Queen Eleanor’s C of E Junior School Bonze Presentation Programme with Lizzie Simmonds OLY

“Making someone feel bad, doesn’t make you shine any brighter.” 

Thanks to the support from Prior’s Field School, we were delighted to be back visiting the students at Queen Eleanor’s C of E Junior School as part of an amazing bronze programme with our Ambassador, Lizzie Simmonds OLY.

Lizzie competed at the London 2012 Olympic Games and has numerous titles to her name on the international stage. Lizzie spent her whole life in the pool, and now as a retired athlete, she spends her time developing and supporting the sport and the values of the BOA as part of her role as chair of the Athletes’ Commission. 

We are so pleased that we could share our morning with the students at Queen Eleanor’s C of E Junior School, after visiting the Prior’s Field sports scholars, so the primary school students could listen to all of Lizzie’s key messages and experiences from her life in the pool. Lizzie wanted the students to think about how they can be and act more confident to help them succeed in their chosen ‘arena’ but also how to support one another to be the best versions of themselves, especially when times get tough.  

Lizzie told her sporting story from the beginning and explained to the students how easy it is to get involved in sport and physical activity, even at a very young age.

During the assembly, Lizzie challenged the students to jump up from their seats to show her their best superhero pose, as this is something that Lizzie did before her competitions to prepare herself for ‘battle’ in the pool.

The students then got extremely excited when Lizzie asked some volunteers from the audience to walk around with her shiny medals and give the whole school the chance to see them and feel them. We did make sure we counted them all back in but we hope that some of the Queen Eleanor’s C of E Junior School students will have medals of their own soon after hearing from Lizzie.

Towards the end of the presentation, Lizzie asked the students if they had any questions that she would be able to answer during her time with them. Here are some of the best questions that Lizzie was asked;

Where have you placed in your races?

Which stroke is your favourite one to do?

Who inspired you to keep swimming?

How many medals have you won?

Can you swim inside or outside?

What was your favourite event to go to?

How old were you when you first got a medal?

Which country was your favourite to visit?

How do you know when to tumble turn?

We have loved visiting the students at Queen Eleanor C of E Junior School during our last few visits and we know that the Ambassadors have shared some brilliant words of wisdom during each of our presentations.

Thank you to Prior’s Field School for supporting these programmes and sharing them with their local primary school. Lizzie Simmonds OLY, Heather Fell OLY and Eboni Usoro-Brown have been able to inspire the young minds of the students from Queen Eleanor C of E Junior School and support them on their own individual journeys to success.

We hope to be back with the staff and students very soon!

To see any of the photos from our morning, please contact the staff at Queen Eleanor’s C of E Junior School.

Team Mintridge

If you are interested in a virtual or physical Programme with Lizzie Simmonds OLY, Heather Fell OLY or Eboni Usoro-Brown or any of our other inspirational Ambassadors, then please get in touch via the Mintridge website or with Katie.

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.

To find out more about the Mintridge Foundation, please contact Alex Wallace.

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