It seems like a fond, distant memory now but we had an amazing summer & as this is the first blog we’ve put out since then we just wanted to touch on some highlights & indulge in some shoutouts.
After the busy summer & hectic start to the new school year, you may think that life at SSG might calm down for a few weeks… BUT, we like to be busy & had lots going on during October, on top of our usual activities. Here’s a few highlights of what we’ve been up to!
Goodwood Members Meeting 2021
We love to be part of the amazing events at Goodwood & the Members’ Meeting is definitely a favourite in our calendar. A team of 9 staff, led by Project Lead Beth Tomlin went & spent the weekend here running our excellent creche facility & a ‘stay & play’ activity for parents to entertain their children.
The biggest event of the weekend saw SSG hosting a series of team activities where members competed in their house teams to win points for the overall weekend competition. These included tug of war, football, lacrosse, dodgeball, athletics, netball & hockey. The team had a great time with the super competitive members taking part & a lot of fun was had by everybody involved.
Half Term
We ran our usual half term Active Care sessions at the Alexander Sports Centre, with lots of familiar faces & a few new ones coming to enjoy the activities, which included arts & crafts, Inflatable Fun, team building & Outdoor Adventures.
We were also delighted to partner with Bedford Borough Council again, who funded 300 places on our programme running from Pilgrims for families in receipt of free school meals. These children were able to access all our usual activities, as well as have a meal at lunchtime.
Well done to all our staff who ensured once again that our holiday activities were at the very highest standard, especially our Project Leads, Steph, Chloe & Craig. It was so lovely to see so many smiling faces, on children & staff alike!
Halloween!
We had very special themed activities at our weekend academies over the Halloween weekend, with lots of our staff & children getting into the spirit of things with fancy dress. What a scary sight!
Relaunch
After half term, Baby Bouncers had a special relaunch with lots of new & returning families coming to have taster sessions as we moved from the small room into the main hall. This relocation has given us the chance to use a lot more of the bigger equipment that we have for the older gymnasts, as well as test out some new items specifically for this age group. The staff loved meeting all the little ones & seeing them exploring & trying out new things as they develop their movement & burn off some energy!
Swim Teaching Qualification
We are absolutely delighted to announce the qualification of 8 brand new swim teachers in our SSG family. Over 5 days, the group learned in both practical & theory sessions, including practising their new knowledge in real swimming lessons with some of our existing swim school children. Thank you to anyone who attended the ‘booster’ session in half term, it is such an important part of the assessment process.
Among those who passed the course was Millie Anderson, who may be a familiar face to anyone who attends our Saturday morning gymnastics or Wednesday & Friday swimming lessons. She has now progressed from swimming assistant to teacher so be sure to keep an eye out for her in a pool near you soon!
Congratulations to everyone who successfully achieved their qualification:
Millie Anderson; George Bird; Angel Nicholls; Millie Stewart; Matt Doherty; Orsolya O’Nagy; Peter Jacobs; Tara Helliwell.
MEET THE TEAM
Every month we like to introduce you to a member of the team. This month it’s Angel!
Angel Nicholls
How long you’ve worked for SSG:
5 months in active care, swimming assistant & sport in schools.
Favourite part about working for SSG:
Being a part of a team, I have great support around me and it’s made me become more confident. Also seeing the children having fun, enjoying themselves and learning something new, for example a new skill in swimming, is rewarding and can lead them onto great things in the future.
Interesting Fact:
I was in an adult netball league when I was 17, it is a great sport and I enjoyed every minute of it. Similar to working for SSG it made me feel like I was a part of a team.
