This is now our ninth week of the official lockdown we hope you and your families continue to be well and adapting to the ongoing situation.
This is our sixth Branch Communication and we do hope you are finding them useful. Any feedback on these – and any other aspect of SDS’s ongoing work is always welcome and appreciated.
- Branch Networking Day Overview
- 37 participants joined the virtual Branch Networking Day session on Wednesday 13 May to engage in discussions on funding, recruitment and the impact of Covid-19. A report from the Networking Day will be circulated following the Branch Steering Group meeting on the 11 June along with the recruitment document introduced by Jen for comments. This will provide direction on the content of the SDS Branch Conference scheduled for 27 September. The documents and slides presented on the day by Graeme Doig, Graham Harvey, Helen Bruce and Dianne Campbell are all attached. Many thanks once again to all presenters and attendees for their contributions and positive engagement throughout. There were some great ideas suggested on the day and some of these will be implemented in the coming months.
- SDS Strategic Plan 2021 Consultation
- FINAL REMINDER! SDS would welcome as many people as possible to feedback on our SDS Strategic Plan Consultation 2021 Onwards. Thanks to all those who have shared this already and please continue to promote and encourage people to respond. The link to the form can be found here and should take approximately 10-15 mins to complete.
- 2020 National Events Calendar & National Squad Cancellation
- You will have received an email during the week regarding the cancellation of all remaining National Events, Engagement Days & National Squad Training in 2020. The full statement can be found here.
- Safe return of sport – key messages:
- We all want to see the safe return of sport at all levels as soon as possible but the most pressing priority at this time is public health and wellbeing
- It is vital that all sports continue to be guided by the latest Scottish Government public health advice and plan accordingly
- We understand the concerns of sport club members who want to be back participating but now, more than ever, it’s vital we follow latest guidance
- When the time comes for sport to return, SGBs will work with members to ensure the transition back to normality is as safe as possible for everyone.
- Sharing Ideas
- #Giveitago – Activity Inclusion Cards: Branch Challenge! 8 cards will be selected for participants to try over the coming 8 weeks. SDS encourages all branches to actively promote this opportunity to their members and the wider community to keep everyone active and having fun. The taking part is definitely the important thing here! The first card will appear on Monday and will be circulated as well as featuring on our website and social media. Please send in or tag us in your videos to @sds_sport on Twitter or on the Scottish Disability Sport Facebook and Instagram pages. YOU CAN REGISTER NOW HERE!
- Learn a new skill – Check-out the sign of the day on SDS Twitter Feed from British Sign Language. A new one is released daily and it is a great way to upskill yourself in this vital communication method.
- Every week there are videos posted by the Young Start programme and the Young Persons Sports Panel of great ideas to keep yourself active, busy and motivated during lockdown. Please share these on your social media.
- #stayinworkout – British Blind Sport have developed online activities of accessible workouts and resources to support people with visual impairments and others to stay active at home. Activities include yoga, pilates, cardio and high intensity sessions, gentle exercises and workouts for children and young people.
- Getting the most vulnerable online during the Covid-19 crisis: This is an opportunity for individuals who are not online and are digitally excluded to access equipment.
- This week is…
- Mental Health Awareness Week: Use this link to the SAMH website to help Raise the profile of physical activity to support mental health. Use the hashtag #WeAreHere. This is particularly important during this time of uncertainty.
- Learning Disability Week: The Scottish Commission for Learning Disability are celebrating this week virtually with the key themes this year being “My Environment – my place, my planet”. Perhaps you may wish to use some of the activities above to keep athletes and participants with a learning disability actively engaged
- UK Anti-Doping #CleanSportWeek: You can also find more useful information on UKAD Clean Sport Week hub here.
- Performance Sport Opportunities
- Talent ID #Power2Paris Para-Cycling Talent Identification Campaign Request: Please follow this British Cycling Website which may be of interest to any budding cyclists as they are looking to identify talented cyclists of the future.
- British Blind Sport has been successful in winning the bid to host the 2023 IBSA World Games in Birmingham – a multisport event for blind and partially sighted athletes.
- Further useful resources…
- NHS Covid-19 Equalities Toolkit: This toolkit will enable organisations to effectively communicate the Covid-19 information in a variety of formats e.g. different languages, video and audio, BSL, webchat and also provides sample media releases. The attachment is included on this email.
- Response, Recovery & Resilience Fund: Foundation Scotland, in partnership with the National Emergencies Trust, are providing funding to support constituted community groups and charities that are responding to and impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.
Best regards
Jen & Mark