor’s letter

Page 6

Sport Aberdeen named Team Aberdeen

Page 8

Supporting local sports clubs

Page 10 - 11 News roundup

Page 4 - 5 The 5Ps

Page 7

Funding allows free bike maintenance

Page 9

Managing Director’s insights

Back Page

Meet the team

am delighted to welcome you to the first edition of Active News for 2021, highlighting some of the fantastic work that has been going on over the past few months.

The winter is now behind us and spring has settled in nicely, although the north-east’s climate likes to remind us that our woolly hats should never be far from reach!

Despite the challenges that have faced the whole leisure sector over the last year, with support and resilience from our members we have continued to operate and now we are focusing all of our energy into reactivating the city.

Even in the face of a global pandemic we have continued to create opportunities, inspire people and help the community get active.

From programmes specifically designed to support people with lung conditions to become more active (page five), to providing free cycle maintenance to a local children’s home, helping to give several bikes a new lease of life and allowing young people to remain active (page seven).

The team behind Sport Aberdeen have been key to the charity’s ongoing resilience and success which saw staff members taking on roles supporting partner agencies while our venues have been shut (page four) and in December the Active Lifestyles team was deservedly crowned ‘Team Aberdeen’ at the HEART Awards (page six).

Although this is a means of looking back and highlighting the incredible work that goes into keeping the community active, I’d also like this issue to serve as a positive look to the future as we prepare to move out of lockdown.

I hope this glimpse into the exciting work going on, and the promise of longer and warmer days that come with spring, will motivate you all to get out and get active in Aberdeen once again, making the most of all the sporting opportunities that we offer throughout the city and helping to support the community’s wellbeing by doing so.

On behalf of the whole charity, thank you for your incredible support and we very much look forward to welcoming you back to sport, Aberdeen.

Contact If you would like more information on anything in this edition, or would like to find out about work and volunteer opportunities with Sport Aberdeen, get in touch with us by emailing

editor@sportaberdeen.co.uk

Editor

Active News

Sarah Webster

Communications Lead

Above: Adventure Aberdeen participants scrambling

Above: W inter Pulmonary Rehabilitation Programme participant Peter Hall

Above: The new BRS Golf Booking System

THE FIVE Ps SPORT ABERDEEN IS COMMITTED TO: CREATING OPPORTUNITIES, INSPIRING PEOPLE AND CHANGING LIVES THROUGH SPORT AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY.

PEOPLE STAFF SUPPORT THE COMMUNITY Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, we have seen more than 35 furloughed employees take on volunteer or secondment roles supporting partner agencies.

Our staff have turned their hand to several different roles in positions supporting the NHS, Aberdeen City Council, Grampian Assessor & Electoral Registration and Aberdeen Health & Social Care Partnership. The support has been vital to these organisations and has been very gratefully received.

PLACES KINGS LINKS: COMMUNITY GOLF IN THE GREEN AGAIN idverde’s programme of renovation at Kings Links Golf Course over recent months has proved to be a success. A dedicated renovation team has delivered the necessary works, with the Sports Turf Research Institute (STRI) overseeing the programme.

“ During the first national lockdown I was supporting the child services team within Mile-End Primary School.

It was really great to get out and support my local community in such uncertain times and it was very positive for my mental health, giving me purpose during the first lockdown.”

- Aimee Beattie, Sport Aberdeen employee Our Active Schools team have also been supporting children of key workers and vulnerable children in over 10 schools across the city, delivering physical activity outdoors and supporting young people in the classroom. Several coordinators have also been working with targeted young people to support their overall wellbeing, delivering sessions and creating new ways to stay active during the lockdown.

Page 4 / The 5 Ps

Above: Kings Links inspection team

“ An STRI expert visited Kings Links in February and gave a positive review of the state of the greens. He was very impressed at how they have stood up to the snow and ice over the winter months and with better weather on way they should flourish.

“ The fact that the greens will fully recover is testament to the quick actions of all working partners and we are thankful to idverde for their attentiveness. With initial reviews and reports showing that the course is on track for a full recovery, we are committed to resuming play on the greens as soon as they have recovered.

tee-times from 1 April onwards being made through the new system.

“ We will not compromise the recovery of the greens by allowing play prematurely. This won’t be long now, and I am sure that we have a very positive season ahead for Golf Aberdeen members and players and very much look forward to the start of the season.”

• be kept up-to-date on course status and events;

- Nigel Spencer, Golf and Outdoor Services Manager

PARTICIPATION ADVENTURE ABERDEEN SUPPORTING SCHOOLS THROUGH OUTDOOR EDUCATION Prior to the second national lockdown, Adventure Aberdeen staff had been working hard to support schools throughout the north-east, with over 2,000 pupils taking part in outdoor learning in and around Aberdeen City.

