Northumberland's Young Sporting Volunteers Step Up To The Challenge

Fab with a few of our Step into Sport Volunteers

Newcastle Eagles Player/Coach Fab Flournoy, Sporting Champion Heather Monro and Newcastle Falcons Coach Steve Black inspired 120 young volunteers to take up the challenge of providing invaluable volunteer hours to our local community clubs at Northumberland Sport’s Step into Sport Conference held yesterday at Cramlington Sporting Club.

Young volunteers were selected from the six School Sports Partnerships in Northumberland and undertook practical and theoretical workshops on top of receiving inspirational advice from our three sporting heroes.

The main aim of the conference was to equip participants with increased skills in leadership/event organisation which could effectively be used in local clubs throughout Northumberland. Developing an awareness of appropriate behaviour whilst in placement was also delivered through seminars, such as ‘volunteering and child welfare’ and ‘positively volunteering’ as well as practical Basketball activities led by Fab.

Event organiser Neville Duncan of Northumberland Sport said: “We’re really pleased to have hosted this event, which will help develop the confidence and leadership skills of many young people. They can now take the knowledge and the skills they’ve acquired to their community volunteering placements at various clubs throughout Northumberland.”

Judith Rasmussen, Regional Director with Sport England North East, said: “The Step into Sport conference was a great success and it’s fantastic to see so many young people being provided the opportunity to enhance their skills, which hopefully they will be able to utilise at their local clubs.

“The speeches given by Steve Black, Heather Monro and Fab Flournoy were a tremendous inspiration and have motivated the youngsters to apply their knowledge and enthusiasm for sport in order to help others in a volunteering capacity.”