We were pleased to be invited to attend the Leeds Active Schools 2014 Annual Conference and Exhibition at the Royal Armouries, where we met many teachers and coaches from the region, all of whom were passionate about their roles.
Following a lively Wake Up/Shake Up, the event started with reflections on the successes and achievements of ‘Le Grand Depart’ and the desire to make Leeds THE City of Sport, and ended by looking forwards to the Rugby World Cup in 2015.
In between, we listened to the wise words of Baroness Sue Campbell, who emphasised the impact of PESS on Health and Education. These words were reiterated by the irrepressible Jamie Jones-Buchanan from the Leeds Rhinos. Never having seen Jamie perform without the rest of his team, we were bowled over by his warmth, humour, honesty and humility. The subject matter of Jamie’s presentation are included the title of this post…an eclectic but joined-up mix for sure.
There were many other highlights, mostly meeting and talking with delegates and speakers. It was great to hear the opinions of others regarding our own ideas and games.
Thanks to another Leeds Rhinos player, Ashton Golding, who helped spread the message via Twitter.
Hopefully, the various rugby communities can help spread our games and ideas further. After all, we all know that PESS makes a huge difference to the lives and futures of young people, their education, health and well-being.
For details of our latest special offers to Leeds schools, visit our shop.
Thanks to Gail Palmer-Smeaton and Jill Wilkinson, as well as the Team at Mondale Events for organising a successful conference and exhibition. We look forward to working with you and the schools in Leeds again…