Outdoor learning provides different environments for pupils to thrive in while working on personal and social development as well as helping to develop lifelong skills that can be transferred to school, the workplace and everyday life. From climbing mountains to jumping in the North Sea, pupils have achieved things they would never have thought possible. “ Scotland has an abundance of world class outdoor learning opportunities which can help children and young people both in and out of the classroom and we believe it should be available to all. We would like to thank the staff and pupils that we are currently, or have previously, engaged with and we look forward to continuing to provide these opportunities as soon as restrictions allow.”

- Graeme Dale, Head of Sport and Active Communities

PROCESS GOLF ABERDEEN READY TO TEE OFF 2021 SEASON WITH NEW BOOKING SYSTEM We have been gearing up for the highly anticipated new golf season with continued investment into our community courses, including the launch of a brand-new booking system alongside a programme of significant winter works, ensuring the city is ready to tee off.

The BRS Golf Booking System, which is recognised as the UK and Ireland’s leading tee-time management and online booking system, will launch in late March for Golf Aberdeen members and pay and play customers, with all bookings for

The booking system boasts several new beneficial features and users will now: • have access to the new BRS Golf members’ booking app; • be able to easily book online or via the app; • a nd receive instant email booking confirmations for every tee time reservation. “ We are excited to launch our new booking system, exclusively for our golf members and play and pay customers and this change is directly in response to our members voiced needs and wants. It is my hope that this new feature will significantly enhance everyone’s experience and players will be able to take advantage of the full benefits of our club membership.”

– Nigel Spencer, Golf and Outdoor Services Manager

PARTNERSHIP SUPPORTING PEOPLE WITH RESPIRATORY CONDITIONS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH NHS GRAMPIAN We recently developed a programme in partnership with NHS Grampian specifically designed to support people with lung conditions whose ability to be active and participate in exercise is affected by breathing difficulties, including those with Bronchiectasis, Pulmonary Fibrosis, Asthma and Chronic Obstructive Respiratory Disease (COPD).

Participants are offered the opportunity to attend virtual exercise classes online or alternatively receive one-to-one phone call support.

Qualified exercise instructors are working with participants to build confidence and activity levels safely whilst talking through any concern’s patients may have about introducing exercise into their daily lives; helping to improve lung capacity and overall fitness so participants can feel more confident doing everyday tasks.

Working in partnership with NHS Grampian has allowed us to develop this programme, specifically aimed at helping a group of people who can really benefit from engaging in activity. Although physical activity won’t offer a cure, it can result in hugely positive changes for individuals living with certain respiratory conditions and we are thrilled to be able to deliver this in the city.

- Andrinne Craig, Healthy Communities Manager

The 5 Ps / Page 5

Above: HEART Awards 2021

SPORT ABERDEEN NAMED ‘TEAM ABERDEEN’ AT THIS YEAR’S HEART AWARDS

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he Active Lifestyles Team, led by Andrinne Craig, was triumphant at the the HEART Awards in December, an annual event organised by Aberdeen City Health & Social Care Partnership recognising people working and volunteering in health and social care in Aberdeen.

They won the ‘Team Aberdeen Integrated Working’ award at a virtual ceremony following the postponement of the planned event in March due to Covid-19.

The winning programme provides inclusive opportunities for everyone to get active and participate in physical activity, regardless of whether they are starting out, recovering from injury, living with a long-term health condition or are older adults.

We were nominated for the award by colleagues in the NHS CAARS (Community Adult Assessment and Rehabilitation Service) team for the way in which the charity works collaboratively with them and service users on a range of co-produced projects.

The Active Lifestyles team has been heavily involved in several joint initiatives and projects over recent years, of note, the co-design and delivery of the Carer’s Stable and Able Group which runs on a weekly basis with support from NHS occupational therapy staff.

Carers Exercise classes were developed in response to a need for ongoing support for carers and those being cared for, as identified by NHS Grampian colleagues.

Working in partnership with participants, the organisations developed parallel classes which allow both carers and cared for to participate at the same time, mitigating anxieties around leaving loved ones alone and allowing for more people to improve health and wellbeing, reducing risk of a fall and the potential for re-referral back to stretched NHS services.

“ This award really highlights that by working collaboratively we can change people’s lives through the many projects, services and programmes that we deliver and is testament to the incredible work that is carried out by the Active Lifestyles team year after year. “ I am thrilled that we have been named ‘Team Aberdeen’ and would like to congratulate all the other nominees and winners from this year’s HEART Awards. I would also like to thank our valued partners at NHS CAARS for nominating us for this award. It really is fantastic to see the sheer amount of partnership working that is carried out in the north-east, and I am proud that Sport Aberdeen can play a key role in this.”

