Netball camps hosted by Kingswood
Schools and groups have the chance to take part in fun-filled residential netball tournaments which promise high-adrenaline excitement and adventure. The two-night camps at Kingswood Grosvenor Hall, in Ashford, Kent, are suitable for U12 to U16 age groups and will be hosted by HC Tournaments. The site has recently had a £1 million investment in its sports and accommodation facilities, including a brand new flood-lit sports court which players will be able to put to the test. As well as brushing up on skills and technique and taking part in round-robin matches with teams of a similar age, adventure-seeking students will also be able to enjoy the many exciting activities on offer. These include zipwires and archery, evening entertainment and even marshmallows by the campfire. With three dates to choose from, players and leaders can stay in cosy indoor accommodation or choose to glamp in safari-style lodges during the summer months. Medals and trophies will also be awarded making it an unforgettable experience for all involved. And parents needn’t worry as their children will not only be putting their netball skills into practice but also learning important life skills such as trust, self-confidence and independence while having fun making new friends in the lively and friendly atmosphere. Jo Coker, partner at HC Tournaments, said: “These tournaments promise a great weekend of netball where our qualified and inspirational staff will encourage interest and talent in a fun and safe environment. “The fantastic facilities at Kingswood Grosvenor Hall, offer a unique learning experience not only on the new flood-lit court, but off-court too. With a range of exciting activities to take part in, the thrill of netball and adventure will blend together for a fun-packed couple of days the players won’t forget.” The 2019 netball tournaments take place Friday 15th to Sunday 17th March, Friday 27th to Sunday 29th September and Friday 4th to Sunday 6th October and are priced at £135 per person. For more information visit kingswood.co.uk
NewVIc Sports Academy teams excel to The AoC National Finals
NewVIc win AoC Sport London Regional Championships in cricket, football and table tennis in the first term. NewVIc’s sports teams have had an impressive start to this academic year, with the Cricket Academy beating east London rivals Newham College and George Monoux to win the AoC Indoor Cricket Regional Championships, held at University of East London, and are now on their way to Nottingham to compete at National Finals for the second year running! The AoC regional tournaments are open to students in AoC Sport member colleges and are held in the autumn term. The top teams and individuals in 13 sports qualify for the AoC Sport National Championships, where they compete for both their college and their region. The winning Ability Counts Football Team is a testament to the significant support provided by The Inclusive Sport programme over the past six years. The opposition teams withdrew the day before and one on the day of the game, proving our team was too intimidating for the other colleges. On the same day NewVIc students Mohammed Raqueeb and Mubarak Farah competed in the AoC Sport London regional Table Tennis Championships and topped the London tables! Mubarak won 4 out 5 games and Raqueeb went undefeated in all 5 of his games. Both students will also be playing at the National Finals in Nottingham in April 2019. Cricket Team Captain Jawwad Hussain, said “I’m proper excited about playing and representing London in April at the Nottingham finals. Playing against other regional teams like the Midlands, North and West is going to be challenging. I played at the National Finals last year, we came 2nd in the entire country in cricket, we lost 1st place just by 1 run. I was nervous, the entire team was nervous but excited at the same time as we were away at Nottingham for 3 days. We are training hard, putting in the extra hours and just being on it to play that extra bit better than last year. This time we will win it!” Jawwad Hussain Cricket Team Captain and Business Level 3 Year 2 Student NewVIc is already a very successful college with one of the highest sports participation rates in the country with 55% of our students taking part in some kind of sport or physical activity on 1 or more occasions. All of the achievements have required a lot of commitment and hard work from the NewVIc Sports Academy team and their dedicated students. In September 2017, Sport England has awarded NewVIc £92,850 funding, in order for the college to provide an additional focus on tackling levels of inactivity amongst our student population outside of mainstream sport in open sessions across the college site away from the Sports Hall e.g. circus skills, roller disco, skate club, free running, health club, slack lining, skipping and archery. Beth Harris, Sports Academy Manager, said “we are beyond thrilled to once again have so many students selected to represent London at the AoC Sport National Championships in April. This is the sixth year running our Ability Counts Footballers have won the Regional Tournament, going on to represent the Capital and we’ll once again be vying for a position near the top of the table. With our Cricket Academy there are some wounds to heal, as having lost the National Championships last year by just 1 run we can’t wait to get back to Nottingham, put some demons to rest and show exactly why we are well renowned for our history of excellence!” For more information about the Sports Academy please contact: Beth Harris elizabeth.harris@newvic.ac.uk 020 7540 0944 For more information about the college please contact: Shah Rahman srahman@newvic.ac.uk 020 7540 0651
The Importance of Gates and Access to School Sports Areas
Emily Thompson, Marketing Manager of GateQuote, offers some guidance, and looks at why good and safe access to play and sports areas are essential. Gates can be used in a variety of ways, mainly outside in a residential or commercial capacity. Ranging from automatic security gates, to a standard driveway gates, there is one important type of gate that often goes unnoticed – gates and access to play and sports areas in schools. Physical Education and Sport play a very important part in the life of children at school, young people learn more about key values, such as co-operation, teamwork, fair play and respect for themselves and others. Therefore, an effective and safe environment is key to its success. In a school environment, most fencing and gates are used when there is either a need to prevent children straying away from the area, or to keep sports equipment in. In this post I will offer a few top tips and important considerations to take in when assessing or planning sports gates in school. Firstly, all fencing, gate and access control solutions must be carefully considered to ensure they are compliant with the stringent safety regulations designed to minimise the risk of accidents. Multi use games areas, designed to accommodate a variety of outdoor court games, are very popular due to saving costs and space. Attention must be given to creating a suitable play surface, as well as the need to provide a safe enclosure for both players