Stronger Communities Through Sport

Tai Ji Circle Charity 2019.
Tai Ji Circle, is a north London charity led by Master Liu Quanjun, an expert 20th generation Chen Taijiquan practitioner. We are dedicated to sharing Chen Taijiquan and qi gong, traditional exercise systems that embody Chinese cultural ideas for well-being. We hold classes and workshops in Camden and Archway, teaching tai chi from foundation to advanced levels, with free monthly tai chi in Camden Square gardens. Come and join us for some expert practice with Master Liu.

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Fit Mammas BoxFit is part of Queens Project UK which aims to improve the fitness, confidence, self-esteem and mental wellbeing of women and young girls through:

- Physical activities such as bBoxFit, Kick Boxing and Self-defence (babies and children welcome)
- Personal development e.g. our monthly principles
- Events aimed at women's health & empowerment
- A Mumpreneur network to promote their businesses and training to upskill mums, women and girls to become coaches or support career/school aspirations.

There are a multitude of issues impacting the mental wellbeing of women and girls such as; the high levels of violence whether physical, sexual or psychological. Women are more likely to also experience persistent poverty and unsurprisingly suffer from common mental health disorders.

Queens Project UK offers women a space to connect, get fit, improve their confidence, release stress, connect and boost their mental health. Together We Can Raise Queens #whatsyourfight Sundays Sobell Centre, London, N7 11.00-12.30

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S-Factor Academy is a dynamic, inclusive athletics club catering to the Kent and South East London regions. We offer our members elite coaching by top coaches, including some former international GB and Olympic winning athletes in a fun and educational environment. Founded in 2010 by top Commonwealth and Junior Champion, and former Team GB athlete, Lisa Miller, S-Factor Academy’s ethos is to use sport as a tool to engage young people and channel their energy into building and enhancing their life skills.

But we are more than just an ‘athletics club’, we believe that the skills gained in sport such as discipline, focus, commitment and respect are wide ranging and are transferable in managing and living a better quality of life. We have fostered excellent working relationships with schools, sports clubs, local authorities and national governing bodies. In partnership with these bodies, we also offer wider opportunities for our members such as career advice, workshops and work experience. The club's Disability team works with disadvantaged and disabled (physical/learning or sensory) young people to help them achieve their full potential in sports; improve well-being and overall quality of life.

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Katherine Low Settlement (KLS) is a charity that has been serving Battersea and the wider Wandsworth community since 1924. We are dedicated to building stronger communities and enabling people to challenge and find ways out of poverty and isolation. To meet this aim we run a range of our own community projects to support children, young people, families, older people and refugee communities.

At KLS we have a 95-year track record of providing services for older people with the aim of reducing isolation and loneliness whilst improving wellbeing and building stronger relationships within our community. We run 11 weekly activities, 2 fortnightly social clubs, 4 additional partnership delivered activities and 10 annual trips with an average of 12 members attending per trip.

Our activities include chair exercise class, sewing group, walking groups, gentle yoga, lunch clubs, drama club and more.

Find out more at www.klsettlement.org.uk

Restorative Justice for All (RJ4All) is a non-profit Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) with a mission to advance human rights and community cohesion at the local, national and international levels. We redistribute power in a more equal way by delivering social justice projects, educational programmes and high-quality volunteering opportunities to the most marginalised groups of society. We focus on building better and more effective social justice systems by working locally, nationally and internationally through the redistribution of power.

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Remnants HC is still the only openly gay women's hockey club in London - maybe in the UK! Remnants HC is a friendly club which welcomes gay, bi and straight women alike. We welcome all hockey abilities from, "I've never even held a stick," to, "I used to play at school," and even "I'm world class and looking for a fun new club." We don't discriminate! Many of our club members are also here for our social scene, meeting new friends whilst getting fitter.

Our members mostly come from south-east London and Kent so we can usually organise transport for those who need it. So get in touch and we look forward to welcoming you to our club. The season runs from September to April. In the summer months we often play Rush Hockey and this year, we also took part in the first London Pride cup organised by London Royals HC in June 2018. Many of our members also take part in other sport events, like Pride 10K, Park run, London Marathon etc.

Off the hockey pitch, we also have a number of social events like escape room nights, swingers golf club, cocktail nights, London pride, country walks... In the summer, we also run Rush Hockey sessions every two weeks. Keep an eye on the calendar for events during the new season. We play our games in the Kent league on Saturdays from September to March.

JoyRiders London empowers women by introducing them to the joys of cycling, and supporting them to overcome social, cultural and economic barriers to cycling. We offer weekly women’s rides, including entry-level rides, with bikes provided by the local council. We bring together women from diverse backgrounds through cycling to help them build new social connections across different communities.

Our rides also enable women to take time out for themselves, from servicing the needs of their families. We cycle to green open spaces such as the Walthamstow Wetlands, the Olympic Park and the beautiful Lea Valley. We also offer a progression pathway for our participants to train as Ride Leaders, and some have also gone on to train as Cycling Instructors.

All from BAME/Muslim backgrounds, they are fantastic ambassadors and role models, recruiting other women from within local communities to have cycle training, join our led rides, or both. JoyRiders London also delivers monthly family rides where dads and kids can join in the fun and cycle in the safety of a group with trained Ride Leaders and marshals.

In the last 12 months, JoyRiders delivered 44 led rides, with 417 participants and a total of 223 unique participants.

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Formerly known as Belmont School of Ballet and based in Erith, Balletgirlz Bexley opened it's doors in 2017 at it's new studio in Townley School, Bexleyheath. Twenty five senior students had transferred over to the new venue and now study the system of classical ballet called "Vaganova". The system was created in the 1930s in Russia by Professor Agrippina Vaganona.

Although widely used in other countries , there are only a small amount of dance establishments in the UK teaching this method. The system has produced some of the world's most outstanding virtuoso dancers, such as Rudolf Nureyev.

Students aged 10 years upwards study the first 3 years of the Vaganova system. They are able to enter examinations under the Association of Russian Ballet & Theatre Arts. Apart from syllabus work, the dancers have performed in dance productions and numerous charitable events locally, helping to raise hundreds of pounds for good causes.

Not only do our classes promote high levels of fitness , it also teaches fantastic artistry and our school was awarded 1st Place in the classical ballet category from one of the UK's leading Dance Challenges in 2018. Thank you for your interest in Balletgirlz Bexley.

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We are the London Cruisers, a lesbian, bi and non binary basketball club with a 20-year history based in east London. Our objective is to create and activate a community around basketball. We currently have 25 active members from 20 different countries representing the diversity of London.

We take part in both domestic and international tournaments every year. In 2019, we have played tournaments in Dusseldorf, Paris and London with the fourth and final tournament scheduled in Barcelona in September. We were enrolled in 3 London leagues in 2019: We Love basketball, the Tower Hamlets Trojans women's basketball league and the Metropolitan league.

We train twice a week with our coach, with one training focusing on preparing for the games with the 15 players enrolled in the Metropolitan league.

Although our passion for basketball brings us together, we also organise social events that keep us connected beyond the sport, such as taking part altogether in the London Pride parade.

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Carl Campbell Dance Company 7 is a contemporary Caribbean Dance Theatre Company with a deep commitment to the educational development and appreciation of African Caribbean dance and culture as a performing art relevant to the 21 century. The Company's Recycled Teenagers Music and Dance Theatre programme was formed to give the Over 55s the opportunity to experience dance from a creative perspective, improve health, wellbeing, social interaction and the shear enjoyment of working together.

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