Hartlepool family and school pupil win national awards for commitment to healthy activity

The Hindmarch family, made up of mum Danielle and her five children have won the Youth Sport Trust’s National School Sport Week at Home Family Award.

It is after Danielle and kids Darcie, 11, Theo, nine, Koban, eight, Ronnie, six, and two-year-old Ariya took part in this summer’s National School Sport Week at Home campaign despite challenging personal circumstances due to a bereavement and shielding.

The family were supported by Clavering Primary School where the children attend and which runs a nationally-recognised Physical Education, School Sport and Physical Activity (PESSPA) Programme.

The school also celebrated a double win as pupil Imogen Burton, 11, won the Future Leader Award in the Girls Active Awards which were also announced at the same virtual awards ceremony.

Judges said it was remarkable the Hindmarch family found the strength to join in June’s National School Sport Week at Home campaign.

Together they threw themselves into organised activities such as choreographing dance routines, having water fights or experiencing local wildlife and helped to raise awareness of the power of physical activity and play by inspiring family and friends to join in.

Mum Danielle said: “Having a routine based around play and physical activity has been fantastic in terms of structure, passing the time, helping us to still be physically healthy and keeping our spirits up.

“I am incredibly proud of how my family, supported by the children’s school, have embraced play and physical activity as a way of getting through lockdown with a positive attitude, especially in terms of physical health and emotional wellbeing.”

Neil McAvoy, Clavering Primary deputy headteacher and PESSPA Programme Director, said he was thrilled for the family.

“They have perfectly embodied the philosophy that ‘life gets better when we play’, demonstrating how, despite the pandemic, the power of physical activity is still crucial for our physical health and mental wellbeing,” he said.

Imogen was honoured for her contribution as a leader for the Girls Active programme to buck the trend of girls being less involved in sport as they get older.

She has inspired almost 200 girls from nursery up to Year 6 to take part in specially-designed physical activity sessions and also helped to improve Clavering’s PE curriculum.

Imogen said: “Girls Active has made a really big difference to me because it has helped me to understand and see in action the life-transforming impact that physical activity can have on girls’ lives.

"I have seen the many benefits that physical activity can have on girls’ physical health and – just as importantly – mental wellbeing.”

Mr McAvoy said she has a “magical quality” adding: “Imogen perfectly captures what Girls Active Leadership at Clavering is all about.”

He said: “Our PESSPA Programme is about so much more than just winning on the sports field; it is about winning in life and these two awards are testimony to the tremendous work that goes on in the school to help our children and our families to lead healthy, active, successful lives.”

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