04/11/2020
A host of sporting legends including Paralympic swimmer Bethany Firth MBE, Commonwealth pommel horse champion Rhys McClenaghan, national record-holding runner Ciara Mageean and women’s field hockey international Katie Mullan, have joined forces to launch this year’s Sport for Good campaign, in partnership with Lidl Northern Ireland.
Launched in 2019, the Sport for Good programme is designed to encourage and support young people to make the most of the physical and mental benefits of sport participation.
With 1 in 4 young people in Northern Ireland struggling with their mental health*, participation in sports provides young people with a boost to social skills, self-esteem and body confidence as well as a life-long support system of friends and mentors.
School may be different this year, but sport doesn’t have to be, which is why this year’s Sport for Good programme aims to put participation in sport top of the class with secondary school pupils.
Representing an investment of £120,000 by Lidl Northern Ireland, this year forty secondary schools across Northern Ireland will be selected to receive £3,000 worth of vouchers to secure essential sporting equipment for their school, helping power the next generation of sporting heroes and encouraging more young people into sport.
The Sport for Good initiative forms part of Lidl Northern Ireland’s longstanding ‘Community Works’ programme which first launched in 2014. Committed to providing local support, Lidl Community Works has engaged with over 750 community groups to date and raised more than £420,000 for local charities and community groups, including charity partner NSPCC Northern Ireland.
The Sport for Good 2020 programme is the latest initiative by Lidl Northern Ireland to support communities across Northern Ireland. In October, the retailer announced a second extension to its charity partnership with NSPCC Northern Ireland to 2022 and committed to an increased funding target of £600,000 in this time. Initially established in 2017, the partnership has delivered more than £400,000 worth of funding to date in support of the vital services that NSPCC Northern Ireland delivers across the region.