Living Sport Awards 2020
The Living Sport Sports Awards recognise and celebrate the achievements of talented sports people, the significant contribution made by coaches and volunteers, and showcases the organisations and clubs who are using sport and physical activity to make a positive impact on people’s lives across Peterborough and Cambridgeshire.
We are delighted to announce that our inspirational Founder and CEO, John Willis, has been shortlisted for the ‘Services to Sport Award’ – an award that recognises an outstanding, long-term service to sport.
In a highly competitive category, Living Sport noted
We received some exceptional nominations in this category; well done to all nominees, your dedication and achievements are hugely inspiring.
In more amazing news, Power2Inspire have also been shortlisted for the Matthew Warn Power of Sport Award. This award recognises sport projects or initiatives that have harnessed the POWER OF SPORT to make a positive impact on the lives of under-represented groups in sport. It is for the amazing Seat-Based Exercise Classes in Partnership with Oak Activities that we have been shortlisted.
Since starting in March, at the beginning of the first lockdown, we have had over 300,000 views of our live, online seat-based exercise classes that have helped keep the elderly and disabled community healthy and connected.
In a year defined by unprecedented challenges, and with little face-to-face sport and physical activity taking place, Power2Inspire – driven by John Willis – have adapted and thrived in championing inclusive sport, and bringing it to as many people as possible. We are delighted to have made the final shortlist in both these categories.
The awards will be held online on Thursday 3rd December at 7pm, hosted by Olympic medallist Louis Smith, on Facebook Live. You can access the page by clicking the button.
Thank you to all of our amazing supporters who voted for John and Power2Inspire!
Cambridge Half Marathon 2021
Sunday October 17th 2021
The Cambridge Half Marathon 2021 is to take place through the streets of Cambridge on 17th October 2021. If you would like to pre-register your interest with Power2Inspire please send us your email address. We will then get in touch with more details.
You can find out general information about the event at the official site by clicking below
Zach's story
Back at the beginning of October our CEO John Willis returned to Quilters Junior School in Billericay, Essex for their 3rd Annual Paralympic Week! You can read all about their amazing week by clicking the image.
We just heard back from a parent of one of the young children who took part in the Paralympic Week, and wanted to share their story. At Power2Inspire, we want to inspire those around us through the power of sport – creating a society where nobody is left on the bench. Stories like this make it all worthwhile!
Hi John,
My son Zach came home on Monday very excited about his day. He said he’d learnt new games and you have the same car as us (but better and red!)
As the week went on, he’d been chatting about the different activities, and when I took part in the Year 5 day myself, I was able to ask better questions!
He lit up when I mentioned sitting down netball, he said it was the best game ever. His younger sister Zara asked how you play it, and he eagerly told her. We set up a little court at home and they played for half an hour.
He’s since asked if they might play it at school again soon!
It’s been lovely to meet you!
Best wishes,
Zoe Howe
And it looks like Zach wasn’t the only one inspired!
Check out this fantastic video from two of the teachers at Quilters who invited all 60 of the children involved in Paralympic week to write down some of the ways in which John had inspired them.
Thank you to Miss Theobald and Miss Murray for sharing.
Varsity Rugby Event with Leonard Cheshire
Varsity rugby players from Oxford and Cambridge Universities met virtually with residents from Leonard Cheshire services to take part in a seat-based exercise class together, run by Power2Inspire.
Everyone joined in with the exercises, taking the relationship between the Varsity players and Leonard Cheshire to a new level: they had never participated together in sport before. The players then went into separate ‘breakout rooms’ with residents: Oxford with Banbury, and Cambridge with Brampton.
Louis Jackson, from Oxford, says:
we talked through some of our backgrounds, both rugby and personal, with the Leonard Cheshire residents before discussing how important exercise is of any kind and how it can help cope with the stresses of lockdown.
The Oxford and Cambridge Varsity teams have been visiting the Leonard Cheshire services in the build-up to the Varsity match for years. Leonard Cheshire are a UK-wide charity for individuals with disabilities, providing accommodation and promoting independence.
Rob Quinlan, a Varsity player from Oxford, remembers visiting in 2018:
to see the resilience and spirit of the people there…was truly inspiring.
As Covid-19 made in-person visits to the Leonard Cheshire services impossible, Jeremy Macklin, Director of Two Blues Cambridge and Chair of Power2Inspire, looked for ways to recreate those “moments of magic” between players and residents in a safe way.
Power2Inspire is delighted to have facilitated this through their seat-based exercise programme, created during lockdown to help less mobile people stay fit and healthy. Now run three times a day live on Facebook, they have received over 275,000 views and has proven very popular across the world.
Whilst the virtual format of the event lacked the proximity of in-person meetings, both teams thoroughly enjoyed the collaboration with the residents. They were amazed at how many exercises you can do sitting down, and Louis was impressed at the full body workout they all got!
John Willis, Power2Inspire’s CEO, was thrilled at the event’s success.
The most valuable things taken from the session were how it strengthened the relationship between the clubs and Leonard Cheshire, and introduced Power2Inspire to both. I’m looking forward to working with everyone again at future events.
Anna Willis is a freelance writer and blogger. You can find her at www.tellstoriestolive.com, and on Twitter @annawillis101
Quilters' Paralympic Week 2020
Quilters' Paralympic Week 2020
Last week (beginning 5th October) our CEO John Willis returned to Quilters Junior School in Billericay, Essex for their 3rd Annual Paralympic Week! This year the pupils were focusing on ‘Mental Well-being: how do Quiltonians make themselves happier and how do they make themselves worry less?’. With clear synergies between Power2Inspire and Quilters – ‘5 ways to well-being’ – beautifully drawn on their hall wall (pictured) it was always going to be an amazing week!
Connect
Talk / Listen
BE ACTIVE
KEEP LEARNING
GIVE
There were four days of fun – a year group per day on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, with the Year 6s ending the week as ‘pros’, competing in their 3rd games! After learning in the morning, the children competed in their classes in the afternoon, taking part in sitting netball, sitting volleyball, Goalball and New Age Kurling – providing a competitive element!
After a brilliant week, our CEO John Willis said:
It was amazing to return to Quilters Junior School to deliver in person our third Paralympic Week. Thanks to head teacher Mike Wade’s vision and ingenuity we ran the games – four inclusive sports – in a Covid compliant way. Having fun, learning how to be more resilient and making a difference to others are core Power2Inspire values, which we leveraged as part of the learning these inclusive games impart. We can’t wait to do it all again next year!
After the Year 3s took part in the Monday games they wrote John letters about their experiences and what they learnt. Rather than tell you what they said we thought we would show you instead. Click on the images below to see their wonderful notes and drawings!
