I am delighted to
say that I have recently joined StreetGames as an ambassador. StreetGames is a
sports charity that brings sport to the doorstep of young people in
disadvantaged communities across the UK.
It is something I
was keen to get involved in not least because I believe that participation in
sport can have a hugely positive impact on a young person’s life, but also
because I thought it a great opportunity to bring fencing to the community; a
sport that is often wrongly perceived as elitist, expensive and inaccessible.
So on a rare day
off on Thursday 29th March, I went to Millwall on a beautiful sunny
day to visit a fantastic group of young people. The day got off to a great
start with the official hand over of kit. Thanks to access to a Coca-Cola
bursary it meant that four StreetGames projects were provided with Leon Paul
starter ‘Go-Fence’ kits and coaching.
The group was
great, full of energy, eager to learn and ready to battle it out! Fencing is a
sport that most of the group had never associated with or come into contact
with and so it was nice to see it connect so well. The young people were
engaged from start to finish and a pleasure to coach. I saw some definite
talent in the group and I hope that it will inspire some of them to take up
fencing in the future. Either way, a lot of fun was had and I enjoyed seeing
the smiles on their faces.
Sport has the
ability to bring together people of all ages and walks of life. Sport can be the
glue that brings together and develops young people in the community and
StreetGames does exactly that.
I am really proud
to be a part of StreetGames and I’m looking forward to working with young
people in their communities around the country. It is something I’d like to
become more involved in when I finish fencing and I have more time to give.
On a side note, I also had great fun with Paul Cockerton from the Daily Mirror. I gave him a fencing lesson which was filmed and will hopefully be up on their website soon. I’ll keep you posted. He was quite the Errol Flynn!
