LEOPARDS have received a boost with the news of a major grant from Awards For All/Big Lottery Fund to aid their community work.

The £8,000 award will allow the Big Cats to expand their Hoops 4 Health scheme which will allow them to provide healthy lifestyle information and basketball coaching to over 1,000 children in 40 classes.

Players Leigh Greenan, Josh Sharlow and Marlan Henry along with assistant coach Rikki Broadmore will be delivering the project to classes across the London Boroughs of Barking & Dagenham and Redbridge.

Key healthy living messages are delivered in an interactive way which promotes both learning and enjoyment whilst ensuring that the children get every opportunity to take part in fitness routines and basketball skills and drills, leaving them wanting more.

Leopards Director Gareth Roberts was delighted with the news of the award: “The grant from Awards For All will allow us to continue to build on the community work we started in September 2010. It’s great news for the Leopards and for the children we will be able to introduce to both healthy living and basketball.”

21 October 2010

LEOPARDS players have been busy in the east London community over the last few weeks as the Big Cats’ Hoops 4 Health programme has proved a great success in its opening phase.

“It has been a real pleasure to work with the London Leopards players to deliver the exciting Hoops 4 Health programme into schools in Barking, Dagenham and Redbridge” said Leopards H4H Administrator Ian Mitchell.

“To say that we have had a rapturous reception is an understatement. The Hoops 4 Health two hour roadshows have been very well received not only by the children and but the teachers as well. Feedback from the schools has been very positive with all schools rating the programme as excellent.”

Key healthy living messages are delivered in an interactive way which promotes both learning and enjoyment whilst ensuring that the children get every opportunity to take part in fitness routines and basketball skills and drills, leaving them wanting more.

Kate O’Riordan of Churchfield’s Primary School in Redbridge commented “Many thanks for another successful session yesterday, the children really enjoyed the roadshow”

Jo Peters of Marks Gate Primary School in Romford added “There was great organisation and implementation, the children and teachers thoroughly enjoyed themselves and lots of interactive learning took place. The players were food role models for the children”

Leopards’ players Leigh Greenan, Josh Sharlow and Marlan Henry along with assistant coach Rikki Broadmore have been delivering the project to 32 classes across the two London boroughs.

The next phase of the project is to deliver six hours of quality coaching to all the classes enrolled with the Leopards coaches particularly looking forward to harnessing the overwhelming enthusiasm for basketball experienced during the Road Shows.

The culmination of the project is the Hoops 4 Health tournament which will take place at the Brentwood Centre on Sunday 19th December when participating schools will compete for the Hoops 4 Health Trophy.