Active News Issue 20 - Autumn 2022

through sport and physical activity.

creating opportunities, inspiring people and changing lives through sport and physical activity.

Welcome to the autumn edition of Active News, our quarterly newsletter intended to highlight the activities that have taken place across the charity in recent months, and the positive impact that these have had.

Celebrations were in order after we had a double win at the Celebrate Aberdeen Awards held at P&J Live in September, and we were proud to achieve a Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) Gold Award for our outstanding support towards the Armed Forces Community (page four).

Our annual Chairman’s Awards Ceremony at Rev de Cuba toasted to the success of our employees and teams for all their hard work and commitment. Norma Chalmers was crowned as our Employee of the Year and the team at Get active @ Beach Leisure Centre scooped the award for Team of the Year (page five).

Our Garthdee eco-friendly 3G pitch was completely resurfaced and has new enhanced LED lighting so that players can reap the benefits during training and matches at this popular facility (page six).

It was brilliant to bring the Cycling Without Age Scotland project to Aberdeen for the first time through £10,000 of funding secured from Aberdeen City Health & Social Care Partnership (ACHSCP)’s Health Improvement Fund. Individuals with limited mobility get the chance to experience the joy of cycling in their later years through excursions on a Trishaw (page seven).

We partnered with NHS Grampian’s Horizons Rehabilitation Unit to organise a session at Tullos Swimming Pool to support two individuals with amputations. As this was well received, further sessions have already taken place (page eight).

We launched a new psychology programme in partnership with Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU) – ProActive Minds – to support young people’s mental health and wellbeing (page nine).

Get active @ Northfield is now open and it has been amazing to welcome the local community into their new gym, swimming pool and fitness classes (page ten).

We were delighted to strengthen our board with the appointment of three new trustee directors – Kathleen Johnston, Mary Forbes and Leigh Mair – each bringing a unique perspective from their varied personal and professional backgrounds (page eleven).

I hope this newsletter provides an exciting account of what has been happening recently, and I look forward to providing further updates in the winter edition coming soon!

If you would like more information on anything in this edition, or would like to find out about work and volunteer opportunities with Sport Aberdeen, get in touch with us by emailing

Communications

Emma

THE FIVE 5Ps

PEOPLE & COMMUNITIES

Double delight at Celebrate Aberdeen Awards

We are still celebrating after a double win at the Celebrate Aberdeen Awards, an evening which showcased the amazing work carried out by charities, social enterprises, volunteers and fundraisers in the city and the positive, life changing impact this makes to society.

WeToo! and Sport Aberdeen were named Team of the Year, recognising our strong partnership established to pull together an itinerary of sports activities as part of Summer of Play 2021 – funded by Aberdeen City Council – for children with additional support needs.

Bob also volunteers with Special Olympics Grampian group, taking them to competitions in the UK and abroad, and he volunteers with the Special Olympics GB team.

Commenting on his win, Bob said: “I felt privileged to make the shortlist for the Volunteer of the Year category but to win was a complete surprise! I really appreciate the recognition of this award.”

Gold status achieved for supporting the Armed Forces Community

We were ecstatic to be recognised by the UK Government for our outstanding support towards the Armed Forces Community achieving the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) Gold Award.

Representing the highest badge of honour, Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) Gold Awards are presented to organisations that employ and support those who serve, veterans and their families.

Graeme Dale, Head of Sport and Active Communities, said: “It is always humbling to accept award recognition and we are absolutely delighted to receive special appreciation for our work with WeToo!”

Phionna McInnes, Chief Executive at WeToo! said: “Teamwork within any single organisation is important, however for two organisations to come together and appreciate that, as a team we could achieve better, is incredibly special.”

Bob Thow was awarded Volunteer of the Year, recognising his weekly commitment to volunteering at our Adventure Aberdeen Snowsports Centre, delivering lessons to individuals with additional support needs and private lessons for young children or those who are struggling.

Nickie Scorgie, Head of Human Resources and Organisational Development, said: “We are so proud to play our part here at Sport Aberdeen in showing our support towards the Armed Forces Community and it is an honour to receive Gold status.”

