The Plymouth City Patriots British basketball team host up to 39 community sessions a week, helping thousands of children every year.
PLYMOUTH, UK: Last week, members of the Plymouth City Patriots British basketball team, hosted a community day at Brook Green Centre for Learning as part of the British Basketball League’s Ambassadors programme.
Launched last summer, the Ambassador programme is part of the BBL’s ‘Inspires’ initiative, where key members of each of the league’s 10 clubs will visit schools in their local community to tell their stories about their pathway to becoming professional athletes. The campaign targets 1,000 schools and inspires 150,000 young people across the UK to get involved with sports in their local communities.
Brook Green, is a special state school for pupils aged from 11 to 16 with moderate learning difficulties, autism spectrum disorders, and associated behavioural, social and emotional difficulties. It’s just one of the many schools within the local area in which key members of the Plymouth City Patriots team host weekly training sessions, as well as discussions on the importance of healthy, active lifestyles. Brook Green and also many schools attend Pre-game clinics at the Patriots BBL home games.
Seeking to inspire and grow the next generation, community coach Ben Fox along with Plymouth City Patriots captain, Elvisi Dusha and former GB international, Jules Dang-Akodo hosted a skills and drills session for the children of Brook Green last week.
Speaking about the day, Brook Green Headteacher, Sara Jordan said: “We were delighted to welcome the team from Plymouth City Patriots. We’ve developed a really strong relationship with the team over the years. The children benefit hugely from these days, particularly when it comes to learning about teamwork and social interaction, but most importantly, they’ve developed true friendships with the players.”
Commenting on the community activities, Plymouth City Patriots Chairman Carl Heslop said: “At Plymouth City Patriots, we know just how beneficial these sessions are for youngsters within our community, which is why we host up to 39 weekly community sessions, outreaching to around 1000 students ranging from the ages of 2 years old to university level. The children of Brook Green are role models to the players, just as much as the players are to them. Over time, they’ve developed deep and meaningful friendships with the team, and no longer see them as basketball players, and instead see themselves as equals.
To keep up to date with the Plymouth City Patriot’s community sessions, visit: www.plymouthcitypatriots.com.
