StreetGames, Millwall Community Project

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 29^th 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!