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Members at Home Event

Our first member’s event of 2011 took place on Wednesday 2nd February.  ‘Members at Home’ was held in the Foundation's Newcastle office and was attended by our Community Ambassadors, coaches and volunteers. 

Arlene Ainsley, TBSF Membership Recruitment Manager says:

"These are pretty informal events and a great chance for our members to get together to talk and share their coaching experiences.  I gave a presentation about what the Foundation has been up to over the past 12 months and discussed how we can best work to help our members progress in their chosen sport.

We had members attending who are new to the process and members who the Foundation has supported through their Level 1 and Level 2 coaching awards.  Three coaches who attended agreed to become Community Ambassadors for the Foundation which means they will now work closely with us to identify coaching needs in their local communities."

TBSF member John Renney has gone through his Level 1 and Level 2 athletics coaching awards with the Foundation explains:

“Beng a member of the Foundation is so much more than them simply paying half of my coachig costs.  They provide help and support throughout the whole process of gaining coaching qualifications - which can sometimes be very daunting if you're new to the game!  The 'At Home' event was a great oppotunity to meet other members who volunteer in different sports and to share our experiences.

Coaching is a satisfying way to introduce sport to children at a young age to develop enthusiasm about sports they wouldn’t usually try.  As a runner for many years with my local club I am so pleased I took the step to become a coach and with the support of the Tony Blair Sports Foundation I am now volunteering in a local school working alongside PE staff to run weekly athletics sessions.”