Easter Netball Youth Camp Brings Joy and Opportunity

During the Easter school holidays, the Partnership co-ordinated a Netball Youth Camp at Bedwell Primary School in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, for local young people aged 8 to 11.

Bedwell is one of the most deprived areas in Stevenage, and second most deprived ward in Hertfordshire, and many parents do not have the money to take their children to local sport clubs and activities, as the cost of club fees and kit is too expensive.

Many children from Bedwell live in high rise flats or have no garden access, so Jess Baird, Active Local Officer for Bedwell, worked alongside staff at England Netball and the three local primary schools to ensure that local young people were able to attend and learn fun netball skills and drills under the watchful eye of qualified coaches. Funded through the Sport England OSF project, the camp was offered free of charge, and provided the young people with additional opportunities to be active and engaged with others.

At the end of the camp, the coaches ran a small presentation session, giving positive feedback to participants on their netball skills, camaraderie with others, teamwork, and communication skills before presenting each participant with a brand new sport top, kindly donated by Goods for Good.

Jess Baird said:

“I am delighted that we could organise this camp, in partnership with England Netball, and give local young people access to high quality netball provision. The school staff were incredibly helpful in promoting this opportunity to local families, and I am already in discussions about future netball activities for the Bedwell area. Ending the camp by handing out brand new items from Goods for Good was a real highlight.

None of the participants expected it, and they were all very excited to try the tops on when they realised it was something that they could keep. One young person said that they had never had anything like this before and could not wait to show their mum, so it has been a meaningful day for all involved!”