Posted: 27/01/16
Business boosts community sport
Young people in Mansfield and Ashfield will be enjoying sporting activities even more thanks to a generous donation of equipment from the UK’s number one sports retailer.
(lr) staff at the foundation Sarah Farrow, Carol Avison and Jay Moore with the generous donation from Sports Direct
The Inspire and Achieve Foundation inspires unemployed young people to work towards a positive future by providing them with the outreach, mentoring, training and support they need to move towards employment or education.
Its outreach activities include the Impact boxing programme and Strike football sessions. These are free to unemployed people aged 16 to 24 and enable them to participate in sports each week.
The foundation has received a generous donation of sports equipment and kit from Sports Direct, which will benefit the boxing and football programmes and will improve the quality of the sporting experience of the young people attending.
The donation includes footballs, boxing gloves, hook and jab pads, a skipping rope, punch bag with stand and cover. In addition, other equipment such as rackets and balls have been kindly given by the Shirebrook-based company.
Director of the foundation, Pippa Carter, said: “We’re absolutely delighted to receive this equipment. It will really benefit the young people who get involved in the foundation’s sporting activities and acts as a good example of how businesses can help tackle issue such as unemployment in their local communities.
“If any other business feel they can help us with donations, work experience or sponsorship, please do get in touch with us.”
Since 2012 alone, the foundation has enabled almost 400 young people to get their lives back on track, with over 60% making positive progression into employment, education or training.
The foundation has now launched a range of traineeships in conjunction with West Nottinghamshire College. This partnership sees the college delivering formal teaching, and the foundation providing a high-level of mentoring support and guidance for young people and businesses throughout the traineeship programmes.
The traineeship is currently offering ten work placements in construction, health and social care, sport and catering and will be seeking ten more placements for May 2016.
