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Martene Carroll

Martene Carroll
In Awards & Grants

JRF awarded National Lottery Heritage Fund Grant

Heritage Flyer featuring footballers

The Jason Roberts Foundation (JRF) is awarded a £53,600 grant by The National Lottery Heritage Fund to implement the Inspire to Achieve Heritage Programme: Uncovering the Histories of the Footballers who Paved the Way.

JRF has received support from the National Lottery Heritage Fund for the Inspire to Achieve project, it was announced today. Thanks to National Lottery players, the project aims to celebrate the untold stories of a dozen former footballers, each of whom grew up within sight of Wembley Stadium, and whose stories will inspire the Brent community through a range of outputs and activities.

Some of the footballers who have pledged their support of this project include Paul Merson, Dave Beasant, Rachel Yankey, Richard Langley, the Stein brothers – Mark, Edwin, and Brian, Jason Roberts, Luther Blissett, Phillip ifil, Dave Regis, Gary Waddock, Darren Currie, Jamal Campbell-Ryce, Jerome Thomas, Junior Lewis, and Eartha Pond. The family of the late Cyrille Regis have also confirmed their support of the project which honours the great legacy he left.

The programme is primarily designed to create opportunities for disadvantaged young people to develop new skills through co-curation and to inspire the local community to engage with cultural heritage through relatable themes.

JRF is committed to work with the University Campus of Football Business (UCFB), local mainstream and SEND schools, other youth driven organisations, and the local housing association to provide new opportunities for young people to not only learn about inspirational characters and the history of their environment, but also learn new skills related to researching, recording, and presenting narratives through a range of mixed media.

While inspiring young people through the active collection, preservation and sharing of heritage, and the motivational stories of the footballers, the health and wellbeing activities will be aimed at the older generation by establishing a sporting memories cafe.

Commenting on the award, Otis Roberts, CEO of JRF said: “We’re delighted that we’ve received this support thanks to National Lottery players. Throughout the programme and beyond, we will be promoting the centre (Bridgestone Arena) as a place of sporting and cultural activity for visitors to the area, and due to our proximity to Wembley Stadium, we will be able to attract a wide cross section of visitors from the UK and abroad each time this venue is used to host a range of prominent and popular events. We are looking forward to getting the project underway”

 

Notes to editors

About Jason Roberts Foundation

JRF is a sport for development charity. We deliver a programme of wrap-around support including mentoring, life skills, education, and training, within our multi-sports activities that provide opportunities to young people, including those at risk, and promote exercise and team games for children and young people, including those with physical and learning disabilities.

There is also a focus on health and wellbeing family interventions, and intergenerational community projects and events. Activities are delivered throughout the week, and we collaborate with local voluntary, public, and private sector organisations, clubs, and funding bodies to achieve our objective of community first.

Follow @JasonRobertsFdn on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram

www.jasonrobertsfoundation.com

About The National Lottery Heritage Fund

Using money raised by the National Lottery, we Inspire, lead and resource the UK’s heritage to create positive and lasting change for people and communities, now and in the future. www.heritagefund.org.uk.

Follow @HeritageFundUK on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and use #NationalLotteryHeritageFund

Since The National Lottery began in 1994, National Lottery players have raised over £43 billion for projects and more than 635,000 grants have been awarded across the UK.

Further information

For further information, images and interviews please contact Otis Roberts at Jason Roberts Foundation on 07904318965 or otis@jasonrobertsfoundation.org

 

Martene Carroll
In Events

JRF Box Clever to promote new Boxing Sessions

Boxing Training on court

In August the JRF joined forces with local partners, Cricklewood Boxing Club and First Round Fitness, to promote their new weekly Boxing sessions.

The event held at Bridgestone Arena, the ‘home’ of the Foundation since it’s launch in 2007,  proved to be very popular with people of all ages and abilities using punch bags in the new gym area that has been created at the centre, or sparring for those who already had some experience in the sport.

The male and female coaches from Cricklewood Boxing Club and First Round Fitness ensured everyone who attended the event were armed with some of the moves including how to jab, cross, hook, and upper cut, as well as how to guard against their opponents’ punches.

Girls proved to be as quick on the jab as the boys, and many left the event with the enthusiasm to take part in the weekly sessions on offer.

Otis Roberts, CEO of the Foundation commented, “It was great to see so many people take part in our Boxing Clever event, and we were especially pleased to see an increased number of girls getting involved. We are grateful to our partners Cricklewood Boxing Club and First Round Fitness for their support in hosting this event and we hope to do another one soon.”

