The Herts Sports Partnership is seeking to recruit 200 volunteer champions to build on the success of the Hertfordshire Year of Physical Activity (HYOPA) campaign.
As the campaign strives to make Hertfordshire the most active county, the Champions project is being implemented as a legacy scheme designed to help everyday people get involved in sport and physical activity volunteering. Furthermore, it offers both new and current volunteers the opportunity for upskilling, with a series of free training workshops being offered across the county. These workshops will help equip individuals with the skills necessary to volunteer in the sport and physical activity sector, with additional benefits including access to further training, kit, and immediate opportunities within the community.
Supported countywide by organisations such as parkrun, Hertfordshire Health Walks, Councils for Voluntary Service, and district and borough councils, the programme is being developed in response to the continued need for volunteers to help support clubs and events on a local level.
‘People love sport and physical activity’, says Matt Hughes-Short, Project Officer at the Partnership and leading on the programme.
‘But without volunteers, who form the backbone of the sport and physical activity sector, some community clubs and groups could cease to exist.’ However, most important to the Partnership is the desire for a diverse group of volunteers with the hunt being aimed at people of all shapes and sizes.
‘We want volunteering opportunities to be meaningful and varied, but we also want more people to get involved who might not traditionally get involved in sport and physical activity’, says Hughes-Short.
‘Consequently, we look past things like size, background, disability and fitness level – if people love sport and activity then we would love for them to get involved.’
The three hour workshops will be running throughout May and June with a variety of times and venues available across the county. To find out more, get in touch with Matt on 01707 281204 or email m.hughes-short@herts.ac.uk.