- Andrinne Craig, Healthy Communities Manager

“The team at Sport Aberdeen have made every effort to work in partnership with many different teams in Aberdeen but have certainly become an important and consistent partner to AHP’s working within the partnership. This is reflected in the reciprocal referrals that are regularly made between the services and the confidence with which these referrals are made.

“Sport Aberdeen certainly embody the values of the partnership and are prepared to go that ‘extra mile’ to make collaborative working with them so seamless.”

- Sandra MacLeod, Aberdeen City Health & Social Care Partnership Chief Officer

Page 6 / Sport Aberdeen named Team Aberdeen

FUNDING ALLOWS ADVENTURE ABERDEEN TEAM TO PROVIDE FREE BIKE MAINTENANCE TO LOCAL CHILDREN’S CARE HOME

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hanks to funding secured through the ‘Scotland Cycle Repair Scheme’, a total of five bikes from Barnardo’s Linksfield Residential Service, an established childcare service in partnership with Aberdeen City Council, were given a new lease of life at Adventure Aberdeen’s bike workshop in Kingswells.

We were the first organisation in the city to sign up to the ‘Scotland Cycle Repair Scheme’, a free bike repair and maintenance service funded by the Scottish Government and delivered through Cycling UK. The scheme aims to remove barriers such as cost while encouraging active travel; allowing more people to take part in cycling through access to free bike maintenance.

“ After a hugely positive response, this is the second round of funding we have secured to deliver free maintenance to people in the north-east who may ordinarily struggle to gain access to bike servicing. “ We are targeting this latest funding towards those who are really in need of the services and I’m absolutely delighted that we could help and breathe life into their five bikes. Sport Aberdeen has a responsibility as a Corporate Parent for these young people, so it is only right that we ensure that they have bikes in a condition that they are able to enjoy.

“Thank you so much to Adventure Aberdeen for the service. We are really happy that the bikes have been fixed and it means we can go for long bike rides and socialise with our friends.”

- A young person from Linksfield Residential Service

“We would like to extend a massive thanks to Sport Aberdeen, and the staff at Adventure Aberdeen. It’s great to work in partnership and to have such a good service which will help to promote health and well-being for the young people we support.”

- Rebecca Christie, Linksfield Residential Service Senior Practitioner

“ A key aim of the scheme is to give more people of all ages access to safer cycling – encouraging participation in physical exercise, while educating people on the benefits of greener travel. Working with services such as Linksfield Residential Service underpins our commitment to breaking down barriers and creating opportunities for more people to get active, regardless of challenges they may have.”

- Graeme Dale, Head of Sport and Active Communities Above: Adventure Aberdeen staff servicing a bike

Funding allows for free bike maintenance / Page 7

SUPPORTING LOCAL SPORTS CLUBS

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Above: The funding will help clubs with their reactivation

e have provided grants of up to £400 to local sports clubs linked to any of the five city Community Sports Hubs, supported by Sport Aberdeen, to help alleviate the negative effects of Covid-19.

“ The impact that Covid-19 has had on the whole sporting community, from grassroots clubs to professional athletes is devastating and will take quite some time to recover from.

This funding is aimed at supporting local clubs to reactivate after the devastating impact the lockdown restrictions have had on the sporting community.

“ Creating opportunities for people to participate in physical activity within local communities is at the heart of the charity and we are delighted, with support from sportscotland, to be able to offer some help through these grants to the clubs who are part of the various Community Sports Hubs in the city.”

Community Sports Hubs is a national sportscotland initiative that aims to bring together sport clubs and community organisations that want to develop and grow the sporting offering locally.

- Graeme Dale, Head of Sport and Active Communities

“We know how hard the pandemic has been on everyone and members of our hockey club, we have continued to remain positive throughout by providing virtual support and luckily for us at the tail end of 2020 we did manage to get onto a hockey pitch to play our beloved sport.

“We applied for the Covid-19 Re-activation Fund from our local hub and were successful in gaining £400 which we have put to good use and are grateful for and encourage all clubs to find their nearest hub and become a member as we have found it a useful community membership.”

- Aberdeen Bon Accord MBC Hockey Club

“Thanks to the Sport Aberdeen Community Sports Hub reactivation grant of £400, the club has been able to continue to invest in equipment and volunteer development for our latest and youngest age group.

“This grant has helped purchase equipment for training such as training balls, training bibs and cones and has been utilised to provide first aid and coaching badges to ensure that the team and coaches are ready to hit the ground running when the government relax current restrictions.