JRF Boxing sessions are held at Bridgestone Arena, NW10 8LW on the following days:

Wednesday 7 – 8pm for all ages

Thursday 5 – 6 pm for 5 – 8-yrs / 7 – 8pm for Girls / 8 – 9pm for 16+ yrs

Saturday 12.30 – 1.30 pm for all ages

Sunday 1 – 2 pm

For details of Cricklewood Boxing Club classes go to https://www.cricklewoodboxinggym.com/timetable-and-classes/

For information on First Round Fitness go to https://www.firstroundfitness.co.uk/

Martene Carroll
In Events

Health Matters for JRF and the Brent community

Brent Health Matters

Earlier this month JRF added Health in the Community to the ever-growing agenda of sports, fitness, and participation programmes on offer, with a Health Matters Event at Bridgestone Arena.

Over 200 people from the Brent community attended the event and had the opportunity to hear from several health professionals against a backdrop of sporting activities that they could participate in.

Delegates from Brent Health Matters including Andre the agency’s Clinical Lead, and representatives from Mental Health and Sexual Health were on hand to speak to the community about these important topics.

Lyndon Wissart – the Inspired Diabetic and professional Chef was also present to provide nutrition and diet guidance as well as information on Diabetes as were the 360 Well-being Company.

A series of short talks with the young people and elders who attended, with interviews and pep talks providing much needed advice continued into the evening and the over 50s were given a masterclass in nutrition and diet before their football match.

Otis Roberts, CEO of the Foundation commented, “It was extremely pleasing to see so many members of the Brent community – young and old, come along to this Health event. It’s clear that Health Matters to many people and we are grateful to the support from local health organisations and professionals by attending.

We were delighted to welcome Esther, one of our regulars on the weekly online fitness sessions delivered by Cherrelle and Michael, to the centre and we look forward to seeing her more.”

JRF hope to continue these types of events that provide vital information to the Brent community on a more frequent basis throughout the rest of the year and beyond.

Watch the video here https://vimeo.com/630981569

Links:

Lyndon Wissart – The Inspired Diabetic https://www.filamentpublishing.com/shop/health-fitness/the-inspired-diabetic/

Brent Health Matters https://www.brent.gov.uk/your-community/brent-health-matters/

Martene Carroll
In Events

JRF to support Brent Council’s Insight Day

Insight Day marketing flyer

The JRF are delighted to be supporting Brent Council’s upcoming Insight Day at the Civic Centre on Tuesday 26th October to raise awareness about employment prospects for young people aged 16 – 25 years old.

Please see full details below:

Do you work with young people wanting some careers advice? The Insights days is for them and you.

Insight day

Brent Council, in partnership with Newman Catholic College, Ultra Education, West Side Young Leaders, Young Brent Foundation and Jason Roberts Foundation are holding a careers event at the Civic Centre on 26 October 2021 for young people aged 16-25 years old.

The event aims to raise awareness about employment prospects as well as offering support to develop job opportunities. An added focus of the event will be on employment prospects for members of the Black community.

The insight day is a free event open to all. Food will be available and it is hoped that this will become an annual occasion. Brent is a great place in which to work and live and this event is designed to ensure that the incredibly talented people in our borough can access the opportunities necessary to support a fulfilled and happy life.

Please encourage your young people to sign up using the Eventbrite link below.

Eventbrite link :https://bit.ly/Brentinsightday.

Martene Carroll
In News

JRF serves an Ace with new Tennis Programme

Children holding Tennis racquets in air

Earlier this year the JRF Team were pleased to add Tennis to the menu of sports on offer at Bridgestone Arena, thanks to two local ladies – Leeta Segalov and Mona Fine, and their love of the sport and desire to give back.

Leeta was introduced to the CEO of the Foundation, Otis Roberts, and with her background in tennis after starting to play in her 40’s and through coaching, improved her game to the level where she represented Great Britain in the 2015 Maccabi Games in Berlin, believed she could help to support JRF’s goal to add Tennis to their multi-sports offer.

Having lived for over 20 years only yards away from the community hub the Foundation operates from, Leeta knew that the JRF had great facilities including an all-purpose sports court marked for various games including tennis, which would allow for a Tennis programme, but also knew that JRF had limited resources to provide suitable equipment and trained coaches, including disability coaches, to deliver a quality programme.

Leeta therefore proactively reached out to her tennis contacts, friends, and family to raise much-needed funds to launch the Tennis programme by setting up a GoFundMe campaign https://gofund.me/2d5fb705. She quickly raised £6,000 towards the target of £12,000 which enabled tennis equipment to be bought, and the Tennis Programme to be launched by the end of May.

