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New Year, New Partnership - a volunteering initiative with Derwentside Homes

A major social housing provider has signed up to a new partnership with the Tony Blair Sports Foundation. Derwentside Homes who manage nearly 7000 properties in and around Consett and Stanley have agreed to promote the Foundation to its residents as part of a strategy to help the local community get more active.

Working in partnership with Derwentside Homes, the Foundation aims to recruit residents and help them gain coaching qualifications which will then help them to help local children play sport. The Foundation will ensure that volunteers get support right from the start to receive full training and qualifications as well as the chance to make a real difference to young people participating in sport in the community. It is hoped that residents will take up the offer of becoming a Level 1 qualified coach or official and use their qualifications to facilitate more sporting activities involving young people in County Durham.

Working with the Tony Blair Sports Foundation, the initiative was instigated by Susan Gowland, Community Investment Manager at Derwentside Homes. Susan approached the Sports Foundation for help in gaining coaching qualifications for tenants so that they can start leading groups of children in sporting activity.

Susan said:

“The Tony Blair Sports Foundation will pay 50% of the cost of course fees and as an extra incentive, the first 100 tenants to sign up to the scheme will get a further £10 off the cost of a Level 1 coaching or official qualification. On successful completion of the course, volunteers will be sufficiently skilled in assisting to coach groups of children in specific sports. We hope that this will increase the capacity of tenants groups and sports clubs to put on events for children by developing a pool of qualified volunteers.”

Jeanette Pickard, Chief Executive of the Tony Blair Sports Foundation said:

“We are delighted to be working in partnership with Derwentside Homes to help them to recruit and train their tenants to become volunteers in sport and who will give their time to working with local children and their families in sporting initiatives and activities. By working together we hope to really boost the numbers of children participating in sporting events with community groups and we are looking forward to engaging and training the volunteers.”

If you are interested in getting involved with the Tony Blair Sports Foundation, becoming a coach or official, and helping out in your community email info@tonyblairsportsfoundation.org or telephone 0191 276 0640.