“The funding has been hugely beneficial as a starting age group requires funding for initial set up which would have not been possible to generate during this time without the funding from this grant. Everyone from Northstar Community Football Club are grateful for this support and we will continue to support the hub and our local community.”

- Northstar Community Football Club

Suporting loalc sports clubs / e ag P 8

MANAGING DIRECTOR’S INSIGHTS T

hank you for taking the time to read the first issue of Active News for 2021. It is quite amazing to me that we could produce an issue of Active News which is so packed with good news and activity, which covers a period where all our venues and activities other than golf and outdoor tennis have been closed. It’s a true testament to everyone who is part of Team Sport Aberdeen that we have continued to work so hard behind the scenes, despite the tough restrictions that we have all been living and working under. I know that we are all encouraged by the brighter days ahead as we move through Scotland’s roadmap out of lockdown and we look forward to reactivating our venues and programmes, allowing the people of Aberdeen to get active once again and playing our part in the nations recovery from Covid-19 by supporting the health and wellbeing of our community.

The timing of this issue leads me to reflect on this time last year and everything that has happened since. It has been an incredibly challenging 12 months, and we could have never made it through without the support of so many people who make up ‘Team Sport Aberdeen’.

The members of our Board of Directors have been a phenomenal support to our charity, our unsung heroes who freely give up so much of their time to guide and assist us, a task made all the more difficult without face-to-face meetings and a reliance on video conferencing technology. We are especially grateful for their support over this most difficult time, they have all been a constant source of advice, encouragement and guidance which has helped to ensure that we have got through this financial year in a relatively positive position.

I am extremely grateful for the resilience of our staff, those who have remained at work and those who have been on furlough.

They have done a stellar job in keeping us going in the face of ever-changing guidelines and legislation. Looking positively towards the next financial year, we look forward to bringing more staff back to their regular jobs as we reactivate our venues and services. A special thanks to everyone who has volunteered to support our partner agencies, it just goes to show how fantastic our staff are.

And last but certainly by no means least, a huge thanks to all of our members who have continued to pay for their memberships while we have been closed, to all of the members who have joined us for online activity and those who returned to our venues and programmes when we reopened in 2020. We look forward to welcoming you all back again later this year – we are so grateful for your ongoing support.

ALISTAIR S. ROBERTSON Managing Director

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Over 2,000kg of equipment delivered to local customers

Managing Director’s insights / Page 9

SUPPORTING THE FIGHT AGAINST ‘PERIOD POVERTY’ WITH CFINE In November we helped in the fight against ‘period poverty’, which refers to having a lack of access to sanitary products due to financial constraints, by providing complimentary sanitary items throughout our city venues for the second time since a nationwide initiative was launched.

The Scottish Government made funding available in 2018 to supply products with the hope of eliminating ‘period poverty’ and in November 2020 MSPs voted unanimously, making Scotland the first country in the world to make free sanitary products available in all schools, universities, colleges and public buildings.

Locally, the products are distributed by CFINE, a charity and social enterprise, for Aberdeen City Council to public venues where significant footfall has been identified. Our venues were restocked in November after we took part in the initiative earlier in 2020.

“We are is proud to further support this nationwide move and as a charity we look to support the community wherever possible and remove barriers so that we can encourage more people to take part in physical activity.” - David Selkirk, Director of Community Leisure Operations “A massive thank you to all our Sport Aberdeen, partners, volunteers and staff who has worked on the Access to Free Period Products Project.” - Lisa Duthie, CFINE Chief Executive

SUPPORTING OUR YOUNG CARERS Young Carers Action Day is an annual event which was celebrated on March 16. Organised by Carers Trust, the awareness campaign shines a light on young carers and the incredible contribution they make to their families and local communities.

We work with targeted groups, utilising the positive physical and mental impact that participating in sport can bring about to create opportunities, inspire people and change lives. Young carers are one of the targeted groups of young people that our Active Schools team work with, in partnership with Barnardo’s Aberdeen Young Carers Service.

Active Schools Assistant Victor Omondi is based full time within St Machar Academy where he works with young people to increase their physical activity, helping to improve physical and mental health and wellness. This is done through a one-to-one basis and targeted (small) groups, the Young Carers’ Group being one of these.

“Almost 35% of my time in school is dedicated to supporting young carers directly or indirectly which includes me taking participants through a variety of activities such as team building, fun activities, games, sports and classroom sessions with the aim of improving various elements of their health and wellbeing. Through the activities I also seek to develop their softs skills, e.g. resilience, communication and leadership skills.

