There is a Judge Level 1 Course starting at Stanley on 21 February 2018. If you’re interested in completing your Judge Level 1, please contact Lorraine Lawrence, who will send you more information.
If you would like to take part, it would be a great help to the club, as it would help make us more self sufficient at out galas.
Please be aware that Sunderland Amateur Football Club are playing at home on Saturday 3 February 2018, the first day of the Northumberland and Durham County Championships. This will mean that there is no parking at the Sunderland Aquatics Centre for swimmers, coaches, officials, team staff or spectators. The football kicks off from 15:00 pm and depending on the stewards at the ground on the day, people should be able to be picked up and dropped off outside the aquatic centre up until 12:00 noon however after this time, alternative arrangements will need to be made.
Stadium car parks are closed until 30 minutes after the final whistle. Police and local authority parking restrictions, including permit schemes, are in place on more than 60 streets surrounding the stadium and are heavily enforced.
Football fans travelling to the Stadium of Light which is next to the Sunderland Aquatics Centre are advised to use the Park and Ride facility on Wessington Way (A1231). This is easily accessible from the A19 and is clearly signposted. Buses will pick up from the permanent bus stops on Sunderland Enterprise Park while pick-up points from the stadium are to the north on Kier Hardie Way. Buses run every five minutes before the game from 90 minutes prior to kick-off and regularly after the game until all fans (of which there aren’t very many) have been transported back to their cars.
There is also car parking for the football from two sites at the University of Sunderland – the A183 (Chester Road) and St Peter’s. Both are clearly signposted however we aren’t sure when they are open. If you wish to park here, follow signs for match day parking.
There are a number of car parks within the city centre which are short walk from the Aquatics Centre. There is also limited parking at a number of the metro stations that are within Sunderland and the surrounding areas; the Stadium of Light (SR5 1HX, short walk to the pool), East Boldon (NE36 OLP – short metro ride and walk to the pool) and Fellgate (NE32 4SR – metro ride and walk to the pool).
Sessions on Sunday 4 February at Birtley, Saturday 10 February at Chester-le-Street and Sunday 11 February at Birtley are cancelled as coaches will be at the Northumberland and Durham Championships.
British Blind Sport (BBS) are looking for young volunteers for its See My Voice project for young sport leaders aged between 11 and 18. If you’re interested, read on through the information from BBS below.
What is British Blind Sport’s See My Voice project?
‘See My Voice’ is a 3 year project encouraging young people (aged 11-18 years) with a visual impairment to find and access local sports volunteering roles delivering social action. With our support, we aim to provide our Young Leaders with fun and meaningful volunteering experiences that will develop invaluable leadership skills and increase confidence enhancing their future prospects. Our project officer will work with 35 young leaders annually. Throughout the project we will share project learning with our partners in order to shape their policy and increase accessibility and inclusion for people with disabilities in sport for the future.
What is sports volunteering?
Social action can be any kind of activity that benefits others and creates positive social change. Millions of people in England freely give their time to help others; for some, it’s about giving something back to their community or making a difference to the people around them. For others, it’s a chance to develop new skills, gain experience or make new friends. In many cases, it’s both.
Some examples of roles that our Young Leaders may be interested in are; coaching, marketing and promotion, coordinating events, officiating, fundraising and race marshalling. Our Young Leaders will be able to choose the role they are most interested in and if it turns out they don’t like it… we’ll find them something else!
Who can apply to be a Young Leader and what is involved?
Applicants need to be between the ages of 11-18 years and have an interest in sports volunteering to become a Young Leader.
Young Leaders will be required to deliver 50 hours of volunteering during a one year term. In addition, the Young Leaders will be required to complete a national evaluation twice per year as well as attend one forum to provide feedback on their experiences of volunteering to key sporting partners. All recruited Young Leaders will be expected to attend a regional induction meeting. Parental consent will be needed for any applicants under the age of 16.
Why become a Young Leader?
This high-quality training and development programme, along with mentoring, will develop our Young Leaders with life skills that will inevitably increase their confidence and enhance their employability prospects. See My Voice offers an opportunity to develop new skills, meet new friends and improve lives.
Each Young Leader will complete a leadership qualification, receive a completion certificate, receive mentoring sessions with business leaders and have the opportunity to share their experiences with our partners. Young Leaders will be encouraged to express their views about how sport is delivered in England to young VI people by leading an open forum alongside National Governing Bodies, County Sports Partnerships and other stakeholders.
What support will the Young Leaders receive?
An experienced Young Leaders Officer (YLO) will support each Young Leader to find and access high-quality volunteering opportunities based on their interests, needs and motivations and to overcome any barriers standing in their way. Our YLO will be in regular contact with all of our Young Leaders to ensure they are benefitting from their social action and receive feedback from the Young Leaders directly. In addition, the YLO will bring together our Young Leaders in person to ensure they have the chance to meet other Young Leaders as well as creating peer support networks through social media. Lastly, our YLO will work closely with organisations hosting our Young Leaders to ensure that our Young Leaders are appropriately challenged and welcomed into an accessible and empowering environment. Once our Young Leaders have completed their one year programme, they will be welcome to remain in project forums to take part in discussions, and hear of new training and volunteering opportunities.
How do I become a Young Leader?
If you are interested in becoming a See My Voice Young Leader, then you can apply by following the direct link below or by accessing the application form on the British Blind Sport website www.britishblindsport.org.uk. Applications must be submitted no later than Monday 22nd January 2018 and can be found at http://bit.ly/2jA35GP.
If you have any questions, please contact British Blind Sport directly by emailing sportdevelopment@britishblindsport.org.uk or phoning 01926 424 247.
