Tag: Spartans Community Football Academy

Ease into Exercise at Spartans

Spartans (2)

Please let anyone you think would benefit know about this great new physical activity opportunity and share around your networks!

The physical activity team at Pilton Community Health Project have partnered up with The Spartans Football Club to develop a brand new physical activity programme for people with a range of inhibiting conditions.

The ‘Ease into Exercise’ sessions will be of great benefit to those with a range of health issues such including;

  • Cardiac rehab (Phase IV)
  • Stroke rehab
  • Diabetes
  • Obesity
  • Bone & Joint problems
  • MS/ME
  • Respiratory disorders (Asthma, COPD)
  • Mild/moderate mental health issues

Participants will receive expert advice, instruction and guidance throughout the session. The session will consist of a safe warm up and circuit type exercises that will help improve their functional/CV fitness, strength, endurance and flexibility. The instructor is fully qualified and experienced in exercise prescription for people with the range of inhibiting conditions detailed above.  The sessions will be of a great physical, mental and social benefit to those who attend. Ease into Exercise promises to be effective, safe, fun and affordable at only £2 per person. Details about the class are as follows:

When: Mondays 10.45 -11.30am (Starting on 11th November)

Where: Spartans Football Club, Ainslie Park Stadium (off Pilton Drive) 

We also have a programme of volunteer-led health walks that take place on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays. These are accessible to people looking for a gentle introduction to becoming more active. The walks are great way of familiarising people with their local area, addressing any concerns people have about safety and enabling walkers to meet new people.

If you know anyone who would benefit from taking part any of these activities, or if you have any questions please get in touch with me on 0131 551 1671 or email liannepipskyj@pchp.org.uk

For more information on health walks contact claresymonds@pchp.org.uk

Lianne Pipskyj, Community Development Worker (Physical Activity) PCHP

PCHP

Living in Harmony update

harmony1Pilton Community Health Project’s Anita Aggarwal gives an update on a key local initiative:

Since the closure of Community Organisation for Racial Equality (CORE), PCHP, Community Learning and Development (CLD) and Edinburgh Lothian Regional Equalities Council (ELREC) have been working together to try to minimise the impact of the loss of this important organisation.

The City of Edinburgh Council commissioned a report which examined the ongoing needs of BME communities in the area.  This highlighted the difficulties people have integrating with the local population, as well as a host of other issues.

You’ll find that report here:  Living in harmony 13

At this point it was felt important to involve other agencies and more local people in this process, and so we pulled together an action planning session on 31 May.

Over 30 people attended this event, representing a wide range of local people and organisations.  At this event we identified actions to be taken and many committed to take these forward.

These actions are recorded in this document:  action plan 31.5.13 final

If you weren’t able to be at the event and have ideas about how you or your organisations can contribute please add them in to the plan.  This document is an aid to action, not a fixed strategy document to sit on a shelf and get dusty!

We agreed to come back to discuss next steps at another meeting, when we will look at what progress is being made and how we resource some of the ideas on the action plan.

The next meeting will take place at the

Spartans Community Football Academy on Friday 19 July from 10 – 12.

This meeting is open to anyone – please contact me on 0131 551 1671 if you need crèche.

Anita Aggarwal

PCHP

Dream big, dream fierce

Spartans volunteers head out to Tanzania

A team of Spartans Community Football Academy volunteers head out to Africa on the journey of a lifetime next week. Three staff and a senior volunteer will join nine young people to spend two weeks working with a support project in Tanzania.

Spartans Charity Dinner“Our patron Gordon Strachan hosted a very successful charity dinner last year (pictured above), which raised an incredible amount of money. That has enabled us to do a lot of things here at the Academy, including our extension, but it has also given us the opportunity to send a small group from Spartans to help in a project in Tanzania”, explained Kenny Cameron, who is Community Programme Manager at Spartans Community Football Academy.

“We have links with a very successful Edinburgh-based charity called YES (Youth Empowerment through Sport) Tanzania. Their aims and objectives are very similar to our own, and in the past we have sent footballs, strips and boots over there. But now, thanks to the support of some very generous supporters – and the brilliant fundraising efforts of the Spartan Army volunteers themselves – we can take a small group over there to help out.

“The guys will have a very full programme over the two weeks – delivering Young Leader training and a coaching education programme, visiting schools and an orphanage. They will also spend some time in a shanty town and will see first hand the grinding poverty of daily life in what is one of the poorest nations on earth. As you can imagine the facilities are not great in Arusha, where the pilot project is based, so in time we also hope to build a football pitch and fund their development worker post for a year – we can make a real difference.”

Although the Spartans team have a very busy schedule they won’t be working non-stop and they have a real treat to look forward to.

