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Jersey Sport demonstrates a positive impact on local sport and physical activity with the release of its 2019 Annual Report

Jersey Sport has released its Annual Report for 2019, highlighting some key achievements from last year and demonstrating how the organisation continues to positively impact upon island life.

Currently in its third year, Jersey Sport is an independent body tasked with championing sport and active living within the island. The organisation gained charitable status in 2019, which enabled the opportunity for increased funding, so more investment could be made into the services and activities offered across the island.

Jersey Sport’s Chief Executive Officer, Catriona McAllister, continued to work with the Government of Jersey to produce and develop the Inspiring an Active Jersey Strategy – which aims to define Jersey as a world leader in sport and active living over the next 10 years.

In May 2019, the Move More Jersey initiative was launched to inspire more islanders to get more active, more often in a way that fits with their daily life. Created in line with the Inspiring an Active Jersey Strategy, the initiative has been a great success, with hundreds of people taking part in the new Move More Jersey exercise classes, referral classes, health walks and cycling events.

With two new tutors qualified in delivering Safeguarding, Jersey Sport trialled a new governance accreditation scheme in 2019, SportsMark Essential, which looks at how clubs are run and how they can keep their members and officials safe. A new Volunteer Workforce Grants scheme was also introduced, which saw £7,872 of funds distributed, designed to help sports associations support the development of local coaches, officials and volunteers. The organisation also continued to support local sport clubs with travel grants – over 3,000 journeys were supported in 2019 and it provided 332 coaches and officials with access to valuable CPD workshops throughout the year.

Jersey Sport’s holiday and term-time sports camps for children continued to be very well attended and in 2019 we saw an increase in the number of Year 5 pupils attending the national Swim Safe programme on Jersey’s beaches. New physical literacy tests were also conducted across the island’s schools to help develop future physical activity programmes for children.

Phil Austin MBE, Chairman of Jersey Sport said, “We are very proud of the work our coaches continue to do to inspire children, both in school and out, while our experienced and qualified Move More Referral Instructors have made a huge difference to people’s lives on a daily basis, helping them to achieve improved mobility and fitness after illness or injury.”

For the first time, during 2019, Jersey Sport introduced a holiday camp specifically for children with disabilities or additional special educational needs, which was very well received and well attended.

Move More Jersey played an active role in promoting and taking part in various island events, including HSBC Let’s Ride Pop-Ups at Les Quennevais, Closer to Home roadshows (in association with the Government of Jersey) and the Wheels for All cycling festival, which brought opportunities for disabled islanders to try a range of adaptive cycles. 2019 also saw the introduction of the HSBC Breeze Jersey cycle group – an initiative introduced in conjunction with HSBC UK Breeze, offering women-only, free cycle rides.

Celebrating sport and active living in Jersey rose to new heights at the RaceNation Sport and Move More Jersey Awards held in October. Sponsored by RaceNation, 10 awards were presented, and two local sporting stars were inducted into the Jersey Sport Hall of Fame, sponsored by Ocorian. Gold Olympic medallist and Ambassador for the Dame Kelly Holmes Trust, Amy Williams MBE, was guest speaker for the evening and inspired the audience with her tales from on and off the
skeleton track.

Phil Austin MBE, concluded, “I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the staff and board members of Jersey Sport who continue to help us to achieve growth through their dedication, achievements and ongoing efforts.

I would also like to thank all our sponsors and funders, including the Government of Jersey, who have offered so much support throughout 2019.

The statistics within our Annual Report highlight the incredible work our teams have done throughout 2019 and we look forward to continued growth, development and success during the remainder of 2020.”

To read the full Jersey Sport Annual Report for 2019, please visit: www.jerseysport.je/about-us/annual-report

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