Plymouth Argyle helped thousands of children get active during lockdown
“The Joy of moving programme has provided our school with a fantastic opportunity to allow our key worker children and those learning remotely to take part in the same physical activities and have fun!”
Christine Marsh, Deputy Head at Lipson Vale Primary School.
The Joy of moving Programme, Ferrero’s unbranded CSR project, is developed and delivered through a charity partnership with EFL Trust in schools across the country. The programme is designed to inspire active lifestyles in children, aims to teach children how to enjoy moving through play, and to help them develop positive habits for adulthood.
During the pandemic, the programme was adapted to support families and children up and down the country through digital activations, engaging over 300,000 children through our Joy of moving Home School Festival and Joy of moving Winter Games.
Argyle Community Trust continued to operate safely in primary schools during the pandemic, engaging and inspiring 5,597 children to move through play through the Joy of moving programme. They ensured that children and families received printed and digital resources to help inspire them to get active– whether it be in the school hall or at home.
Christine Marsh, Deputy Head at Lipson Vale Primary School has praised the work of Argyle in the Community and the Joy of moving Programme, saying that it helped keep her pupils stay active throughout lockdown:
“Throughout the past year, children and families have spent a lot of time isolated at home away from school and their friends. Whilst in lockdown, it was great to be able to continue working with Argyle Community Trust who provided both the children in school and those learning from home with the opportunity to get active and connect with each other, by encouraging them to participate in the Joy of moving games.
“The Joy of moving programme has provided our school with a fantastic opportunity to allow our key worker children and those learning remotely to take part in games and activities to have fun and get active! This meant those at home could feel connected virtually to those children still in school and to engage with their friends again, in what can only be described as a difficult time. Pupils across the school were set activities on a weekly basis and we had lots of positive feedback from those at home who enjoyed some of the challenges with their friends virtually. Ultimately, it was great to see that, through the games, the children were able to get active and, most importantly, have fun.”
The Joy of moving programme has allowed Argyle Community Trust and other Football Clubs’ Trusts to promote living a balanced lifestyle to children in the area and to offer them positive physical activity free of charge. This was particularly relevant for Argyle Community Trust as an impact report in Plymouth recognised that the city has significant numbers of children being classified as over-weight or obese.
Stewart Walbridge, Regional Managers at Argyle Community Trusts reflects on the impact they have had in schools like Lipson Vale Primary School through the Joy of moving programme:
“We are extremely proud to have supported schools, children and teachers throughout this period across Plymouth, Devon & Cornwall. It was so important to ensure that children were still getting access to games and activities to help them stay active, as well as an appreciation of living a balanced lifestyle, and probably more than ever during lockdown. The Joy of moving has given us the platform to be able to engage with schools, and our staff have done a fantastic job in making sure that Joy of moving, and all its associated benefits, remained prominent within schools and in support of home learning.
“Being able to be flexible and dynamic throughout the pandemic has been vitally important in offering impactful provisions within Primary Schools during COVID. We have been able to meet both the children’s and each schools’ individual needs which has been so important and a great example of the role our coaches played in supporting our partner schools.”
This week during National School Sports Week, Argyle Community Trust will engage over 1,000 children through their Joy of moving Festival. The Festival brings together the full taking part in a series of fun games and activities, mirroring their Sports Day (all Festivals are carried out in line with current government guidelines). The specially designed games and activities help children to develop skills including communication, empathy and teamwork. Across the country, over 6,000 will take part in the Festivals through local Football Clubs and with support from their club mascots.
The Joy of moving programme is now in its seventh year of delivery and EFL Trust has been working with Ferrero through a charity partnership that has now engaged over 340,000 school children.
To follow what our Football Club Trusts are doing during National School Sports week, click on the two hashtags #NSSW2021 and #Joyofmovinguk.