Leeta knows first-hand what it’s like to not have access to sports facilities and considers that she was lucky to be able to afford professional coaching when she wanted to improve her game. She recognises that not everyone has the same opportunities, saying; “ I firmly believe that Tennis including qualified coaching should be available to anyone who wants to play, not just to those fortunate enough to afford lessons, as well as the equipment. My goal, with the help of additional funding, is to give local children continuity of lessons and coaching and to roll this programme out to other grass roots sports clubs across Brent to enable more children and young people to benefit from the programme.”

Mona added; “After only 6-weeks of starting the Tennis programme which is available to children from 4-years upwards, we have been delighted by the enthusiastic response from the local community. The 45-minute sessions are already over-subscribed with over 50 children taking part on a regular basis. As such we have had to increase the number of sessions to 5-days a week to accommodate all the participants.”

In July, to tie in with the Men’s Single Finals at Wimbledon and to harness the excitement and passion of the game in young players on the Tennis programme, and their families, JRF hosted a family Wimbledon tea party at the community hub, which was enjoyed by everyone who attended, and was covered by The Voice newspaper.

During the recent JRF Summer of Fun holiday programme, Leeta and Mona delivered a Holiday Tennis Camp on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday mornings over the 5-week programme which was well received by the participating children. The Tennis Camp ended with a buffet lunch for all the children who attended, and they were each awarded with a JRF branded t-shirt with their names printed on the back.

Both Leeta and Mona have completed the LTA Level 1 coaching course and Mona took part in the emergency First Aid Course arranged by the Foundation.

The Tennis programme continues to grow with new participants joining each week and Leeta says; “We look forward to continued growth and putting more smiles on our children faces.”

If you would like to donate towards the Tennis Programme, please follow the link to Leeta’s Fundraising page GoFundMe, https://gofund.me/2d5fb705

Martene Carroll
In Events

Stonebridge Residents enjoy Family Fun Day

Stonebridge Originals Logo on tshirt

On Sunday 12th September Bridgestone Arena opened its doors to Stonebridge residents of all ages to enjoy a Family Fun Day hosted by the Jason Roberts Foundation and the Stonebridge Originals.

This annual event was postponed last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so everyone was keen for the reunion, to meet up with friends and neighbours for a day of fun.

The intergenerational event had something for everyone – sports, games, music, and refreshments – as well as local independent businesses selling a range of goods from their stalls.

The Stonebridge Originals initiative to host this popular annual Family Fun Day is as an opportunity to bring together old and new Stonebridge Residents for relaxing day, talking, laughing, and reminiscing, and for families to spend time together on a Sunday to enjoy themselves.

Local Councillors Ernest Ezeajughi, Krupesh Hirani, and Promise Knight, came along to get involved in the initiative and to chat with residents.

JRF’s CEO, Otis Roberts, and Safeguarding Officer, Valerie Robert, took the opportunity to remember and pay tribute to their late brother, Junior, and their late Mum, both of whom were Stonebridge residents who made a mark on their community and who are both fondly remembered, with memorial benches at the Bridgestone Arena, overlooking the football pitch.

Otis said of the day; “This annual event, which is a great initiative of the Stonebridge Originals, is always a day in the calendar to look forward to. It’s a fantastic opportunity for friends, families, and neighbours to come together for a day of fun and is a way for everyone to feel more connected to their community which, after the last eighteen months, felt more important than ever. We look forward to co-hosting another event with the Stonebridge Originals next year.”

 

Martene Carroll
In Events

JRF Youth Vaccination Discussion

Vaccination jab

On Tuesday 3rd August the Jason Roberts Foundation in partnership with the Cultural Media Centre hosted a live discussion on the COVID-19 vaccination specifically aimed at young people.

With Health experts on the panel, young people had the opportunity to join the discussion, ask questions about the vaccination and discuss with their peers what the jab means to them.

Doctors were on hand to answer the young people’s questions and to offer their professional advice and opinion on the vaccination, to enable them to make an informed decision.

The live discussion via Zoom was available for other young people from brent to join the conversation and help them to decide whether to be vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus.

The JRF Team are grateful to the Health professionals for their time in answering the young peoples questions, as well as the youth panel for taking part in the conversation.

To watch a recording of the discussion click here:https://vimeo.com/585813697

Martene Carroll
In Events

JRF First Aid – How to Save a Life

First Aid Training

On Friday 3rd September JRF hosted a community First Aid training day which was attended by JRF staff and coaches, community members, and leaders from across the Borough.

The training was part of JRF’s Building Communities programme funded by the Neighbourhood Community Infrastructure Levy (NCIL) through Brent Council, which aims to engage residents from targeted areas, and encourage them to access sports, fitness activities, training, and community events at Bridgestone Arena, the home of JRF.

