I Will If You Will calls out for volunteers to make a difference in Bury

I Will If You Will (IWIYW), the Bury-based female fitness movement, has launched its exciting new Champions Programme.

The innovative programme offers volunteering opportunities across Bury in varied and rewarding roles that will encourage and support more women and girls to take part in sport and physical activity.

Julie Durrant, IWIYW Communities Lead, said: “I Will If You Will is all about getting more women and girls more active, more often and we’re looking for enthusiastic and passionate people to become IWIYW Champions and help us achieve our goals.

“From supporting newcomers to find their feet and confidence at the gym, right through to coordinating events and helping local sports clubs, there are loads of opportunities for everyone to get involved and volunteer as an IWIYW Champion.”

IWIYW Champions will be rewarded and recognised for their time and efforts with free IWIYW branded items such as T-shirts, sports bottles and gym bags, as well as accredited training to support their ongoing development when they reach milestones of 10, 20, 50 and 100 hours.

The first champions - Sharon Holding, Natalie Cadman, Deborah Bancroft and Debbie Cliff - were presented with certificates by the Mayor of Bury, Councillor Stella Smith, at Bury Town Hall.

Sharon, aged 46 and from Bury, knows firsthand just how much of a difference volunteering can make, as she has been volunteering with Castle Knights disability sports group for the last two years.

Sharon told guests at the event: “Being disabled doesn’t mean that your life is over and having a disability shouldn’t stop anyone from being active.

“Castle Knights gives members somewhere to meet their friends and take part in activities they might not think they can do, such as swimming and indoor bowls. The group is run entirely by volunteers and I get so much enjoyment from being able to show other people with disabilities what they can achieve.”

Cllr Smith said: “The Champions Programme will no doubt add a different dimension to I Will If You Will. The opportunities available sound very exciting and I hope it encourages more people to volunteer and help get many more women and girls across Bury more active, more often. Volunteering can make a real difference to the lives of those around us and be extremely rewarding as a result.”

The event was hosted by Bolton FM presenter, Andy ‘Big H’ Hargreaves, and attended by representatives of Bury Council, NHS Pennine Acute Trust, Bury Third Sector Development Agency, Six Town Housing, Greater Sport, England Netball and Sports Leaders UK, who all work in partnership with IWIYW.

To find out more and sign up as an IWIYW Champion, go to http://buryvip.com/ or email iwillifyouwill@bury.gov.uk or call 0161 253 5893.

ENDS

Press release issued: 25 September 2015.

Picture: The Mayor of Bury, Councillor Stella smith, presents theI Will If You Will (IWIYW) Champions with certificates in recognition of their hard work and dedication (from left):Deborah Bancroft, Nick Lowden (from Greater Sport), Natalie Cadman, Cllr Stella Smith and her consort and husband John Smith, Debbie Cliff, Rhona Morrisey (Bury Third Sector Development Agency), Alan Brierley (Sports Leader UK), and Sharon Holding.

Note to editors:

I Will If You Will is a programme designed to help the women and girls of Bury get more active, more often. It aims to overcome the many practical barriers to being active, while encouraging women to support each other by joining the I Will If You Will community.

Phase One of the campaign was delivered by Bury Council with £2.3 million of National Lottery funding from Sport England. For Phase Two of the campaign, Sport England allocated a further £2 million to extend delivery up to December 2016.

The IWIYW Champions recognised at the launch event were:

• Natalie Cadman, who has been attending 8 IWIYW classes a week since January 2015 and using social media to encourage more women to join her.
• Debbie Cliff, who works as an estate agent during the week and organises and coordinates the popular Great Run Local at Burrs Country Park during the weekend.
• Deborah Bancroft, works as a physiotherapist at NHS Pennine Acute Trust and helped develop the IWIYW Active Workforce guide, she also blogs about her experiences at IWIYW classes.
• Sharon Holding, who has volunteered with Castle Knights for two years.

For more information, contact Samantha Neville at the I Will If You Will press office: Tel: 0161 253 6678 | Email: s.neville@bury.gov.uk