Riverside ECHG - Kent hostel pioneers national sports initiative

The Quays isn’t what you’d expect from a hostel working with homeless people. Run by English Churches Housing Group it is pioneering a new approach to getting disadvantaged people involved in sport as part of helping them develop leadership skills and benefitting their local communities.

When ECHG’s Manager at the Quays, Donna Thorpe, started at the hostel just over a year ago, she and her team decided to bring their obsolete sports hall back into use. The hall was a remnant of the scheme’s former life as an army drill hall. Donna said:

“It was a crying shame having the sports hall standing empty when there was a real need for all of us to get more involved with exercise – the residents who live here and the local community.

“I’d heard about the Sports Leaders Awards run by Amicus Horizon and asked them to come to talk to the team and residents here. The Awards are a nationally recognised qualification for people aged 16 upwards who want to get young people and others involved in sports in the local community. The Awards give participants a wide range of skills including literacy, numeracy and planning all of which are important skills for our residents to have in order to move on with their lives.

“It’s a win-win situation all round!”

The award is designed to encourage people to get involved in motivating and building confidence with people from all sections of the community, including young people and those with disabilities. Candidates must complete a minimum of ten hours sports leadership within their local community in order to qualify.

Everyone at the project was delighted when the Mayor of Swale Counsellor Alan Willicombe and the Mayoress came along to the scheme to present the Sports Leadership Awards to a range of staff and clients at the Quays on 23rd October.

Commenting on what the whole experience has been like, Donna Thorpe, who’s just completed the course herself and is proud to have been a part of the scheme said:“Having an opportunity to train with residents and the community was good fun - getting to know each other with various skills and abilities. The Quays is a place where a strong staff team are developing new skills and new challenges every day. The support from Joan O’Beirne our Property Manager and Sharon Jordan our Property Administrator has made it possible for us to develop new initiatives and challenge new ways to move the Quays forward.”

The youngest member of the Award is 16 year Michael Dinneen. Michael joined the group after being recommended by the local Adolescent Resource Centre: “I was very nervous at first because I was the youngest. However I soon got to know everyone and gained confidence in leading and planning activities.” Everyone involved agrees that Michael grew during the course into a Community Sports Leader and he will now be taking part in community activities as a volunteer with young people now he has qualified.

Bryn Pearce was a qualified carpenter during his younger years. He said: “Since doing the course I have realised that I want to follow a career in working in the community. My main ambition is to be a child psychologist and to work with children before they get in to difficulties. This qualification is the first positive step to moving forward.”

Other residents echo Michael and Bryn’s comments. Emma Pay and Claire Attrell are residents of the Quays. “We’ve both enjoyed the course and are now ready to do volunteer in the community working with young people,” said Emma.

However, the Quays isn’t resting on its laurels. “Now we’ve got the partnership to run the Awards and are starting to get our sports hall up and running we’re planning to set up a model club!” said Donna Thorpe. “We’ve already had an initial donation for the set-up costs from Church Housing Trust but we now need funds to buy the Airfix and other models for the residents to build. It’s a great way of getting people to come together, chat and develop a sense of community. So we’d appreciate any donations.”

Donations can be made to ECHG, c/o Donna Thorpe, Quays, Crown Quay Lane, Sittingbourne.