One of Active Lancashire’s flagship projects, The Challenge Through Sport Initiative (CSI), hosted a free event aimed at recognising and celebrating their team of volunteers.
The ‘Ole Skool Sports Day’, held in partnership with Inspire’s ‘New You” Programme, took place on 6th June during National Volunteers Week. The event was open to all to participate as part of a team of 10, with those who didn’t wish to compete being encouraged to join in on the fun as a spectator. Participants were taken on a trip down memory lane with activities such as the sack race, three-legged race and the egg and spoon race.
Making use of new sporting facilities, the fun-day took place at Regent Park in Morecambe and featured a raffle and refreshments. This isn’t the first time the CSI team has hosted an “Ole Skool Sports Day”, similar events have been organised for a variety of organisations and teams including partners and those involved in the CSI initiative, indeed, CSI are now receiving lots of requests to run these events and are able to host an Ole Skool Sports Day for any organisation who wishes to run one.
CSI Project Lead, Jane Moodie commented on the success of the event saying, “We brought back the Ole Skool Sports Day again this year as it has proven to be such a popular and enjoyable event in the past. It is a great way of bringing people from across the community together to partake in physical activity, build new friendships and it has a hugely positive impact on confidence and overall wellbeing. Not only this, but it is a brilliant way of highlighting and celebrating the skills of our volunteers and the impact they have on communities across Lancashire.”
A new addition for this year, Blackpool's Training Hospital were in attendance as part of an initiative that connects junior doctors with community groups to help develop leadership skills. This was a fantastic opportunity for the doctors to learn about the role that voluntary and community groups play in supporting people to lead healthy lives and see first-hand the additional support provided in the community to people who are inactive and have health problems.
The Challenge Through Sport Initiative, an Active Lancashire-led project, is an ambitious partnership project which encourages more active and healthier lifestyles for adults battling addiction and mental health issues by getting involved in regular sport and physical activity.
The project relies heavily on its support workers and volunteers, most of whom have come through the project as a participant themselves, and so an event like this is a great way of acknowledging and celebrating the achievements of the CSI team of volunteers, whilst also showcasing their abilities and broader impact on communities.
