Clubs, Coaches, Volunteers Newsletter May 2025
Volunteers' Week 2025
Nominate a Volunteer
Join us in celebrating Volunteers’ Week, 2-8 June, and help us recognise the great work of volunteers who are making a difference in your club or organisation.
It might be a coach or official, the person who maintains pitches, washes the kit, or makes sure all the fixtures are fulfilled. It might be a walk leader, someone who marshals every week or someone who volunteers their time to keep club accounts up to date or undertakes a safeguarding role?
Complete our short online form to celebrate someone in your club or local community and we’ll feature the volunteer on our social media channels throughout #VolunteersWeek2025 to say a BIG THANK YOU!
Follow this link to find out how to get involved and celebrate a volunteer
Recruit and Retain Volunteers
Thinking about who you can engage and where you might find them are really important considerations when you are looking to recruit new volunteers. By reaching beyond the core of your group, you can increase your capacity, diversity and skillset of your team.
Buddle provides guidance on where to find new volunteers, tips for effective recruitment communications and debunking volunteering myths plus helpful case studies.
UK Coaching Week 2025
During 2 – 8 June 2025, UK Coaching are celebrating the power of great coaching advice by encouraging coaches, organisations, and the public to #PassItOn
What’s the best coaching advice you’ve ever received? Or the advice you have given as a coach that has made the greatest impact?
Whether you’re a coach, athlete, or someone inspired by coaching, you can take part in #UKCoachingWeek by sharing the best coaching advice you’ve received and inspiring others to do the same. #PassItOn as UK Coaching spotlight the coaching wisdom that shapes individuals, teams, and communities.
Follow this link to get involved in UK Coaching Week #PassItOn
Club Welfare Drop-In Session
Active Kent & Medway is committed to promoting good practice and safe sport for children, young people and adults at a local level. Our two Sport Welfare Officers, Stuart and Jimmy are hosting an online Club Welfare Officer Drop-In Session on Monday 7 July 19:00 – 20:00, with a focus on ‘Learning from Best Practice.’ This is a FREE opportunity to listen in, ask questions and network with other Club Welfare Officers.
They will be joined by:
- David Fox, Broadstairs Cricket Club and winner of the 2024 Kent Cricket Safe Hands Awards.
- Stuart Parsons, Regional Safeguarding Officer, Lawn Tennis Association
- Yvonne Elder, Club Welfare Lead, Herne Bay Youth FC, recognised at the 2024 Kent FA Grassroots Awards.
Physical Activity and Mental Health
Mind’s Safe and Effective Practice Guidance
Sport, physical activity and movement can play a powerful role in helping people with mental health problems to stay well. That’s why we’re supporting Mind’s new guidance on safe and effective practice for those delivering physical activity and mental health programmes.
The guidance has been co-developed with people with lived experience of mental health problems, coaches, front-line deliverers, healthcare professionals and over 150 organisations. It will help to shape future physical activity delivery across different settings to support mental health outcomes. It will ensure we keep participants and those delivering sessions safe throughout the process.
Release the Pressure Support
Active Kent & Medway is proud to support the Release the pressure campaign delivered by Kent County Council and A Better Medway.
We invite local organisations, clubs and community groups across Kent and Medway to get behind this important and timely campaign.
We’ve produced a campaign toolkit with editable posters, social media graphics and suggested tweets for local clubs, national governing bodies of sport and other organisations to use in their own promotion of the campaign.
Funding Opportunities
Active Kent & Medway Small Grant
Small grants of up to £500 for local clubs and organisations looking to encourage and increase participation in physical activity for those living in Kent or Medway.
Funding could be available to cover facilitator or coaching costs, venue hire, equipment, marketing and publicity for projects such as new programmes, festivals, events, launches or celebrations of activity, that re-engage with previous audiences and/or encourages those new to activity to continue to be active.
“A simple application and fast to be approved. It’s made such a difference to the lives of the people within the group.”
Workforce Development Bursary
Thinking about becoming an activity leader or yoga instructor for your local community group? Perhaps an assistant coach to support your club’s weekly sessions?
Our Workforce Development Bursary can cover up to 50% of the costs (maximum £500) towards qualifications or awards that increase the quantity and quality of leaders, coaches, instructors and officials in Kent, and therefore assist the development of sport and physical activity in the county.
“The assistant coach qualification is a stepping stone to gaining my full coaching qualification. I have learnt new skills and drills on the course which has helped me develop.”
Capital Grant for Sport (Opens 1 June 2025)
Is your sports club, school or parish council looking for funding to assist with a new facility or building improvements, or looking at purchasing a piece of fixed equipment? Or, perhaps you need support to make your venue more accessible to disabled people?
The Kent County Council Capital Grant for Sport, administered by Active Kent & Medway, will re-open on 1 June 2025 and can offer up to £5,000 towards improving any sport and physical activity facilities in order to develop and widen participation in sporting activities across the county.
“Getting our sports facilities into a good shape has given the sports clubs a new lease of life.”
Better Mental Health and Wellbeing Community Fund
Launched to coincide with this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week, the 2025 Kent and Medway Better Mental Health and Wellbeing Community Fund is now open, offering grants from £500 to £10,000.
The fund is run by the Kent and Medway Suicide Prevention Programme, a partnership of NHS organisations, Kent County Council (KCC) and Medway Council.
Designed to test innovative ideas, develop evidence of what works and support grassroots projects to continue to support their communities. Deadline for applications is 9 June 2025.
Training Opportunities
Safeguarding & Protecting Children Workshop
Delivered in partnership with UK Coaching, our next Safeguarding & Protecting Children workshop is on Tuesday 17 June 2025 18:45-21.45 at Folkestone Rowing Club.
“A really useful workshop providing lots of information to support my role in coaching and supporting young people.” Attendee
Protect yourself, the young person and your club/employer by understanding and following good practice. The in-person workshop, delivered in partnership with NSPCC and the Child Protection in Sport Unit will help you recognise poor practice and the red flags of abuse, while prompting a review of your coaching to ensure positive, enriching experience for all children.
Other News
Contact Us
We’d love to hear from you
If there’s anything in this newsletter you’d like to discuss, then just get in touch and one of our team members will get back to you as soon as possible. Please email: activekent@kent.gov.uk
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