“We have built in an overnight safari as part of the trip. It’s our way of saying thanks to these young people – who all live locally – who have given up a lot of hours of their own time over two and three years to volunteer here with us. It will be an amazing experience, the adventure of a lifetime”, Kenny went on.

“Our motto this year is ‘Dream Big, Dream Fierce’ and the Tanzanian experience kind  of sums that up – who would have thought that a wee group of young folk from North Edinburgh could travel halfway across the world and make a difference to peoples’ lives there? The message we are trying to convey to everyone who comes into contact with the Community Football Academy is: Believe – anything can be achieved.

“Tanzania will be an experience our volunteers will never forget, and the hope is that they will pass on what they learned there and share their experiences when they get back to North Edinburgh, inspiring the next generation of Spartan Army volunteers”.

If you’d like to support the Spartans Tanzania initiative visit

https://www.justgiving.com/SpartansTanzania-Appeal

Yes1

Nutmegs at West Pilton

nutmegs

Nutmegs, an exciting new weekly programme for parents, carers and pre-school children, is starting at West Pilton Neighbourhood Centre next week.

Run in association with The Spartans Community Football Academy, Nutmegs starts on Monday (3 June) from 9.30 – 10.30 and will run for four weeks until 24 June. Activities on offer include teamwork, coordination, balance, communication and fun games – and it’s all free!

To find out more or to bbok your place telephone West Pilton Neighbourhood Centre on 551 3194.

Gordon Strachan calls in at Craigroyston

Craigroyston Community High’s most illustrious former pupil Gordon Strachan visited his old school on Pennywell Road this morning. Local lad Gordon, who is also patron of Spartans Community Football Academy, passed on some coaching tips to young School of Football players on Craigroyston’s astroturf, and the Scotland legend showed he’s still got those silky skills – still time for a late call-up before tonight’s Macedonia game?

Premiership trophy comes to Craigroyston

It’s been raised aloft by the greatest names in world football, and it’s never crossed the border before – but yesterday, the Barclays Premiership Trophy arrived in North Edinburgh for a flying visit!

The Spartans Community Football Academy held their inaugural fund raising dinner at the Prestonfield House Hotel last night, and as part of the celebrations SCFA obtained the Barclays Premiership Trophy for the day.  In the afternoon S1 and S2 Craigroyston High School pupils and School of Football participants – and a few adults too! – got the once in a lifetime chance to get their picture  taken with the famous trophy.

Spartans Summer Programme

Spartans Community Football Academy’s summer programme is packed with fun things to do, whatever the weather! There’s lots of football of course, but there are trips, residentials, mountain biking, go karting and loads of other events planned too.

The programme starts next Monday (9 July) and runs throughout the summer holidays.

For further information contact Spartans Community Programme Manager Kenny Cameron on 552 7854, email kennycameron@spartanscfa.com or visit the website at www.spartanscfa.com

 

North Edinburgh hosts 'International' sports carnival

Forthview and Granton Primary Schools became Australia and China for the day when they took part in a Sports Carnival organised by facilities management giant ISS at The Spartans Community Football Academy yesterday.

The local schools were joined by Bannockburn’s St Mary’s School and each took part in three different elements on the day – the themes being education, fun and competition.

The event was supported by a wide range of agencies: British Heart Foundation and Coca Cola sponsored the event, while Lothian and Borders Police, Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Service and Lothian Buses were all there, providing information and advice at the education section. SELEX Galileo apprentices were among the volunteers who staffed the popular fun section which included inflatables and mini-football.

Highlight of the day was a series of sports challenges and competitive races – sprints, hurdles, relays and fun runs – all enthusiastically supported by cheering supporters.

And continuing the theme in the finest Olympic tradition there were also award presentations and a closing ceremony to bring a memorable day to perfect end.

Some images:

North Edinburgh hosts ‘International’ sports carnival

Forthview and Granton Primary Schools became Australia and China for the day when they took part in a Sports Carnival organised by facilities management giant ISS at The Spartans Community Football Academy yesterday.

The local schools were joined by Bannockburn’s St Mary’s School and each took part in three different elements on the day – the themes being education, fun and competition.

The event was supported by a wide range of agencies: British Heart Foundation and Coca Cola sponsored the event, while Lothian and Borders Police, Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Service and Lothian Buses were all there, providing information and advice at the education section. SELEX Galileo apprentices were among the volunteers who staffed the popular fun section which included inflatables and mini-football.

Highlight of the day was a series of sports challenges and competitive races – sprints, hurdles, relays and fun runs – all enthusiastically supported by cheering supporters.

And continuing the theme in the finest Olympic tradition there were also award presentations and a closing ceremony to bring a memorable day to perfect end.

Some images: