Charlton Athletic Community Trust (CACT), in partnership with The EFL Trust and Ferrero UK, are delighted to announce that the Joy of Moving Programme will be delivered once again throughout the 2020-21 academic year.
Joy of Moving, Ferrero’s unbranded CSR programme, has been supporting children across EFL Communities in the UK for the past six years. The programme consists of two elements – the school-based Move & Learn programme and the Joy of Moving Festivals, which have been developed in conjunction with EFL Trust. These programmes are designed to inspire children to move through play, and in doing so, build up their physical fitness, motor coordination, cognitive functions and creativity and life skills and develop positive habits for adulthood.
Through the partnership, Charlton Athletic will continue to support and inspire thousands of children in South East London and Kent to lead an active and balanced lifestyle.
Never has it been more important to support children in these unprecedented times. According to a poll of PE teachers and school leaders by the Youth Sport Trust, 73% of children returned to school after lockdown with lower fitness levels. In light of the ongoing possibility for further periods of lockdown and tiers affecting exercise, it is important to ensure the programme continues to play a part in supporting communities.
Danny McGregor, Year 5 teacher at ST Antonys RC in Blackburn is delighted with the positive impact the Joy of Moving Programmes and Blackburn Rovers Community Trust is having on his pupils. He said:
“Thank you for the Joy of Moving programme that you are currently delivering at St Antony's School. It's a fantastic programme and the delivery of it is perfect for my class. They love having you in with the programme and they talk about both the programme throughout the week! The sessions are having a huge impact on all of the children both mentally and of course physically. They are already more aware and conscious of their own health (and that of others) and are keen to express their improvements each morning to staff in school. I think what you do and how you do it is genuinely brilliant!”
This year also saw the launch of the online Resource Hub that hosts a variety of fun games and activities to get children and families moving at home - even Peter Andre and his children got involved in the Joy of Moving programme! Furthermore, as it was recognised that children were unlikely to experience the fun of their school sports day, we hosted the first ever ‘Joy of Moving Home School Festival’ which reached over 250,000 children and families. Mike Evans, Chief Executive at EFL Trust said:
“Children have been one of the hardest hit groups during this pandemic and the importance of the Joy of Moving Programme is even greater to support children, not only physically, but mentally. We are extremely proud of the Joy of Moving Programme and the positive impact it has had during this challenging year. But there is still so much more to do and we are delighted to continue our partnership with Ferrero and through EFL Trust’s network of Club Community Organisations we can continue to deliver a fun educational programme to children and families.”
Charlie Cayton, Director of Corporate Affairs and Communications, Ferrero UK said;
“We are proud to have been able to deliver our Joy of Moving CSR programme in the UK over the last six years through our long-term partnership with the EFL Trust.
Together, we have helped to move over 340,000 children and delivered over one million hours in schools.
In these difficult times, we must continue to play our part in the communities in which we are a part of. We remain committed to delivering this fantastic programme to inspire children and families up and down the country to get moving through play.”
To learn more about the Joy of Moving Programme visit www.joyofmovingresourcehub.co.uk
NB: Photo taken during 2019
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