Local schools benefit from Lidl Sport project

Lidl Northern Ireland has selected 25 secondary schools across Northern Ireland to each benefit from a dedicated Mental Health Athlete Mentorship programme and receive £1,000 worth of brand-new sports equipment as part of the retailer’s established ‘Sport for Good’ initiative.
By Una Culkin
Published 8th Feb 2022, 07:57 BST
Updated 8th Feb 2022, 09:44 BST
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With 45 per cent of young people in Northern Ireland saying their mental health has worsened since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Lidl Northern Ireland Sport for Good Schools Programme is focused on teaching students about the long-term physical and mental health benefits of sports participation.

Dominican College, Portstewart and North Coast Integrated College, Coleraine, have been chosen among the 25 schools.

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Delivered in partnership with Youth Sport Trust, the UK’s leading sports charity supporting young people’s education and development through sport, the Sport for Good Schools Programme is set to reach thousands of secondary school pupils right across the region over the coming years.

Pictured celebrating the announcement is Sport for Good Ambassador and Paralympic champion Bethany Firth OBE, Sport for Good Ambassador and Olympic gymnast Rhys McClenaghan and Gordon Cruikshanks, Head of Sales Operations for Lidl Northern Ireland.Pictured celebrating the announcement is Sport for Good Ambassador and Paralympic champion Bethany Firth OBE, Sport for Good Ambassador and Olympic gymnast Rhys McClenaghan and Gordon Cruikshanks, Head of Sales Operations for Lidl Northern Ireland.
Pictured celebrating the announcement is Sport for Good Ambassador and Paralympic champion Bethany Firth OBE, Sport for Good Ambassador and Olympic gymnast Rhys McClenaghan and Gordon Cruikshanks, Head of Sales Operations for Lidl Northern Ireland.

Specially trained athlete mentors will run workshops and take sessions with the students that will help increase their confidence and resilience while also providing them with tools to help manage their own mental health into adulthood.

A stellar line up of eight leading local athletes will deliver the schools programme, including four-time Paralympic athletics champion Michael McKillop and Olympian steeplechase gold medallist Kerry O’Flaherty, Olympian hockey heroes Shirley McCay and Eugene Magee, Northern Ireland netball international and an Armagh ladies’ Gaelic footballer Caroline O’Hanlon, female rugby union champion and Olympian Ashleigh Baxter, Ulster Rugby midfielder and Jiu Jitsu champion Stacey Sloan and Commonwealth Shooting Champion Kirsty Hegarty.

Representing a strong cross section of sport and boasting an impressive array of achievements, each athlete is at the top of their game and will bring a wealth of experience to the classroom.

Established in 2019, Lidl Northern Ireland’s Sport for Good programme has supported more than 80 sports clubs and schools in NI.

Related topics:Northern IrelandLidl