I wonder if like me you are wondering where January went to – no sooner have the Christmas and New Year celebrations come and gone than here in the Foundation we are already planning for February half term – meaning that our first half term school provision is also almost complete!
Being busy makes the time go quickly – that’s definitely the case for us! Just before Christmas we received confirmation that we had received the support of the FAW Trust to deliver on their Cics Cymru programme – plans are now well underway – working with local partners and grass roots clubs to establish three new girls football hubs – in Welshpool, Llanfyllin and Rhiwabon – most of which will be up and running after half term. For more information contact Danny.bell@thsfc.co.uk
Whilst being excited about the opportunities offered by the Cics Cymru programme, I have to admit we have been disappointed at the low level of interest in our Monday evening girls football sessions at Chirk Leisure Centre, promoted in previous match day programmes and throughout the area. If you know any young female footballers – please let them know that the sessions are continuing until the end of March, with special reductions applying for those attending. More information from Danny.bell@tnsfc.co.uk
On a more positive note though, we’re delighted to be back delivering in partner schools again this term – our range of provision continues to grow, with activities varying from cheerleading to badminton, from football to circuits – contact Shelly.mcglinchey@tnsfc.co.uk to find out more about our schools menu.
One of our most exciting new initiatives this year is the establishment of two youth clubs – one in Gobowen and the other in Weston Rhyn. Our new youth and community worker, Wayne Greenshields, is leading the development of these clubs – we’ve so far run a taster session at Gobowen, and last week we welcomed 15 young people to the inaugural session at Weston Rhyn. The weekly sessions are supervised by a minimum of two staff, and offer a wide variety of activities for young people aged 10 to 16 years. For more information about our youth clubs contact naomi.stocker@gotothevenue.com
We are also delighted to have received confirmation in the last couple of weeks of ongoing support from Shropshire Council Disabled Childrens Team for our two Friday night ‘All In’ clubs for young people aged 4 – 9 years and 10 – 16 years. Included with this article are photos of young people enjoying the various activities at these Clubs – we are so pleased that these are guaranteed for a further year, and would love to welcome further young people to the sessions – those attending have a great time in a safe, supportive and caring environment with chance to be independent, make new friends, while parents and carers get a ‘short break’ from their caring responsibilities. For more information about the sessions contact Shelly.mcglinchey@tnsfc.co.uk
These are the sort of activities which spur us on to develop our wellbeing activities even further, so the Christmas and New Year period for me was spent developing our plans and approaching various partners and potential funders to build on our work to date. We are currently awaiting the outcome of numerous funding applications, which if successful will allow us in particular to extend further our free holiday activity provision in local communities – already we have had some very positive indications, so I’ll hopefully be able to give a full update on our holiday programme in the next few weeks.
Finally – our activities are not just for children and young people. The popularity of our walking football sessions here at The Venue continues to grow – attracting new participants on a weekly basis. If you used to play football, or just fancy having a kick about, socialising and getting a bit fitter at the same time why not contact Shelly.mcglinchey@tnsfc.co.uk or phone 01691 684840 to find out more.
So …. a busy start to the New Year – Christmas will be here again before we know it!!
Gill Jones
Foundation Officer