As a responsible retailer we believe in promoting healthy and active lifestyles in local communities where we trade.
We’ve been working in partnership for three years with Activate Sport, one of the UK’s leading providers of sport, activity and adventure camps.
We have been creating sporting opportunities to inspire young people from the ages of 5 to 16, offering free places to young people attending the camps, and supporting the Activate Sport Foundation’s Active Culture programme in primary schools.
Our partnership supports the specialist academies of sporting stars including cricketing legend Andrew Flintoff, Welsh rugby star Shane Williams, former England rugby legend Matt Dawson, European Tour winner Lee Westood and dancer Brendan Cole.
We are going a step further by sponsoring the Activate Sport Foundation’s Active Culture programme, sending qualified coaches into primary schools across the UK to inspire young people to take part in physical activity.
We have pledged to send coaches into 100 schools around the UK. The coaches will offer six-week programmes, training teachers, inspiring children, and even parents – creating a legacy in each school visited and leaving a lasting coaching curriculum behind.
‘Active Culture’ ambassadors are guaranteed to visit every school including James Anderson, Denise Lewis, Brendan Cole, Robbie Savage and Lee Westwood.
Our partnership with Activate sport…
- Has provided 3,000 free spaces for summer camps since the partnership began
- Has given over 120 Young Leaders Sport qualifications in 2011
- Will reach 20,000 young people by the Active Culture programme
Case study: Tracey Neville, former England Netball Captain
Tracey Neville is one of England’s most capped netball players, playing for her country a massive 74 times before an injury forced her out of the game in 2008. Tracey is one of the Head Coaches on the Activate Sport International Netball Roadshow, our netball coaching clinic for girls aged 7-16 years.
Tracey was particularly delighted with the progress of one of her students, Jade Whitfield, aged 16 from Derbyshire. Jade gained the Sports Leaders Award, a nationally recognised foundation award in sports coaching for young people, aged 12-17 years.
‘Jade was a little shy but after a couple of days she really grew in confidence and on day three she was leading warm up sessions and was delivering key coaching points to the younger girls on the course.’
Jade now wants to go to University to study for a Sports Science Degree. ‘It was fantastic to work with Tracey, I was a bit in awe of her actually but she gave me some great advice and pushed me to lead some sessions. A big thanks to The Co-operative and the Activate Sport Foundation for funding my Young Leaders in Sports Award’.