Feedback
From participants....
"It seems to bring the community together. People would not meet each other if it was not down to the community activities. The village school is probably the only other thing which binds people. The more events we have, more people meet and the community grows."
"over 35's football has enabled a group of old men to keep living the dream!!"
"I moved to the village thinking not much happend, but how wrong could I be? Lots of weekly sports classes, pilates, running, netball. I made so many new friends within weeks and got fit at the same time. I have now taken up fell running and am hooked because of this. I love living here, and the community is amazing. I shall definately never move away now".
"People have been brought together, and have developed friendships"
"I feel very fortunate that my children have had the opportunity to join the football classes that have been provided through the Community Centre. Having four small children and only one earner in the family, this village facility has enabled my children to participate in sports clubs that the higher costs of a private sports centre would have precluded them from."
"through the CA, and in particular the running group I have met an exceptional group of people who, without being intrusive, are supportive of each other, fun and have an amazing community spirit. I would struggle to live anywhere better".
"My kids have thoroughly enjoyed football club, adventure days at Whitehall growing in confidence both physically and socially. I feel very lucky to live in such a vibrant village with so much going on. The Village Games team's enthusiasm is contagious, they are great."
"....let me say thanks for bringing this to the leisure centre. I was looking to get back into netball. Not having done this since school, it was great to be able to play again, and with so much interest and enthusiasm. It was a great re-introduction" (Return to Netball Player)
"it's not like excercise.... it's fun!"
“It's the best thing that’s happened to this village in years” (resident)
“Well done again for Tuesday night, 50+ women playing netball is no easy task - but you made it look easy:-)”
“Firstly let me say thanks for starting this. I was looking to get back into netball. Not having done this since school it was great to be able to play again & with so much interest & enthusiasm it was a great first re-introduction, so thanks for that”.
“My Twins had a great time and have already asked when the next one is. Josh was very happy that football wasn't one of the activities as he, and some younger boys, don't always like it. Teaching children about other sports such as cricket, rugby or even rounders is just as good. So a big thanks for that.”
From Partners......
“It is difficult now to remember the county before Village Games – so embedded have the officers become in the local sports structures. Travelling around to different meetings in the county, for example Community Sport Network meetings, the officers and the work they are doing are frequently mentioned in a very positive light. They have added a resource to work at a community/neighbourhood level that neither Derbyshire Sport or local authority sport development staff were able to service effectively”. (Margaret Blount, Assistant Director, Derbyshire Sport)
"The Village Games Officers have provided an opportunity for local communities to improve the sport and recreation offer within their villages, according to their needs and interests. The Village Games event at Fairholmes and the Adventure Activity Day at White Hall gave children and their families a wonderful chance to try some of the many exciting outdoor activities available on their doorstep in the National Park. This is an excellent partnership project which helps deliver the aims of Active in the Outdoors, the recreation strategy for the PeakDistrictNational Park". (Judy Merryfield, Recreation Strategy Manager, Peak District National Park Authority)
"Over the past year, the Village Games project in Derbyshire Dales has begun to have a really positive impact on our rural communities and in particular the support that they receive to develop activities and clubs in their area. The Village Games Coordinator has developed a range of projects through effective work with partners, securing funding and empowering volunteers has resulted in more opportunities and also a sense that people are becoming more active in their village. We fully expect this to continue into next year and beyond and with the 2012 Olympic and Paralympics Games just round the corner, we look forward to delivering some exciting events that with enthuse and activate more people across the Dales". (Rob Wilks, Derbyshire Dales District Council)
"Village Games Co-ordinators have been instrumental in developing new Jog Derbyshire groups by recruiting new volunteer leaders as well as promoting and supporting new group launches. The Village Games project has had an extremely positive impact on Jog Derbyshire and continues to show signs of growth".
(Tom Crampton, JOG Derbyshire Co-ordinator)
"The Derbyshire Village Games project has had a significant impact in the HighPeak. It has acted as a catalyst to deliver new and innovative sports programmes, has provided a strong presence for front line sports development in the district. It has brought together a number of partners and attracted additional funding that adds considerable value to what High Peak Borough Council provides. The High Peak Village Games Officer has done a wonderful job in engaging the community with very positive feedback. This reflects the Council's view that this has proved to be a very successful sports project that contributes to our priorities, ensuring that more people get the opportunity to participate, volunteer and coach sport." (Chris Nightingale, High Peak Borough Council)
“The Village Games project is really making a difference to small communities in South Derbyshire. Over the last year people of all ages have started to volunteer and participate in a variety of activities and are starting to live more active lives. Another benefit of the project is that new groups are forming which are taking responsibility for organising the activities. These groups will be the legacy of the Village Games for years to come”. (Stuart Batchelor, South Derbyshire District Council)
“Village Games in Bolsover District has bought an invaluable resource in to our rural towns and villages, helping communities become more cohesive and take direct action in the development of activities on their doorstep. Village Games is all about empowering local people to bring their own ideas to fruition, through the support of a dedicated co-ordinator, helping them along the way. Since the start of the programme just under 12 months ago, we have seen around four-thousand hours of community activity being delivered, along with seventy coaches and volunteers engaging within this new scheme. All of this goes a long way to towards our target of increasing participation in sport and active recreation and increasing the number of active volunteers on a local basis”. Councillor Ann Syrett, Cabinet Member for Social Inclusion Bolsover District Council.
"The Village Games Project has in enhanced the work of the School Sport Partnership this year. Having Chris, our Village Games Officer working in the Partnership has helped us sustain and support our Schools’ Leadership & Volunteering programme at a time when we needed it most.
Through Chris, over 400 young people have received leadership training. We are looking ahead to a much more coherent and positive future for sport, leadership & volunteering as we move towards London 2012. It is really good to know the team are actively supporting each other and working harder than ever to link schools, communities & volunteers through sporting initiatives" (Partnership Development Manager, Rural Derbyshire SSP).
“The Village Games offers smaller communities the chance to host, engage with and develop activities that may not ordinarily be offered locally. The Games act to unite communities and to involve people who may have been socially isolated or may not previously have had the motivation to participate. If the activities then become sustainable in the long term and continue to engage those members of the local community who have low levels of physical activity this will act to meet strategic goals and targets across a spectrum of public health”. (James Creaghan, Adult Obesity Coordinator, NHS Derbyshire County PCT)
"Our [Village Games Co-ordinator] us central to everything we do now" (Sports Development Officer)
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