Recently we employed two Adventure Aberdeen outdoor instructors – Gavin Taylor who served nine years in the British Army where he discovered his passion for outdoor pursuits and Lisa-Marie King who was in the Armed Forces for four years.

Commenting on her appointment, Lisa said: “Sport Aberdeen has given me the opportunity of a lifetime – being in the Armed Forces gave me a glimpse of adventurous training and I always knew it was something I was meant to do.”

Pictured (Left – Right): Graeme Dale, Head of Sport and Active Communities; Bob Thow, Volunteer Coach; Nickie Scorgie, Head of Human Resources and Organisational Development and Phionna McInnes, Chief Executive at WeToo!

Above: Bob Thow, Volunteer Coach at Adventure Aberdeen Snowsports Centre

Superstar Louise Christie triumphs at the Commonwealth Games

Louise Christie is a name that has been in the limelight a lot lately after her remarkable performance at the Commonwealth Games.

She won Scotland’s first medal in rhythmic gymnastics since 1994, delivering Team Scotland’s best-ever result in the competition with a silver medal success!

Louise said: “My experience at the Commonwealth Games was amazing. The atmosphere in the arena was something that I will remember forever.

“To know I’ve made history in my sport for Scotland means the world to me and hopefully it inspires the future generation and shows them these results are possible.”

Louise has worked as a holiday camp leader for us and she trains with Beacon Rhythmic Gymnastics club, based at Get active @ Beacon.

Raising a glass to staff success at the Chairman’s Awards Ceremony

We hosted our annual Chairman’s Awards Ceremony at Rev de Cuba in September, toasting to our employees and teams for all their hard work and commitment this year.

Each Employee of the Month was presented with a framed certificate from our chairman Tony Dawson, and colleagues continued the evening’s celebrations over some tapas and cocktails.

Norma Chalmers was crowned our Employee of the Year for showing compassion and helping a member of the public on her way to work at Get active @ Kincorth. The individual had sustained injuries, so Norma kept him calm and waited until a member of his family arrived to take him to hospital.

Team of the Year was awarded to the team at Get active @ Beach Leisure Centre for their impressive effort to transform the former creche space into a new studio.

PLACES

Upgrades at Get active @ Beach Leisure Centre

As part of our commitment to reinvest in our venues, we have created a new studio space at Get active @ Beach Leisure Centre, with additional fitness classes on offer.

As well as the studio space, we have renovated and reopened our health suite, allowing customers and members to make use of the sauna and steam room to relax after working out in the gym.

The sports hall, gym and functional training room also remain open for use at the venue.

Wider venue refurbishments

Our six-figure programme of venue improvement works continues with new junckers sports hall flooring at Get active @ Sheddocksley and new taraflex sports hall flooring at Get active @ Kincorth. Get active @ Sheddocksley also had its indoor cricket netting and matting fully replaced.

Both venues had their sports halls fitted with new LED lighting by which will increase energy efficiency and be better for the environment.

Fitness equipment improvements were carried out at Get active @ Kincorth, Get active @ Alex Collie and Get active @ Peterculter – there is now full internet connectivity for all cardiovascular equipment at these venues.

Above: Louise Christie

Above: Upgraded sauna and studio space at Get active @ Beach Leisure Centre

Above: Staff from Get active @ Beach Leisure Centre with Chairman Tony Dawson

Above: Chairman Tony Dawson with Norma Chalmers

Above: Upgraded sports hall at Get active @ Kincorth

Above: Upgraded sports hall at Get active @ Sheddocksley

Garthdee 3G eco-friendly pitch improvements

We recently teamed up with Aberdeen FC Ladies and scored funding to upgrade our Garthdee 3G Pitch located at Adventure Aberdeen Snowsports Centre.

£20,000 was awarded from The Scottish Football Partnership Trust, as well as further funding received from Scottish Football Association’s Grassroots Football Facilities Fund and landowner Aberdeen City Council.

