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Phoebe Law Helps To Bust Myths, Smash Taboos & Support Young Female Athletes At Gresham's School

Gresham’s School, together with the Female Athlete Pod and the Mintridge Foundation (led by two Old Greshamian students themselves, Lucy Lomax and Alex Wallace) helped normalise the conversation about periods and the menstrual cycle alongside exercise through an online interactive webinar on 31st January for the staff, students and parents.

“The Menstrual Cycle is a normal, natural process to be proud of. IT IS YOUR SUPERPOWER! ”

— Phoebe Law

Phoebe Law has competed for both the Junior and Senior GB teams in Cross Country and alongside her role with Orreco, world leaders in bio – analytics made her the perfect person to speak around this subject. Through simple ideas, hints and tips, she would help optimise remaining active and support performance of the Gresham’s students.

Phoebe delivered a whistle stop tour of a healthy menstrual cycle and puberty, stressing that we are all unique before looking in more detail around advice for exercise and nutrition and the menstrual cycle. Myth busting, lifestyle factors and tracking were all manageable ways that Phoebe encouraged before opening the floor to questions.

With a topic that can be seen as “taboo”, a webinar is a great way to introduce the topic and allows everyone to engage in the way that they would like before moving the discussion forward. Each student will receive a follow up document with the information and further resources, kit ideas and app downloads!

FitrWoman, Iceni Period Wear and the Limitless Bra are just some of the examples given to help navigate this journey together, and of course listening to the Female Athlete Pod.

Thank you very much to the Gresham’s staff for welcoming the Foundation back, we have loved our netball and hockey programmes as well, as we look to build upon the positive impact that sporting role models have.

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 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.

If you would like to understand more about our mentoring programmes with sporting role models and how they can support the young people at your school or club, please contact Katie Smith.