FIRST EVER Schools Squash Programme in Cumbria
26/3/09by Nicola Robinson
The listing was posted by England Squash - North West Area
In July last year the PDM of the Copeland Schools Sports Programme in Cumbria approached Linda Winder the Head Coach at Windscale Squash Club enquiring whether she was interested in a YTS funding scheme which they just received funding for. They were looking at recruiting coaches from 5 sports each to deliver between 200 & 250 hours coaching to Young People (under the age of 19), approximately £4000 per sport.
The programme would be offered just after school finished based on the school year. The first 12-week course started in September and finished in December. Weekly sessions were held at the club each day during the week (12 children per session per day - Year 7, 8, 9, 10 & 11) total of sixty children per week who were experiencing squash for the first time.
By December, 30 of the children had joined the club as new members! Following the 12-week coaching course an inaugural Inter Schools Squash Tournament was held at the club featuring three of the local secondary schools, Westlakes Academy from Egremont, Whitehaven High, and St Benedicts High from Whitehaven. The overall winners were Westlakes Academy. This is another great example of the fantastic work being developed in the local community by Linda Winder and her coaching team at the club.
Photo: Players at the Inter Schools Squash Tournament