The final touches are being made to the pitch by Surfacing Standards Limited and will include a complete resurface of the pitch, new ecologically efficient LED lighting to replace the existing floodlights, and a new rigid panel fence with infill loss mitigation.

Tony Dawson, Sport Aberdeen Chairman, said:

“We were delighted to secure funding in partnership with Aberdeen FC Ladies from The Scottish Football Partnership Trust to improve the Garthdee 3G Pitch, reducing the energy usage and carbon footprint of this popular, well used facility”

Hazel Reid, Chairperson of Aberdeen FC Ladies, said:

“Aberdeen FC Ladies is delighted to have been successful in a joint bid with Sport Aberdeen to The Scottish Football Partnership & Trust.

“We are looking forward to the benefits of the refurbished pitch and enhanced lighting for both training and matches.”

Winter Golf Course improvements

Following another busy golf season, we are reinvesting directly back into your courses with a programme of winter works, to further improve the overall golf experience.

The works will be completed in partnership with turf specialists the Sports Turf Research Institute (STRI), our grounds maintenance contractor idverde and Aberdeen City Council. The key improvements are outlined below:

All golf courses will have new irrigation boxes supplied and fitted with on/off taps at each hole. Each course will undergo routine management to soil and seed worn areas in preparation for the new season.

MacKenzie Championship

Gravel banding to aid drainage on 18th hole, replace broken tee sleepers on holes 2 and 8, level fairway drainage lines on holes 1, 3, 15 and 18, clear storm damaged tree area and plant heather plugs at hole 15, and tree management programme.

Hazlehead Pines

Tee levelling and redevelopment of pathway at hole 15, replace broken tee sleepers on holes 7 and 17, and tree management programme.

Kings Links

Bunker revetting on holes 3 and 4, replace sand in all remaining bunkers, replace wooden sleepers from path to tee at hole 14, and installation of fairway 150/100 yardage markers.

Balnagask

Cut and lift all rough grass areas as recommended for biodiversity, tee box improvements on holes 8, 9 and 11, replace practice area net, and installation of fairway 150/100 yardage markers

Above: Enhanced 3G pitch at Garthdee

Above: Hazlehead Pines Golf Course

PARTICIPATION

Cycling Without Age Scotland project rides into Aberdeen for the

first time

We were delighted to successfully secure £10,000 of funding from Aberdeen City Health & Social Care Partnership (ACHSCP)’s Health Improvement Fund.

The fund supports initiatives that improve health and wellbeing for people across Aberdeen – we used the funding to purchase an electrically assisted Trishaw from Cycling Without Age Scotland.

An exciting new project for the Aberdeen area –Cycling Without Age Scotland gives individuals with limited mobility the opportunity to experience the joy of cycling in their later years and feel the wind in their hair through excursions on a Trishaw.

We have initially been working with local partners including social care charity Inspire and residential care home VSA’s Crosby House – both organisations having expressed a keen interest in Trishaw rides for their service users.

Andrinne Craig, Healthy Communities Manager, said: “This is a fantastic project to be part of and we are so excited to have the first electrically assisted Trishaw in Aberdeen.

“We are so grateful to our wonderful team of volunteers supporting the Trishaw project who are doing an amazing job at training as Pilots, coordinating rides and mentoring new volunteers. They are really thriving as a group since the launch event!”

“Everything we’ve seen in the development of this project by Sport Aberdeen makes us absolutely certain that it will be a great success.”

Members of the public stepping out in September

A popular Aberdeen initiative – Step out September – made a return and welcomed individuals of all ages and abilities to get active and take part in safe, local walks.

A range of gentle social walks took place from 18 to 26 September, inspiring people to connect with others, improve their physical health and mental wellbeing and enjoy Aberdeen’s open spaces.

Christine

“This is a momentous and really exciting day for us as this is the first development outside central Scotland of Cycling Without Age Scotland’s “Trishaw in Iconic Places” programme: a great service now being offered in iconic places in an iconic city by an amazing group of people.

Step out September is a partnership project between Sport Aberdeen, Aberdeen City Health & Social Care Partnership (ACHSCP), RGU SPORT, Aberdeen Sports Village and Aberdeen FC Community Trust.

