Here is a brief insight into some of the work that our Connecting Communities Officer Starr Zaman does.
Friday
It’s Children in Need day and I have so much planned; booked the Ronnie the Rhino the suit for the staff at Barclays in Pudsey, Pudsey Bear is coming back home and we have a massive event what with Ronnie switching the Christmas lights in Pudsey – it’s been Fab . The current Super League Champions, the Rhinos, have given us a signed ball which has gone down really well. Check out the response we got from the event in this email:
on 29/11/2011 2:23 PM.
Starr,
Just a quick e mail to let you know how our Children In Need day went!
Thanks to your help we managed to raise £350 from the ball, which matched £ for £ actually made £700!!!
Overall on the day with the matched fundraising we raised a total of £6250!!
Thank you so so very much for sorting out the loan of Ronnie and for the ball which was a main attraction in the build up and on the day!
Thank you once again for all your kindness and help, you are indeed a star!!!!!
Sunday
Rugby session with the mosque and Dewsbury Celtic, this weather is too cold for me hehe things you gotta do hey! I want to find the next Hasim el Masri out of these lot so it’s all worth it. Francis Cummins drops by and says hello. The volunteers are actually very good and extremely helpful.
Monday
I 'm based at the Hamara Centre in Beeston today, in the morning I have a session with some of the older men to get them active and all they can talk about is the WCC and the four nations final. This is followed by a visit to the Bangladeshi Centre and a circuit class with rugby balls and drills. Got a session and working with young people in Cross Flatts Park. It's getting dark and it's slippy so we decide to take it in to the centre and have some skills based work followed by a touch game. This group is keen but can't attend the conventional training sessions as have to attend the supplementary mosque session.
Tuesday
Meeting with Coach Education at the RFL to discuss new courses for next year as I'm a tutor on the RFL courses and book weekend courses for next year. Next I have to collate the figures and hand them in to Madeline or else my life isn't probably worth living! I also have tons of uni work and am doing some additional health related activities at the Hamara Centre. I finally finish off the day with a new project – I'm developing a girls group who want to take part in competitive sport so I'm pushing the touch rugby message.
Thursday
Deliver a number of sessions in Harehills with staff support from the Hamara Centre to get people physically active and involved in sport. All this contributes to our outcomes and it’s really rewarding as the users seem really appreciative of the results. Have a visit from the RFL to take about possible events in the city to coincide with the WCC in terms of getting minority groups to take part in an actual game and be a part of the British Asian Rugby Association.
Friday
It’s that time again and I have a session in the morning which I have nicely named as the Active Lifestyle and this is working with those individuals who have some kind of condition but want to take part in some sport and lose some weight. This is so rewarding and enjoyable as the practical session becomes very competitive. I've got a hero amongst these as one of the guys is 69 and lost over 5 stones in 11 months due to this intervention. Next I have a visit down to Headingly Carnegie stadium to launch the new Pakistan kit sponsored by various partners. The kit is for the Pakistan relief fund this is going to be worn by the players against a BARLA 13 in Dubai, unfortunately I don't have a ticket as there's too much work to be done here.