SportsCool nets a double win

1 Dec 2021 04:10
Published by: Scott Callan

A SPECIALIST provider of sports education for primary schoolchildren is celebrating after scooping two top honours in awards celebrating best local, ethical and sustainable businesses in the UK.

SportsCool Cheshire East received the wellbeing and start-up categories in this year's The Local Business Awards.

Based in Alderley Edge, the business was started by Stephen Barnes. It is one of 28 SportsCool operations across the UK that are working closely with more than 400 education providers.

SportsCool offers schools a diverse range of sports, from fencing and archery to ultimate frisbee and tri-golf. All its activities are underpinned by the company’s ethos of "Educate: Motivate: Participate". Its coaches make it their mission to find a sport for every child to love.

SportsCool Cheshire East has also helped 400 families over the past six months, through its work delivering the holiday activities and food (HAF) programme with Stockport and Manchester City Councils.

The HAF programme provides free meals and activities during school holidays for children eligible for benefits-related free school meals.

SportsCool Cheshire East was set up by Stephen with his wife Rosie so he could spend more time at home with his family, rather than working away in London four days a week.

Stephen left the corporate world and a secure job with benefits as head of sales and started the business from scratch. He got up and running in January this year.

Today it operates before and after-school clubs in Cheshire East, Stockport and South Manchester, with holiday clubs in Cheadle and Wythenshawe.

SportsCool Cheshire East now employs more than 30 people, including freelance coaches and an apprentice. It is also taking on two young people under the government's Kickstart scheme.

Stephen said: "It's really great to have won these two awards. They mean a lot to us. as setting up the business was a huge risk for us as a family, but it was something I needed to do for both my mental and physical wellbeing.

"We started with one club and 12 children but since March this year things have really taken off. It's been hard work; we've both being putting in 14-hour days and we've spent a lot of time reaching out to schools to build up relationships, which is the hard bit.

"It's really satisfying to make a positive impact in the community, seeing children with a smile on their faces because of our efforts."

Rosie added: "As a business we only started actively growing in March 2021, due to the impact of the pandemic, so to have won these awards is amazing.

"We now have an array of specialist coaches and as we continue to grow, we're looking to work with more schools, including those in the independent sector."

The business was nominated for the awards by SportsCool national director Lee Lysons. He said: "We're delighted that the hard work and determination shown by Stephen and Rosie has been recognised by the judges in The Local Business Awards.

"Through their brilliant efforts as part of the HAF programme they have made a real difference to the lives of hundreds of families. Their attitude sums up the ethos behind SportsCool."

SportsCool was founded 14 years ago in Blackburn, Lancashire, by sports coaches Lee Lysons, Matt Parker and Andy Preston, whose vision is to make a positive difference to the mental, physical, and emotional wellbeing of the nation's children.

The business is on a journey to grow its operation nationally and has plans to open 20 more franchises in towns and cities across the UK in 2022.

Lee said: "We believe that every child should have the chance to participate, progress and achieve in physical activities.

"We are also giving people the opportunity to make a career of something that they love, setting up a coaching company, confident in the training, support and business development that we give them."

The Local Business Awards is a social enterprise. The independent organisation believes celebrating local businesses on a national level can inspire "a local business revolution", inspiring people to support local.

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