This week has been a bit of a reflective one for me.
Roarsome Sport has been named a finalist in the ICAP Awards in two categories: Rising Star and Community Beacon.
It’s a huge honour, and one I’m incredibly proud of. But if I’m honest, the part that means the most to me is Community Beacon.
Because the idea that sport should be accessible and welcoming to all children sits right at the centre of everything I do.
Inclusive sport isn’t something you achieve once and then tick off a list. It’s a process. It evolves with every child, every family and every session.
And this week was actually a week of learning for me too.
I attended a Makaton taster session which I absolutely loved. Makaton uses signs and symbols alongside speech to support communication, and it’s widely used with many children with additional needs.
I’m very much at the start of that journey, and I’ll need plenty of practice before I’m fluent. But it’s already given me some simple signs that I’m excited to start introducing into sessions.
For some children, having a visual or physical cue alongside verbal instructions can make a huge difference.
Alongside that, I also completed my paediatric first aid refresher training.
It’s one of those things that sits quietly in the background of running sessions, but it’s hugely important. Parents trust us with their children, and making sure the right training and procedures are in place is part of honouring that responsibility.
When people see a sports session, they often see the games, the laughter and the energy.
What they don’t always see is the learning that sits behind it. The training. The conversations with parents. The adjustments that happen week by week as children grow and change.
That’s particularly true in SEND sessions, where there’s no one-size-fits-all approach.
The sessions are shaped by the children who attend them and by the families who share what works at home. It’s collaborative, and it evolves over time.
Being shortlisted for an award is a lovely moment of recognition.
But for me, the real work — and the most rewarding part — is continuing to learn, listen and improve so that more children feel that sport is a place where they belong.