Streetsport rally after year of reaction, response and recovery
2020 began with a bang for Streetsport as it welcomed more participations in quarter one than in any other previous year.
Having just embraced over 100 young people to a session in Northfield on a late Friday night in March, all activities were halted overnight as CV19 forced a stop to all regular activity.
Denis Law Legacy Trust’s flagship programme was launched in partnership with Robert Gordon University in 2006 and has continued to grow year-on-year since. Their core aim is to provide free weekly sports and creative activity for young people in Aberdeen, made possible through its city partnerships and evolving sessions.
Like organisations around the globe, the online world became the first port of call in order to continue offering a service that young people in Aberdeen have become to rely on.
Staff dedicated their time to checking in on young volunteers through video calls while others created training and exercise videos for both participants, volunteers, and staff to get involved in.
Club 10 meetings, part of a programme with Families Outside which supports families affected by imprisonment, became virtual and afforded participants a vital hour of respite away from the stresses of everyday life which was heightened for all through the pandemic.
City Council-led ‘Food and Fun’ hubs were launched in the Summer at Manor Park in Northfield for children of priority families to attend. These hubs were relaunched at the start of this year too after the second wave with staff from the Trust working at each.
Other staff made use of the Trust’s large vans, usually stacked full of innovative sports equipment, to deliver PPE to care-homes in collaboration with the Red Cross. By the turn of the year over 750,000 pieces of essential PPE were delivered, helping to ensure the safe continuation of health services in Aberdeen.
Working with CFINE and the AFC Community Trust, the vans were also used to deliver food packages to help feed families left vulnerable due to the lockdown and isolating restrictions. Over 500 food parcels were dispatched by Streetsport staff.
Moreover, having received funding from The Lord Provost's Charitable Trust and the STV Appeal, the Denis Law Legacy Trust bought food and electricity vouchers for families in deprived areas of the city. Approximately 75 people per week benefited from these since May last year through to 2021.
The organisation was also delighted to play a pivotal role in the continuation of Play Proud by being implementation partners in a new coach-centred approach aimed at making sports programmes inclusive for the LGBTQ+ community. Initially launched by global network streetfootballworld, it aims to be a catalyst for change in programmes and wider communities through expert virtual and eventual in-person training which staff at the Denis Law Legacy Trust have and will continue to attend and be a part of.
Mark Williams, Chief Operating Officer of the Denis Law Legacy Trust, said: “The last 18-months has been especially hard for everyone. As a small charity, we could have just closed our doors and protected our own sustainability - but that’s not how we operate.
“Many people needed support and we wanted to play a part in ensuring that Aberdeen communities received the help that they needed. The Trust has many strengths and resources, it was only right that we used them to benefit as many as we could during this time.
“Our team of staff and volunteers have worked harder than ever to put the people and communities of Aberdeen and their needs first to ensure we all stayed as safe and supported as possible during this difficult time.
“I’m incredibly proud of everything we did, some of which will continue longer term. Our main focus going forward will be to help young people recover, feel supported and provide safe spaces for them to use as a platform to a positive destination. We all have a long way to go but all of us at the Trust are motivated and ready to go”.
An encouraging by-product of the team’s hard work culminated in the organisation winning two major awards, becoming Aberdeen’s Sport & Wellbeing Champion plus also winning the Mental Health and Wellbeing award from national body StreetGames.
With restrictions gradually lifting over the year, the organisation returned to a semblance of normality over the Summer as Streetsport sessions ran successfully across Aberdeen City. While the pandemic has seriously tested their resolve and that of many charities, the Trust is proud of their contributions and look forward to an exciting end to 2021 and beyond.