The named partners collaborate in a wider movement ‘Stay Well Stay Connected’ – a group established to promote enhanced health and wellbeing, develop meaningful community relationships by bringing people together and improve diversity and inclusion practice.

Andrinne Craig, Healthy Communities Manager, said: “It was great to see Step out September making a comeback for the second time, as it was so well received last year!

“The initiative created the perfect motivation for people to get out and explore their local area whilst being a gentle first step into exercise.

“We have a variety of social walks taking place weekly and we encourage anyone with an interest to pop along – a highlight is stopping off for a cuppa and a blether with friendly like-minded people.”

Bell, Chief Executive Officer of Cycling Without Age Scotland, said:

Above: Residents from VSA’s Crosby House with Brian Harrison, Health Walk Coordinator

Above: Participants on health walk at Albury Outdoor Centre

Successful supported pool session at Tullos Swimming Pool

In partnership with NHS Grampian’s Horizons Rehabilitation Unit, we were pleased to organise a session at Tullos Swimming Pool on Wednesday 28 September to support two individuals with amputations.

The purpose of the session was to enable these individuals to develop their confidence and balance in the pool again, learning to swim with limb absence. Patsy Gowans was one of two attendees – she was amputated above the knee in December last year and is adjusting to her new life having been a keen

PROCESS

New lead management tool, GymSales

As part of our commitment to continuous improvement, we recently introduced a new sales tool to optimise our existing process.

The tool – GymSales – will help us to communicate with customers efficiently through an easy-touse interface and will help us to assess the effectiveness of different campaigns.

One of the key benefits is that individuals signing up for a guest pass will be able to schedule their own appointment to redeem their pass in a Sport Aberdeen venue of their choice, making the process more streamlined for the end user.

gardener and swimmer previously.

Commenting on her experience at the session, Patsy said:

“Recently I experienced a very joyful session in Tullos Swimming Pool.

“I knew just being immersed in water would feel fantastic and it did. The bonus that day though was being able to swim doing breast stroke. I screamed with absolute delight and I look forward to my next session.

“Swimming for me was simply an absolute joy!”

PARTNERSHIPS

New psychology programme – ProActive Minds – launched to support young people’s mental health

We recently teamed up with Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU) to develop a new ProActive Minds programme, designed to promote mental and physical health in children and young people across the city.

To develop the programme along with GCU, we secured Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) funding of £173,000 and recruited a sport and exercise

Sport Aberdeen Training Academy

An exciting new development is in the pipeline as we look to create the very first Sport Aberdeen Training Academy.

Three individuals who have demonstrated a passion for fitness and coaching have successfully been enrolled on a Fitness Tutor and Assessor course, estimated to be completed over nine to twelve months.

Following completion of the course, the three individuals will be equipped to deliver Level 2 Gym Instructor and Level 3 Personal Trainer courses for Sport Aberdeen staff, commencing in late 2023 or early 2024.

The goal is that the Training Academy will evolve to offer more courses, with the potential of making these available to the general public, as well as developing the Trainer Assessor role further.

psychologist Dr Ciara Reidy to drive the project forward.

Charitable trust The Wood Foundation has funded our contribution towards the programme, which has full backing from sportscotland, Aberdeen City Council’s Education Department and mental health charity Scottish Association for Mental Health (SAMH).

The ProActive Minds programme will be led by Sport Aberdeen and Dr Bryan McCann from GCU’s Department of Psychology, with Dr Ciara Reidy embedded in our Active Schools team.

KTP is a government funded scheme designed to bring industry and world-class academia together. KTPs have been helping businesses innovate for growth since 1975. There are now around 800 businesses, 100 knowledge bases and over 800 graduates involved in KTPs.

Dr Bryan McCann said:

“There is an increasing need to support children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing. Physical activity is one way to do this. I feel strongly that sport and exercise psychologists are uniquely positioned to work in the overlapping space between physical activity and mental health, and that is where this project idea started.