“During the pandemic I have been interacting with the young carers virtually where we engage in various activities and games, discuss various wellbeing strategies and provide a listening ear to some. I’ve been supporting within the school hub where I worked with several young carers in physical activity and wellbeing activities.” - Victor Omondi, Active Schools Assistant Page 10 / News roundup

VOLUNTEER FROM ABERDEEN EARNS RECOGNITION FROM SPORTSCOTLAND One of our fantastic volunteers, Alex Soaris, earned praise from sportscotland, the national agency for sport, for his commitment and dedication to helping additional support schools and their pupils. Alex gave up well over 1,000 hours using sport to inspire others and is credited with helping to shape the future for additional support schools in the area.

Above: Alex with his CLUK certificate

He was recognised for his role with our Active Schools programme in August when he was named as a finalist in the Outstanding Volunteer category at the 2020 Community Leisure UK Awards.

Now his work with the pupils at Orchard Brae has been recognised by sportscotland.

“Across Scotland thousands of dedicated sporting enthusiasts devote their time, knowledge and skills to afford others the chance to take part in sport, and experience all the benefits that come with sport participation.

“Alex’s commitment and dedication to helping others is inspirational and the impact his work with the Sport Aberdeen Active Schools programme has had on the pupils at Orchard Brae is immeasurable.

“People like Alex are the bedrock of Scottish sport and I’d like to thank him on behalf of sportscotland for everything he is doing, and I look forward to seeing how his career in sport progresses.”

– Stewart Harris, Chief Executive sportscotland

CELEBRATING THE LIVES AND VOICES OF CARE EXPERIENCED PEOPLE In February we marked Care Day 2021 through social media, a date internationally recognised as an opportunity to celebrate the lives, rights and voices of care experienced people.

SPACE (Supported Physical Activity for Care Experienced) is Sport Aberdeen’s innovative, award-winning project that utilises the positive benefits of sport and physical activity to help care experienced children and young people (CECYP) reach their full potential through bespoke interventions.

Above: S PACE participant Jyden at a presentation for

his volunteering achievements

The initiative is an evolution of the pioneering Looked After Project, which aims to remove barriers and support participants to improve their physical health, emotional wellbeing and enhance key life skills, using the power of sport and physical activity as a catalyst for positive change.

Providing bespoke one-to-one and small group interventions, utilising a child-centred approach with the needs and views of children and young people at its core, the partnership approach has developed new and existing opportunities for CECYP. We have continued our commitment to provide every CECYP and their caregivers/siblings with a free Sport Aberdeen membership. Providing access to gyms, swimming, badminton and other activities has continued this year with 66 new memberships being allocated this term.

News roundup / Page 11

MEET THE TEAM The people behind the charity are who make it a success. From interns to heads of departments, each member of staff plays a hugely important role. Andrew Smart is currently taking part in a 12-week internship within the Marketing and Commercial Development team. Find out why he chose to intern with Sport Aberdeen and read his interview with our colleague Graeme Dale.

Name: Andrew Smart Job Title: Marketing and Communications intern University: Robert Gordon University (RGU) BA (Hons) Journalism “ I chose to intern at Sport Aberdeen because I wanted to gain experience with an organisation both at the heart of city life and one aimed at improving the lives and wellbeing of the community.

Being such a large charity, Sport Aberdeen offers a wide-range of opportunities to not only gain out-of-university experience but also allows me to work closely with the team to help ensure Aberdeen stays fit and active during, and after, the pandemic!”

As a means of highlighting how important community sport is and how it will help in the recovery as we move out of lockdown, I got some insight from our Head of Sport and Active Communities Graeme Dale.

What is the most rewarding aspect of ensuring access to sport for people of all ages, genders and abilities?

“For me, it’s seeing and hearing of our positive impact. I’ve always said that a person’s ability doesn’t matter, if we see smiles and red faces then we are doing it right. I love hearing the stories of where we have helped someone, whether it is someone coming to the gym for the first time, how we are supporting a care experienced young person or helping someone with a long-term health condition to be active. Even during the lockdowns, a lot of work has continued around supporting specific people or groups, I’ve been incredibly proud of Team Sport Aberdeen and how colleagues have responded.”

How will Sport Aberdeen play its part in reactivating the community and getting the city active again once lockdown restrictions are eased?

“The pandemic has shown how important sport and physical activity is, not only to physical health but people’s mental health too. As we come out of lockdown, I think it is even more important that we are here to help people. We can, and will, play a huge part in helping the city to be active. We’ll be working hard to reactivate facilities and services as soon as we can when restrictions lift. I think our customers and staff are counting down the days, it feels like excitement will build as we get closer to reopening!”

@sportaberdeen | sportaberdeen.co.uk