As well as general first aid techniques the trainer gave life-saving advice and practical experience to the two groups of 12 trainees. The groups were also given a focused training session on how to use a defibrillator which was timely, as the JRF were recently given one by the Justin Edinburgh Foundation.

The feedback from the day was very positive with participants feeling better equipped and informed on such an important topic.

Local resident Hussein who took part in the training said, “When I heard the Foundation were running this course, I immediately jumped at the chance to attend and to upskill myself. I now feel in a better position to save a life.”

JRF Safeguarding Officer Valerie Robert said, “We have a lot of local volunteers and community members who access the centre, and we were pleased to be able to offer them this vital training. I was delighted by the response and enthusiasm from the two groups during the sessions and I’m sure we will be offering more community training courses in the future.”

As the British Heart Foundation say on their website , “Communities can play a big part in creating a nation of life savers. Having a defibrillator in your community and training people in CPR means that more people will know what to do when someone has a cardiac arrest.” https://www.bhf.org.uk/how-you-can-help/how-to-save-a-life/cpr-training-in-communities/defibrillators-in-communities

These Brent residents now know how to save a life.

If you would like to learn more about the Building Communities programme, or would like to be informed of future community training courses please contact the JRF at info@jasonrobertsfoundation.org

Martene Carroll
In News

Summer of Fun for Brent children

Children on inflatable slide

The children and young people of Brent enjoyed an action-packed Summer of Fun at Bridgestone Arena over the school holidays, thanks to a programme of activities delivered by the JRF in partnership with Connect Stars.

With a range of sporting activities on the menu including basketball, tennis, badminton, table tennis, football, teqball, and dance, as well as away-days for some lucky children to try their hand at kayaking, the young people of Brent were kept active and engaged throughout their summer holidays.

The summer programme, funded by Hyde, received additional support this year from the Holiday & Activities Fund (HAF) Brent, Young Brent Foundation – One Flow One Brent, and the Greencore Group Plc.  Thanks to this additional funding and generous donations, the children were fuelled up with healthy lunches and water to ensure they had the energy to enjoy all the sporting activities on offer.

Martene Carroll, Business Development Manager at JRF said: “We are so grateful for the support these organisations and businesses provide to enable us to deliver these programmes. It’s vital that our children and young people have a safe place to go during the long summer holidays, where they can take part in fun and affordable activities. It has been an extremely busy summer, but it is always so rewarding when we see how much the children enjoy themselves.”

Over 200 children took part in the 5-week summer programme which closed with an Olympics Day Special of sporting and recreational activities, including an inflatable slide, to mark both the end of the 2021 Summer of Fun programme as well as the end of the official Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.

To see an overview of the Summer of Fun programme in action click here https://vimeo.com/600993716

Martene Carroll
In Events

Dance Performance at Pride of Brent Youth Awards 2021

Pride of Brent Youth Awards logo

The JRF dance group were the pride of everyone at the Foundation when they were asked to perform at the Pride of Brent Youth Awards 2021 Ceremony in August.

After hours of dance rehearsals in preparation for the community event the group put on a brilliant performance that thrilled the audience of Councillors, local people and organisations.

The Pride of Brent Youth Awards organised by Brent Council, “is about recognising and celebrating the outstanding achievements of the brilliant young people in our borough, and to celebrate those who have gone above and beyond to help their local community and support others in 2020-2021.” In 2020 the Jason Roberts Foundation was honoured to be nominated as one of the community groups that had been recognised for supporting the Brent community through the Covid-19 pandemic.

Shaq, the young pioneer leading the dance group had only recently started delivering dance coaching sessions with the JRF to develop young people in dance, expression, and movement, before the first National lockdown in March 2020. As restrictions gradually eased Shaq retained his regular Friday evening session, though online rather than in person. His dedication in delivering these dance classes via Zoom enabled Brent residents to keep fit and active during time spent at home.

The performance at Brent Town Hall was a great success and helped to make the Awards Ceremony a truly memorable occasion, thanks to the hard work and dedication of the organisers, and those working behind the scenes.

Patience one of the performers said, ‘At JRF we do sport, education, media, dance and pathways to employment. I take part in everything because opportunities in life sometimes are too good to miss.’

Shaquille, the dance group’s leader, added ‘ A lot of dancers were initially shy when the Friday sessions first started. But when we were told we had been chosen to perform at the ceremony it gave everyone a focus and helped to inspire them to believe that they had the ability to perform under pressure but still enjoy it. That’s exactly what they did and I’m so proud of them.’

The JRF Team couldn’t agree more.

A video of the performance can be viewed here https://vimeo.com/605429434

Shaq’s dance sessions are run on Friday’s starting at 7pm from the JRF Bridgestone Arena site.