“There is a real opportunity here to develop the KTP in the future to have roles such as community sport and exercise psychologists across the whole Active Schools Network.”

Graeme Dale, Head of Sport and Active Communities, said: “We are proud to champion this innovative and unique ProActive Minds programme which is a first of its kind in the country.

“The programme presents a huge potential as it opens up a new avenue for working with sport and exercise psychologists so they can apply their skills and knowledge in an environment to benefit the mental health of children and young people in Aberdeen who are in need.”

Kim McRobbie, Active Schools and EDI Manager, said: “PE is a crucial part of the primary school curriculum, having a positive impact on children’s physical health and emotional wellbeing.

“One student commented that they hated PE at school which made them nervous about the event… but by the end of the day, they said they loved it! Everyone took part in every activity, seeing that sport is for all.

“I’d like to give a huge thanks to Active Schools Coordinator Cameron Robinson for his responsibility in organising the day, and Alyson Young, Programme Director for the PGDE programme. We look forward to building on this partnership going forward.”

Alyson Young, PGDE (Primary) Programme Director at University of Aberdeen, said:

“The School of Education at the University of Aberdeen has been working closely with Active Schools Aberdeen and the PEPASS group for a number of years and now that the PGDE (Primary) Programme has returned to campus we were very keen to give our students some practical experiences of PE before they embark on their first placement.”

Active Schools leads by example in Aberdeen City Council Case Study

Our Active Schools team has been included in a case study as part of Aberdeen City Council’s (ACC) National Improvement Framework Plan.

More than 200 University of Aberdeen postgraduate students on the Professional Graduate Diploma in Primary Education (PGDE) course gathered at the King’s Pavilion Playing Fields on Wednesday 17 August to attend an Active Schools event.

Through continued effective partnership working between Active Schools Aberdeen and University of Aberdeen, the day was organised with the purpose of upskilling the next generation of Primary school teachers – building their confidence in the delivery of physical education (PE).

Students took part in different sporting activities including touch rugby, football, hockey, athletics and circuits, learned about the practicalities of delivering PE in a classroom environment, and were given a platform to ask questions before going on placement.

The case study is regarding three primary schools involved in a partnership forum – the schools identified that many of their ELC (Early Learning and Childcare) learners have experienced significantly reduced opportunities for social interactions with their peers compared to those of similar age and stage.

Supported by John Dixon, Active Schools Coordinator; staff from Sport Aberdeen, the Family Learning team at ACC and all three schools have worked in partnership to plan and deliver a programme to promote gross and fine motor skills whilst naturally providing social interactions within a safe, secure and supportive environment.

Primary 6 learners were buddied up with ELC learners to help them increase their self-confidence and self-belief, familiarity within the school environment, sustain positive relationships and increase social skills when interacting with peers.

Active Schools Aberdeen delivers masterclass in physical education for PDGE students at University of Aberdeen

Above: Dr Ciara Reidy, Sport and Exercise Psychologist

Above: (Left – Right): Kim McRobbie, Active Schools and EDI Manager; Ian McGregor, Partnership Manager at sportscotland and Alyson Young, PGDE (Primary) Programme Director at University of Aberdeen

Get active @ Northfield is OPEN!

We were thrilled to open our newly refurbished health and wellbeing facility – Get active @ Northfield – on Monday 3 October.

The venue boasts a 25m swimming pool, a 40-station gym and a huge variety of fitness classes. With over 600 new members already, we have been delighted to welcome the Northfield community to the venue and offer support with their health and wellbeing.

We already have over 600 participants in our swimming lesson programme, ranging from babies to adults.

There are approximately 100 swimming lesson classes in the timetable per week, with 10 regular swimming teachers.

We also have a number of public swimming sessions available which have proved extremely popular with local residents.

Tony Dawson, Sport Aberdeen chairman, said: “We are delighted to welcome the community of Northfield and surrounding areas to their newly renovated venue.

“This is a fantastic addition not only to the local area, but for other communities across the city.”

“This is a very impressive facility!

“Physical activity has many positive impacts, so we are pleased that people of all ages and abilities will be able to benefit from the programmes set to run within the new health and wellbeing venue.”

