Mintridge and Bowbridge Homes Presentation Programme with Evie Toombes

Team Mintridge were incredibly excited this week to join Para Showjumper Evie Toombes, as she spoke about her inspiring sporting journey with the Year 7 and Year 8 students from Robert Smyth Academy. Thank you to our amazing partners at Bowbridge Homes for supporting this programme, so that Mintridge could virtually visit Robert Smyth Academy and support their students during this time.

Evie started off her presentation explaining all about her disability and how this affected her day-to-day life and inspired the students by showing them that even though she is disabled, anything is possible if you stay motivated and determined. Evie also highlighted how she didn’t let her disability stop her doing the things that she really loved, which is why she took up para-showjumping and worked her way to the elite level within her sport, not knowing that she would get as far as representing Team GB.

From this, Evie taught the students that you just have to say yes to every opportunity, as you never know how far you could go with it or what it might lead to. As an incredibly driven individual, Evie demonstrated to the students how much they could achieve, if they were working on something they enjoyed and were motivated to do it.

Throughout her presentation, Evie spoke about setbacks and how to be resilient when dealing with a setback in your life. Evie related this to her own life, as she has found herself in and out of hospital multiple times, yet always found a way to smile and stay positive. Evie firmly believes that “the hard way can be the best way”, as you learn so much about yourself. When faced with challenges, Evie explained how she lives by the following motto:

“Find a way, not an excuse!”

Having this drive and determination has enabled Evie to keep her head up high and to stay positive when dealing with setbacks, uncertainty and anxiety, which was such a great message for the students to hear. The students at Robert Smyth could definitely relate this to their own life as the thought of giving up could be the easy way out of many situations they will face, but instead they have to keep pushing forward to be the best they can be.

Both the students from Year 7 and Year 8 asked some great questions at the end of the presentation. Here are some of the best ones:

“How do you get onto the horse to compete?”

“What advice would you give a student who doesn’t have many opportunities near them but loves horse riding?”

“How long have you had horses?”

“What were your goals and when did you set them?”

“How did you overcome bullying?”

“How did you get into horse riding?”

“What inspired you to become a show jumper?”

“How has your training changed during the pandemic?”

The students were engaged throughout this presentation and we were delighted that we were able to virtually support and inspire students during this time. We hope that we are able to visit the students at Robert Smyth Academy in person very soon but in the meantime, Evie has left a big impact on the students after sharing her story with them.

Thank you again to the staff and students at Robert Smyth Academy for inviting the Mintridge Foundation to deliver this programme, we hope you enjoyed listening to Evie’s inspirational story.

Also a big thank you to our partners, Bowbridge Homes, for helping to organise this programme and supporting the Foundation. Bowbridge Homes are a brilliant partner and supporter of the work we do at the Foundation and enable us to continue our work up and down the country, by supporting our programmes.

To find out more about the Mintridge Foundation, or any of the other programmes we have delivered across the country, please contact Katie at katie@mintridge.org.uk

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The Mintridge Foundation is a registered charity dedicated to enhancing life skills in young people through sport. We provide a support network for young people by harnessing the power of positive sporting role models. The Mintridge Foundation assists young people of all ages, abilities, and physical capabilities to develop confidence and resilience, and creates awareness of the importance of mental and physical wellbeing through sport.

Our team of Ambassadors - Olympians, Paralympians and other professional sports stars from over 20 sports, both team and individual - work with young people in schools, clubs and academies across the UK. Starting with visits including assemblies, coaching clinics and classroom sessions tailored to each organisation’s requirements, our ambassadors can then provide one- on- one remote mentoring in a safeguarded environment, delivered via technology such as FitSwarm and Playwaze to build a lasting legacy for individuals.

The Mintridge Foundation’s successes demonstrate the incredible power of sport; from a mentee’s selection to represent Great Britain in their chosen field to enabling disabled children to find confidence and happiness just through participation. Understanding life after sport, we also support our Ambassadors in their transition from active sport to the next stage of their careers.

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