St Margaret Mary's RC Primary School are excited to be hosting an inspirational workshop with Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Silver Medalist James Ball .James needs your help to raise funds for vital training, medical and competition costs. This money will also help your school and other athletes across the country, find out more below!
"We try to follow Jesus in everything we do"
Who's Coming?
How I Started
I began training at the age of eight, in which I started with swimming and athletics on the side in school, however I moved on from swimming swiftly and decided to focus solely on athletics, this was a great choice as I saw myself progress in athletics extremely quickly so I was happy with the pace I was at. After competing in athletics for a number of years, I moved to cycling, this was a great choice as it helped me in the sense that I could worry less about my hamstring, an injury I had sustained in 2012 that wrote off my London 2012 Paralympic hopes.
My Greatest Achievement
My greatest achievement is a Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games silver medal. It was so amazing to finally earn a medal on the worlds biggest stage after thirteen years of intense training. It felt like I had done my friends, family and hometown proud, it was amazing. It’s a day and a feeling I will never forget!
My Greatest Challenge
My greatest challenge was when I tore my hamstring before the London 2012 Paralympic Games. This shattered my Paralympic hopes and left me with a injury that put me out of any sport for months. Having nursed this back to health I continued within athletics for four more years until I moved to cycling. When I tore my hamstring, it was disappointing because of my Paralympic hopes, but I decided to get on with life and power through the struggle, because I knew that on the other side of the pain and hardship would be a reward, and the resilience I gained from this experience was unrivalled.
My Hobbies
My hobbies include playing the drums, gaming and exploring new places! I love to play the drums at home along to some of my favourite songs, however I also love gaming with friends, it’s a load of fun in the evenings when we’re all together socialising. I also enjoy exploring new places, anywhere from cities to towns to hikes! I enjoy seeing new people and places. My favourite dish is a good, homemade sweet potato curry.
Who are Sports for Champions?
Great news! Sports For Champions UK (CIC) will soon visit your school! Your young people have been invited to join a sponsored fitness circuit led by a Professional athlete, who will educate, enable, and empower participants with a view to inspiring them to be the champions of tomorrow.
While we're not all athletically inclined, we strongly encourage participation, all young people have talent and require inspiration to pursue their dreams - whatever they may be!
After 12 years of success we have perfected our inspirational events and they are guaranteed to deliver for your school and pupils!
Sports For Champions events are held in support of schools, which keep 60% of the funds raised to spend on resources that will enrich young peoples education/experience. Professional athletes in need of support are the only other beneficiaries from the remaining 40%. Sports For Champions is an audited organisation that is voluntarily registered with the Fundraising Regulator. Meaning you can support the initiative with assurance.
What will happen on the day?
During the assembly, Sports For Champions athletes show medals and tell their story, hard work, lessons, and insights shared to capture the imagination of all and inspire healthier active lifestyles. Athletes discuss challenges on the road to success, with resilience, nutrition, diet, and dedication forming key topics. Fitness is essential for every young person’s general wellbeing in physical and mental health. It is also proven to be a strong booster of learning potential or brain power. By inspiring children as champions of tomorrow, Sports For Champions envision young people developing in all walks of life as healthy, [pro] active community-minded participants in society.
Alongside Team Sports For Champions, athletes engage in invaluable work within local communities to support their training-related costs (e.g. physio/travel). Most world-class athletes train a rigorous 35hr week and struggle to find reliable work that fits their schedule. This is how the funds we raise enable athletes and your school/club to realise their potential. Many pro athletes are unsponsored, lose support, or cannot find it.
Sports For Champions offers schools the benefit of an additional funds to go towards resources/facilities, whilst helping athletes with the funds required to sustain their journey with a contribution towards training and competition fees, medical costs, equipment, and more.
St Margaret Mary's RC Primary School will be receiving an inspirational visit from renowned Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Silver Medalist James Ball on the 18th of June 2024 and we need your support!
The pupils will benefit from physical activity through our fitness circuit, an inspirational talk including medal display and a Q&A session.
Where does the money go?
When parents and guardians offer their support to a Sports for Champions UK (CIC) fundraising event, they are nurturing not only their children's immediate environments but also the bright futures of many rising athletes. Here is a breakdown of how your contributions make a significant difference:
For each fundraising event Sports For Champions looks to raise enough money to cover the costs that it takes to provide such an excellent service nationally. Once that goal is reached, surplus funds are allocated in a way that benefits both the school and our passionate athletes – 60% for the school’s continued growth and 40% contributing to the athlete fund.
At the core of the Sports For Champions UK (CIC) initiative is the Athlete Fund. Primarily, the fund aids schools in less economically privileged areas that might struggle with costs, ensuring that the administrative fee isn’t a barrier to vital opportunities. Additionally, it assists our dedicated athletes in moments of pressing need, whether it’s recovering from injuries, procuring advanced equipment, or embarking on warm-weather training camps. Our fundamental belief remains unwavering: no school should be compromised for its economic stance, and every promising athlete deserves a fair shot at excellence. Our commitment ensures no child or school is left behind due to circumstances beyond their control.
Challenges Athletes Face: Our partnering pro athletes and Team GB Olympians have a world of responsibilities on their shoulders. They juggle between a rigorous training schedule that demands over 35 hours a week and their personal commitments. This often leaves them with limited time and resources to focus on their careers, leading to financial constraints. Expenses for equipment, training, coaching, travel, and more pile up, making it a challenge for these athletes to perform at their best and represent Great Britain.
Why is this important?
St Margaret Mary's RC Primary School is promoting health and wellbeing throughout the school and with the help of a visit from James Ball, this will be enhanced across all year groups and staff, they are also focussing on encouraging diversity and raising the aspirations of the pupils through sport.
St Margaret Mary's RC Primary School will benefit from the money raised as they will be able to provide new equipment, fund opportunities for the children, and more.
How can you help?
We're asking all parents to help make it a memorable event for the pupils with the help of Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Silver Medalist James Ball and to raise funds for key resources for St Margaret Mary's RC Primary School.
If you are a local business or a friend of the school and would like to contribute to help us get to our target then please do make a donation and share our project as far as you can.