The excitement and buzz in the local community is clear from recent comments made by local people on Facebook.

“My Mum has used the pool a couple of times and she loves it! She thinks it is fab and the changing rooms too.”

“I really enjoyed my swim on Friday. The pool was a nice temperature and I loved the costume spinner and the free hair dryers.”

“Brilliant – we took our two boys to the ASN swimming session last night and the disabled access facilities are perfect. The pool temperature is great and so clean, the gym is fab, and the staff have been brilliant each time we have been in.”

Aberdeen City Council Co-Leader, Councillor Alexander Nicoll, said:

Lindsey Smith

Hannah Amelia McKay

Gillian Williams

KathleenJohnston MaryForbes

A warm welcome to our three new trustee directors

We recently strengthened our board with the appointment of three new trustee directors – Kathleen Johnston, Mary Forbes and Leigh Mair.

As an Aberdeen medical graduate, Kathleen enjoys a multi-faceted career. She is a consultant anaesthetist in NHS Grampian – her current practice is around neuro-anaesthesia and anaesthesia for trauma and orthopaedics. She is a director and trustee of the Association of Anaesthetists and has represented anaesthetists in the UK and Ireland, providing strategic direction on clinical, political and social matters.

Mary is a lawyer with over 20 years’ experience in the field of dispute, she is currently taking a career break but her latest post was senior associate at CMS Cameron McKenna. Throughout her career, she has held roles in both private and public sectors including serving as a legal officer for the British Army. She has various sporting interests including golf, tennis and CrossFit.

Leigh is passionate about the benefits of physical activity for all ages and has more than 20 years’ experience working for blue chip pharmaceutical and medical device companies. Her previous roles include strategic development, change management and improving business performance in large organisations. She has contributed to several Scottish Parliament Cross-party groups including diabetes, health inequalities and rural policy.

Leigh currently works at InnoScot Health – in partnership with NHS Scotland – to identify, protect, develop and commercialise new innovations from healthcare professionals.

Tony Dawson, Sport Aberdeen chairman, said:

“I am absolutely delighted that we have added this eclectic mix of individuals with an array of experience and knowledge to the board of directors.

“I believe this will further strengthen the leadership of the charity”

LeighMair

MANAGING DIRECTOR’S INSIGHTS

utumn has fallen and the clocks have gone back, but we are still seeing an impressive number of people staying motivated and continuing to get active with us which is great!

It is always an honour to receive recognition for our hard work, so we were delighted to take home a double win at the Celebrate Aberdeen Awards.

We must not forget that our award wins would not be possible without the consistent effort and commitment of our dedicated employees – we enjoyed taking a moment to celebrate and acknowledge staff success at our recent Chairman’s Awards Ceremony.

It might be reaching that point in the year where you need to move your workout inside – and what better time than now, as the doors have opened to our newly refurbished health and wellbeing venue, Get active @ Northfield.

If you have not yet had the chance to visit, then I strongly suggest you do. We are absolutely ecstatic to be welcoming the community of Northfield and other surrounding areas to their refreshed and upgraded venue. So far, we’ve had an impressive number of new members joining and we can really feel the buzz and excitement from the general public about this fantastic facility.

We’re pleased to be offering an Aquaphobia programme at Get active @ Northfield, supporting those with a fear of water to overcome their worries, and to feel relaxed and at ease when in water.

We have carried out wider venue refurbishments as part of our commitment to delivering excellence and placing customers at the heart of our services. Get active @ Beach Leisure Centre, Get active @ Sheddocksley and Get active @ Kincorth were the latest venues to benefit from upgrades.

Partnership working is something we value greatly and in this autumn issue, we speak about a few noteworthy partnerships we have established recently, including with Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU) as part of a new ProActive Minds Programme.

I am personally delighted that we have appointed three new trustee directors to our board, and I have no doubt that each will add a unique perspective and make a real impact.

That is all from me for now, we look forward to providing the next edition in due course.

All the best and take care,

Alistair S. Robertson

Managing Director