About Me

Hello! I’m Emma

ELC Sport & Support; Personal Assistant, Sports Coach & Consultant

My sporting life began at 13 years old when I first played basketball and became a volunteer sports leader. For the first time I began to realise how enjoyable sport could be and how others could experience the same level of fun and satisfaction with the right setting & support. Although I played sport regularly at that time, it was the leadership and coaching that interested me the most. I volunteered at school holiday programmes, residential camps and completed various certifications including Higher Sports Leaders Award. It was the volunteering section of this award that provided me with the opportunity to run sessions for the local day centre for adults with learning disabilities.

I studied BSc Exercise and Sports Sciences at the University of Exeter and gained additional experiences in supporting young people who had their own personal challenges to accessing sport.

After university I returned to the day centre to work as a Day Service Worker and Sports Coach. Here I appreciated the value of creating relationships built on trust and positive communication. I still see and work alongside many of these individuals and families, 25 years later.

In 2005 I became the first Disability Sport Development Officer for Derbyshire working with English Federation of Disability Sport, Active Derbyshire, National Governing Bodies of Sport and groups and clubs across the county. I worked alongside an enthusiastic team  where I recognised the principle of ‘Changing Hearts & Minds’ – influencing change of attitudes to widen access into sport – and it not being the role of one person.

This led onto a more local role of Community Sport Development Officer for Glossop – developing community sport facilities and supporting local clubs through the Glossopdale Sport & Recreation Forum.  Much of this work took place throughout the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic legacy era with a key focus on increasing opportunities and participation rates for many different audiences – programmes that focused on building networks, funding & facility advice, marketing, coach education support and mentoring.

I have facilitated Olympic legacy programmes as an external consultant/tutor in partnership with county sports partnerships and national governing bodies of sport: eg. Sport Makers; promoting volunteering within organisations & Club Makers; 1:1 club support on themes such as inclusion and training.

In 2010, I founded High Peak Trampolining & Rebound Therapy Club. Rebound Therapy is the use of a trampoline to provide therapeutic exercise for people with disabilities and additional needs. Both activities are independently governed but work well together to offer an inclusive activity environment where disabled and non disabled children and adults can enjoy being active members in same club. The club introduced and successfully developed a young leadership academy programme that had up to 20 leaders per year volunteering on a weekly basis supporting the range of programmes the club offered including the core sessions of trampolining & rebound therapy aswell as inclusive gymnastics and sensory activities. All leaders were supported with an individual mentoring and training programme that provided them with valuable skills they could take into future education and employment settings. The leadership academy enhanced the club personnel and aided the lead coaches support young people access inclusive sport. Training included communication methods, adapting coaching methods, basic health and safety, club specific protocols, roles and responsibilities of club personnel etc.
Due to the growing membership numbers the club moved into their own dedicated facility alongside other inclusive sports clubs in 2016 where the venue (BACE: Bounce and Cheer Education) became an inclusive hub for individuals and families to meet and participate in social and physical activity sessions.

My Personal Assistant programme began in 2002 where I supported a young man with Downs Syndrome access social and physical activities such as walking, swimming, youth clubs etc. I have continued to support many children, young people and adults as a PA with a key focus on providing activities promoting positive mental and physical wellbeing aswell as developing practical and social independence skills. Please view our PA section for more information.

In more recent years I have supported young people and their friends access short breaks and holidays working alongside our like-minded partner organisations offering PA & inclusive sports services ensuring we can offer as varied an experience as possible.

I have now been coaching for 30 years across many disciplines and sports including archery, basketball, boccia, gymnastics, orienteering, rebound therapy, trampolining and a huge range of multisport, holiday camp and inclusive activities.

My ethos has remained the same from that moment at 13 years old to the present day:
‘Providing or supporting the access to Sport and Physical Activity for everyone’.
Join me in this vision to ‘Change Hearts and Minds’.

Please use our Contact Us page to get in touch with any enquiry you think we can help with or work together on.