We’re approaching the end of 2023 and it’s time to review our highlights of the year. We’re looking forward to 2024 too, and that will be our next blog!
The Leap team had the difficult task of picking a single highlight of their year and it shows the breadth of work we do, and the passion and expertise of our fabulous team.
Mark Ormerod, CEO
I was delighted to bring together two organisations that I am heavily involved with, Leap and SportsAid. For some time, a plan had been bubbling between myself and SportsAid CEO, Tim Lawler along with Nick Downie at Stoke Park. This year we managed to finalise a three-way partnership which resulted in Stoke Park sponsoring 20 Bucks and Milton Keynes based athletes, along with Leap’s School Games programme.
Huge credit to Mark Stokes and Wendy Couzin for bringing the partnership to life with our partners. Stoke Park’s involvement will help lift the School Games experience to a new level for every child and young person involved; and is hopefully the start of a long-term mutually beneficial partnership.
Abbi McKane, Participation Project Manager
Pulling the Live Longer Better evaluation together enabled us to demonstrate the breadth of work undertaken.
Shay Fenlon, People Development Manager
Our Diversity and Inclusion journey so far as a team: small actions that have a big impact. These have included monthly agenda items discussing inclusion topics, lots of team training opportunities, starting to develop our inclusion golden rules for face to face and online meetings and working on our Diversity & Inclusion Action Plan to be finalised and launched next year.
Huge thanks to Zoiey Smale and Inclusive Employers for their support & guidance in this space.
Wendy Couzin, Children and Young People Project Officer
My high of this year is the PE Conference. Working in partnership with Stoke Park and The Insignis Academy Trust worked really well. We had over 100 delegates, these included PE Teachers, Heads of PE, PE Co-Ordinators as well as School Games Organisers and other Organisations coming along to increase their CPD.
This is always my favourite event on the calendar year and I’m looking forward to the next one already. It was great to have the whole Leap team there being a part of it and proved once again how we all work like a dream team together 🙂
A quote from a teacher:
“The conference was extremely informative and I was able to talk to many other PE leads about what they do. Also I gained lots of new ideas.”
Louise Gillespie, Evaluation and Impact Partner
My focus this year has been putting more robust data collection and evaluation processes in place. This has increased team awareness and understanding of how they can show the impact of their work.
Portia Simond, Coaching Champion
Project 500 empowers women in sports, fostering a community-led movement in Milton Keynes. We’ve proudly focused on women-only groups, creating safe spaces where leaders shine as beacons, providing all women a mask-free zone to be themselves. We have had special guests Dame Ann Limp Mayoress Mandy Legg walk with us.
Rhiannon Smith, Children and Young People Project Officer
I have been proud to be working with the secondary schools and special schools who are part of the Opening Schools Facilities programme. They’re thinking of innovative ways to engage pupils who face the greatest inequalities at their school to be active and develop a positive relationship with physical activity. In addition to this the schools are linking more closely with their local community to ensure their facilities cater to the local need and ensuring that pupils have the opportunity to be active in their own time
Hans Trivedi, Data and Insight Partner
I’m proud of working with a wide range of people and becoming a lot more patient and being supportive across a range of different people, needs and backgrounds. I enjoy this flexibility and some positive feedback has been encouraging and motivating.
Caroline Drake, Marketing and Communications Manager (Maternity Cover)
I’ve only been in this role since November, but am pleased to have taken the final steps in redeveloping the Leap website with Bonfire with the help of Kirsty’s meticulous planning and the rest of the Leap team
Find out more about what we do on our ‘About Us’ page.
