Barclays.comUK Programmes
As well as our 200 sports sites, Barclays Spaces for Sports is bringing activities to communities through innovative projects and local partnerships.
A StreetChance cricket game.
© StreetChance
Find out more
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FairPlay
IntroLongFairPlay is a partnership between Wooden Spoon, Barclays Spaces for Sports, Rugby Football Union, and the Enterprise Education Trust.
FairPlay supported by Barclays Spaces for Sports is aimed at changing the attitudes, enthusiasm and lives of more than a hundred ‘at risk’ youngsters in Pupil Referral Units (PRUs) through a series of training schemes across the country. Children’s charity Wooden Spoon teamed up with Barclays Spaces for Sports, the Rugby Football Union (RFU) and Enterprise Education Trust to launch a series of eight-week schemes for those who have been excluded from school.
There are around 31 projects across England at present.
Working in two phases - the first started in January 2010 and finishes in July 2010, the second starting in September 2010 and finishing in April 2011 – the project will deliver 120 intensive eight-week schemes across England, combining both physical rugby training and classroom learning including life, enterprise and financial skills.
The coaching programme is provided by RFU Community Coaches, while the classroom element is delivered by Enterprise Education Trust (EET) trainers who have links with Pupil Referral Units, schools and business mentors throughout the country.
Jake Potter, 15, who has attended a PRU for the last two years, is attending a project run in Chelmsford. He said: “I think I’ve learnt how to not put someone down if I think they’re not right, but say it might be possible to do something another way instead. I’ve learnt how to be better at working with people.”
A key aim of the programme is for some of the youngsters to ultimately join their local rugby club so they can benefit from a safe, supportive environment that can develop their communication skills and confidence.
The partnership will encourage young people to return to education, enter training programmes or secure employment. To assist with this, participants will gain academic credits which build towards formal qualifications. Barclays will also support training young people in how to look after their finances, as part of the Barclays Money Skills initiative.
Many of the youngsters targeted have some of the poorest rates of educational attainment and future employment as well as some of the highest rates of teenage pregnancy, drug and alcohol abuse and long term unemployment. -
StreetChance
IntroShortStreetChance is a partnership between Chance to Shine, Barclays Spaces for Sports, Cricket for Change, Positive Futures and the Metropolitan Police Service.
Barclays Spaces for Sports is backing StreetChance, a three-year project launched in July 2008 across 10 London boroughs: Brent, Chelsea and Kensington, Croydon, Ealing, Newham, Lewisham, Hackney, Tower Hamlets, Southwark and Lambeth. The scheme uses cricket to engage young people from a range of backgrounds in areas affected by youth crime and anti-social behaviour.
Each year, coaches have committed to hold sessions with young people in these 10 boroughs for three hours per week over a 44-week period. The coaches have been trained in teaching 'Street 20' cricket, a fast-paced and easy-to-learn version of the game which requires only limited equipment. Widely played in Pakistan and South Africa, Street 20 uses a tennis ball wrapped in tape instead of a traditional cricket ball, enabling the game to be played anywhere with a flat surface.
As well as these sessions and a city-wide competition, StreetChance is also running an in-school programme where inner-city state schools receive 25 hours of coaching from professional cricket coaches within school hours during the summer term.
StreetChance is a partnership between Chance to Shine, Barclays Spaces for Sports, Cricket for Change, Positive Futures and the Metropolitan Police Service.
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Local Hero awards
Barclays created the Local Hero award to recognise the commitment and achievements of individuals who work tirelessly to support grassroots sport in their communities.
In the first three years of the Barclays Spaces for Sports programme, 200 sites were launched across the UK, and each month a Local Hero award was presented to a worthy candidate, from coaches to kit-washers, drivers and groundkeepers.Recipients received a donation of £1,000 towards a charity of their choice.
