A Youth Sports Development Officer has been appointed in Alderney - to work with St Anne's School and the wider community.
It is a newly created role, which the States said 'will draw on the expertise of the Guernsey Sports Commission and will be supported by the Committee for Education, Sport and Culture and the Alderney Sport Foundation through the Primary School Sport Partnership'.
Guernsey's Education, Sport and Culture Committee, which oversees St Anne's School, has extended its existing sports provision to the smaller island with the creation of the Alderney Sports Foundation, which is being led by Simon Brazier.
From September, Tom Veillard, a recent graduate from Chichester University and a Guernsey resident, will live and work in Alderney full-time where he will split his time between working in St Anne’s under the guidance of the Headteacher Martin Winward, and supporting young people within Alderney’s local sports clubs in coordination with the Alderney Sports Foundation.
Mr Veillard said, “this opportunity allows me to continue my passion for coaching, sports development and teaching PE. I am really excited to be taking on this role and working with everyone involved to further develop sporting opportunities in Alderney.”
Mr Winward said he thinks it's a great chance to promote active lifestyles.
“It is a great opportunity to be able to work closely with the Sports Commission and the CfESC in support of raising participation in sports for young people in Alderney.
"Promoting the benefits of an active lifestyle is close my heart and having the additional support to engage with clubs on-island is fabulous. This pro-active approach has been embraced by the school community and we are excited to see how this may progress in the future. The school is committed to developing the whole child; mind, body and soul.”
Guernsey's Sports Commission will be supporting this new initiative with advice and training as well as contributing £10,000 to help fund the role.
Jeremy Frith, Guernsey Sports Commission and Education Officer said;
“We recognised the importance of creating an offer that was right for Alderney and it was important for us to have a more permanent presence on the Island. We think this is a significant step in supporting the development of sport in Alderney and awonderful opportunity for the community, St Anne’s and Tom to make some real progress alongside our other partners.”
Mr Brazier, Founder, Alderney Sports Foundation said;
“The Alderney Sports Foundation works towards giving every child in Alderney a sporting chance. The appointment of Tom is a significant step forwards as we work with the Guernsey Sports Commission, St Anne’s School and our committed local sports clubs to improve sporting participation.”
Comments
Comments on this story express the views of the commentator only, not Bailiwick Publishing. We are unable to guarantee the accuracy of any of those comments.