and spectators. It’s a good idea to consider the direction from which students or children will approach the area. Are they coming from a changing room, or a class room? Detours can affect time, and it goes without saying the entry should be convenient. There should be enough width to allow passage of all equipment and wheelchairs, a minimum of one metre is a good start. The gates and access, should normally open outward, except when opening outwards may cause a hazard like a road or drive. Another consideration is for the gate not to close quicker than 5 seconds, to give enough time to go through without the gate striking the back of a child, when walking through. A self-closing mechanism, is a very popular choice to help maintain the gate in a closed position. Mechanisms can vary from a simple spring to offset hinges. Again, it goes without saying that gates should be locked when the area is not it use. It’s important there aren’t any accidents when the area is accessible unsupervised. Which brings me onto the issue of emergency access. It should be recognised that even in the best regulated area with the best teachers or supervisors, accidents can occur and therefore access for emergency vehicles is essential. An ambulance requires an opening of at least 2.15m and ideally an ambulance should be able to get right up to the area. When gates are the sole means of access to a playing field or larger area, they should be wide enough for an ambulance trolley bed. Disabled Access is one of the most important features of a gate, the Disability Discrimination Act requires reasonable provision for disabled people. This means that not only should gates be suitable for wheelchairs but also that these should be able to get to the play area unhindered, for example, no gravel paths. When looking at the issue of safety, there is a lot to consider. It is important that there are no finger or hand traps. This means that there should be a minimum gap of around 12mm between the gate and the posts etc, both sides of the gate. This minimum gap should be maintained throughout the full range of movement of the gate throughout its full arc. Also, there should be no sharp edges or fixings. Gates should ideally be of a different colour to the fencing to make their location easily identifiable to those with visual impairment. Gate latches, if present, should be able to be operated from both sides of the gate, and any projecting bars for catches should ideally be mushroomed at the end (These are normally at eye height for a small child). Bigger gates will require extra strong hinge and slam posts. They will also require heavy-duty hinges etc. Finally, in my opinion, the most important consideration is to ensure that children are supervised at all times when entering and playing inside a gated sporting environment. This is the best way to ensure that gates and access aren’t misused or used dangerously.
Looking after sports equipment – How to reduce risk, prolong product life and save money
For over 12 years, Mark Harrod Ltd has been manufacturing and supplying a wide range of sports products to clubs, associations and schools with quality football goals and sporting equipment. As well as manufacturing and supplying the equipment, the team offers installation, maintenance and servicing support for its customers to help them ensure that the equipment remains safe in use for years to come. Mike Bugajski, has been visiting customers for 10 years to check that the products are being installed and maintained correctly and is concerned to find that, more often than not, basic guidelines are not being followed which could result in injury or damage to the product. Taking goal posts as an example, injuries are completely preventable if they are installed correctly, inspected regularly and used appropriately. Mike said: “All of our products are supplied with a general maintenance and safety guide outlining how products should be installed and checked. Health and safety is of upmost importance to any club, school or association offering sporting facilities and it’s their responsibility to provide equipment that is fit for purpose and maintained to the required standard. “None of the customers that I visit would refute this but they don’t always realise that by regularly checking their equipment, not only keeps it safe and in good working order, it saves them money too. I often go on site visits to find football posts that have been installed incorrectly to start with. Not only could this create a health and safety hazard, it could put pressure on the component parts and damage them requiring them to be replaced – an expense that could have been simply avoided by following the installation guide correctly. Similarly, I sometimes find that posts have been dragged along the ground instead of dropping down the wheels that have been specifically designed to make moving large, heavy equipment easier – again resulting in parts needing replacing. The examples are endless. “Of course, it is sometimes difficult for equipment to be monitored 24/7, especially if it is used out of hours by third parties and may be misused resulting in damage. However, these instances make the need for regular inspections even more important as the group/individual allowing their equipment to be used could be liable for any injuries sustained. Lack of respect for the equipment is out of our customers’ control but ultimately it will have implications for the ongoing safety of the products in question.” Mark Harrod Ltd can ease the burden of keeping an eye on equipment and provide customers with peace of mind, ensuring that goal posts and other equipment remain fit for purpose and safe to use. The general maintenance and safety guide provided with all Mark Harrod Ltd goal post products covers assembly, dismantling, checking, anchoring, moving and storage as well as inspection sheets for recording all observations made and for keeping as evidence of best practice. Service and Maintenance Contracts are available at an additional cost which ensure sports equipment at customers’ premises conforms to the BS8461:2012 Code of Practice, BS748:2004 AND BS8462:2012. Visit www.markharrod.com to download a copy of the maintenance and safety guide and to view the product range or call 01502 710039 to discuss the services available in more detail. Twitter – https://twitter.com/markharrodltd Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/markharrodlimited Customer testimonial: The goals for my club Bradenham Wanderers FC arrived, and I just wanted to say a BIG thank you for the wonderful service from start to finish, if only every company could operate a customer service like yours, life would be so easy. 5 star performance, or 10 out of 10 ,what ever way you look at it, the experience of dealing with you guys has been a pleasure. Harry Murfet Basic Maintenance and Safety Tips: • Always use manufacturer’s instructions and recommendations when assembling equipment • Check equipment a minimum of once a week and ALWAYS before any game or training activity • All equipment should be weighted and /or anchored at all times • Never drag equipment across the ground. This could cause damage to the product and the surface, whether natural or synthetic