Sports leadership Charity goes the Extra Mile

Following the success of the Extra Mile Challenge in September 2009, Sports Leaders UK has entered a team of its own to take on the 2010 challenge. Last year, Sports Leaders UK’s Chief Executive, Linda Plowright and Quality Assurance Manager, Carolyn Cant joined the Heald Solicitors’ team to compete in the Loire Challenge – a cycle relay through France. While Linda joins the aptly named ‘WellHeald’ team again this year, four of Sports Leaders UK’s finest competitors will represent the Charity to take on the Extra Mile Challenge. The Sports Leaders UK team, led by Stevie Begen, Foundation Manager for Scotland, and including Awards Assistant Gill Codling, External Verifier Gareth Bate and Neil Marlowe, Microtrading Ltd, who has been very much a part of the Sports Leaders UK family over the years, will set off on 24 September for the three day cycle from Belgium to Germany’s Black Forest region. The cycle challenge will raise funds to develop Sports Leaders UK’s work with the Special Olympics Great Britain, the country’s largest provider of sports training and competition programmes for people with learning disabilities. There are 135 Special Olympics groups in Great Britain, managed by more than 2,600 volunteers. Sports Leaders UK is seeking to match fund the money raised, to support the delivery of tutor training for up to 40 members of Special Olympics Great Britain’s senior volunteers. This will enable the Charity to support its volunteers and help them to develop their skills and gain a nationally recognised qualification, the Level 2 Award in Community Sports Leadership. Each team member will cycle approximately 40 miles per day. The team will complete the journey in relay, starting at the crack of dawn and finishing when night begins to fall. Training has already commenced for this intense and physically challenging task, which will see the cyclists complete a total of 500 miles. Linda Plowright, Chief Executive of Sports Leaders UK and Extra Mile Challenge Cyclist said: “I am really pleased that Sports Leaders UK has been able to enter a team for this year’s challenge. It is a fantastic opportunity for the Charity to help and support other organisations that share close links with the work that Sports Leaders UK does. “This is not an easy task to take on, and it is a great challenge for the team of cyclists involved.” For further information about the Sports Leaders UK Extra Mile Challenge and to support the team visit www.justgiving.com/Stevie-Begen. Note to editors: Sports Leaders UK is a charity delivering sports leadership awards and qualifications to more than 200,000 people a year, through 4,000 schools, colleges, local authorities, prisons and young offender units. It acts as an Awarding Body providing nationally recognised qualifications, and has a Foundation to deliver free or subsidised courses in areas of greatest need. Sports Leaders UK Anne Compton, Public Relations T: 01908 689212 E: media@sportsleaders.org