Great to hear about about Jason Thompson's new sculpture. He also has some fabulous sculptures in Woolley Woods and at the bottom of Newman Road in Wincobank.
And as for Steve Hakes's comment about Parkrun participants, for me sums up one of the problems: “The back runners and walkers really do deserve being cheered on". All participants deserve to be cheered on. Simply turning up for alot of people is a major achievement. The whole point of Parkrun is that it isn't supposed to be competitive. I say this as someone who helped set up a women's running group. Most of us don't want to be surrounded by men who are just about exhaling their lungs as they cross the finish line.
And great that SYMCA is consulting groups that don't normally get consulted for their active travel programme. But alot of this work about inclusive participation was done 35 years ago when Celia Brackenridge was head hunted (by what was then Sheffield Polytechnic) to lead the new degree course in Recreation Management. The problems have never really changed in that the biggest obstacle to anyone's participation in sport and leisure is that it is predominantly from the viewpoint of white, middle class, competitive men.
All very good points Bridget, and I'm sure Steve would agree about turning up being an achievement in itself. I've spoken to runners with smiles on their faces as they run in behind almost everyone else and say "There might be hundreds of people ahead of me here, but there are thousands more still at home wondering what to do today." And yes, in my view transport policy is largely about not always thinking you have to reinvent the wheel.
I love the funky dog! Isn’t it curious the way people are leaving mementos - maybe it’s akin to throwing coins into fountains and wells. I guess it gives us a tangible link with whatever the place means to us.
Great to hear about about Jason Thompson's new sculpture. He also has some fabulous sculptures in Woolley Woods and at the bottom of Newman Road in Wincobank.
And as for Steve Hakes's comment about Parkrun participants, for me sums up one of the problems: “The back runners and walkers really do deserve being cheered on". All participants deserve to be cheered on. Simply turning up for alot of people is a major achievement. The whole point of Parkrun is that it isn't supposed to be competitive. I say this as someone who helped set up a women's running group. Most of us don't want to be surrounded by men who are just about exhaling their lungs as they cross the finish line.
And great that SYMCA is consulting groups that don't normally get consulted for their active travel programme. But alot of this work about inclusive participation was done 35 years ago when Celia Brackenridge was head hunted (by what was then Sheffield Polytechnic) to lead the new degree course in Recreation Management. The problems have never really changed in that the biggest obstacle to anyone's participation in sport and leisure is that it is predominantly from the viewpoint of white, middle class, competitive men.
All very good points Bridget, and I'm sure Steve would agree about turning up being an achievement in itself. I've spoken to runners with smiles on their faces as they run in behind almost everyone else and say "There might be hundreds of people ahead of me here, but there are thousands more still at home wondering what to do today." And yes, in my view transport policy is largely about not always thinking you have to reinvent the wheel.
I love the funky dog! Isn’t it curious the way people are leaving mementos - maybe it’s akin to throwing coins into fountains and wells. I guess it gives us a tangible link with whatever the place means to us.
I think it does Susan. And kids often come up with their own meanings without any help from us.