The Lidl Northern Ireland Sport for Good Schools Programme is a mental health athlete mentorship programme with a dedicated focus on boosting young people’s social skills, self-esteem and body confidence through sports participation. The programme aims to address the needs of some 45% of young people here who said their mental health had deteriorated since the pandemic began.

More than 5,200 secondary school pupils from across 25 schools located in every county participated in the 2021/22 programme with feedback survey results revealing that 83% of participants felt Lidl Northern Ireland’s programme boosted their overall confidence.

Additional programme benefits included improved resilience and enjoyment of exercise as well as increased confidence to participate in future sport. All teachers participating in the programme also confirmed their commitment to making improvements to their school’s mental health curriculum as a result of the programme.

The Sport for Good Schools Programme is championed by six-time Paralympic gold medallist swimmer Bethany Firth OBE, 2022 Commonwealth Games and European Championship 1,500 metre silver medalist, Ciara Mageean, and Olympic gymnast, Rhys McClenaghan.

The programme sees a series of mental health workshops delivered by a squad of specially trained NI sports stars, including Michael McKillop MBE and Shirley McCay MBE, who are appointed as the programme’s athlete mentors by the Youth Sport Trust. The 2022/23 programme was officially launched today at a special event in Belfast.

Speaking at the launch of the 2022-23 programme, Lidl Northern Ireland Sport for Good ambassador, Ciara Mageean said: “As a middle-distance runner competing at the highest level of international sport, I know how important it is to have a strong mindset and belief in myself to achieve my goals. It’s something I focus and work on every day.

“I’m proud to be an ambassador for Lidl Northern Ireland’s Sport for Good Schools Programme which is dedicated to supporting young people and improving mental health outcomes, particularly after the challenging times of the last few years.

“I’m delighted to see the results of last year’s programme and to know that it really is having an impact on our young people and improving their mental health. Knowing that 80% of the students who were involved in the workshops have seen an improvement in their confidence demonstrates the true power of sport, and I’m proud to have been able to play my part in that.

“I’m excited to launch the 2022-23 programme and to share with even more students across Northern Ireland the tools that sport participation can provide in improving overall wellbeing, building resilience, and managing mental health challenges, and to hopefully find the next generation of sporting stars.”

The 2022/23 Lidl Northern Ireland Sport for Good Schools Programme consists of a series of workshops designed to help young people explore the positive effect sport can have on their mental health now and into the future.

Jenny Rouse, Commercial and Fundraising Director at Youth Sport Trust said: “We’re really thrilled to continue our partnership with Lidl Northern Ireland and launch our Mental Health Athlete Mentorship programme for a second year. The results of our programme survey have been fantastic and it’s so inspiring to see how this has had a positive impact on the lives of so many young people in Northern Ireland.

“Designing and delivering initiatives like these, through our new Inspiring Changemakers, Building Belonging strategy, we are committed to supporting those most in need of the transformative power of sport and play.

“Young people are growing up in a world where digital technology is having an increasing impact on their lives and more children feel lonely and disconnected. It is vital we recognise how sport and physical activity can help them to feel a sense of belonging and manage their wellbeing.”

Since 2019, the Sport for Good programme has supported more than 120 sports clubs and schools across Northern Ireland and provided more than £320,000 in funding and equipment to encourage more children to connect with sport.

The Sport for Good Schools Programme is part of Lidl Northern Ireland’s longstanding ‘Community Works’ initiative which supports communities across Northern Ireland. First launched in 2014, the Community Works programme has engaged more than 750 community groups to date and raised more than £420,000 for charity partner NSPCC Northern Ireland.

Joe Mooney, Senior Partnerships Manager for Lidl Ireland and Northern Ireland said: “As part of our established Community Works initiative, the Sport for Good Schools Programme is designed to tackle the mental health challenges faced by our young people head on and we’re delighted to see the positive feedback in the programme evaluation which shows just how transformative the programme has been in its first year.

“It is an honour to welcome back our programme ambassadors, Ciara, Bethany and Rhys who are wonderful role models for young people in Northern Ireland both through their sporting success and by sharing their own personal experiences of mental health issues and how they have used sport as an outlet to manage these challenges.

“We’re committed to building on the work we have done so far to ensure more school students are motivated to harness the physical and mental health benefits of sport, and look forward to working with our ambassadors and with the Youth Sport Trust as we actively reach into local communities to support young people across the region in a practical and meaningful way.”

Lidl Northern Ireland shoppers can nominate their local secondary school to win a place on the Sport for Good programme, as well as £1,000 worth of brand-new sports equipment, by visiting their local Lidl store and making a purchase to receive a qualifying Lidl receipt containing a 10-digit code.

Receipt codes must be submitted online along with the secondary school nomination for a chance to win. Entries can be made via the dedicated Sport for Good online entry form at lidl-ni.co.uk/lidl-community-works. The competition is open until Sunday, October 16^th.

For more information, please visit www.lidl-ni.co.uk/lidl-community-works.

Caption: Joe Mooney Senior Partnerships Manager for Lidl Ireland and Northern Ireland, Ciara Mageean, Rhys McClenaghan and Bethany Firth OBE.

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The partnership will see the Irish FA and safefood expand the delivery of its football based ‘On the Ball – Healthy Know How for Active Kids’ programmes and events.

It will aim to teach the importance of healthy eating habits and being active from an early age to 3,300 children and 700 parents and carers across Northern Ireland.

As well as continuing as the Irish FA’s official safe and healthy eating partner, the extended partnership will welcome safefood as an official patron of the Education and Heritage Centre at the National Football Stadium at Windsor Park. This will include free nutrition workshops for visiting schools, focusing on the benefits of healthy eating habits as part of an active lifestyle.

Speaking about the partnership, Fiona Gilligan, Director of Communications at safefood, said: “safefood is proud to continue our innovative collaboration with the Irish FA as we look to expand our ‘On the Ball – Healthy Know How for Active Kids’ programme to over 3,000 children this year.

“We will continue to use football in creative and fun ways to educate children on the importance of eating healthily and how it can help them to be more active. By nurturing children to develop these positive habits during the early stages of life we can give them building blocks towards a longer and healthier life.

“We will also be working closely with the Irish FA to integrate important messages about safe and healthy food into the National Football Stadium’s Education and Heritage Centre, which inspires future generations of young footballers.”

The ‘On the Ball – Healthy Know How for Active Kids’ programmes and events will include the rollout of a series of six-week after-school programmes across 48 primary schools, with 12 primary schools also participating in interactive community-focused festivals.

safefood and the Irish FA will use a mixture of animated presentations, player videos, interactive games and quizzes to encourage children to make healthier choices such as eating more fruit, vegetables and healthy snacks, and swapping sugary drinks for water or milk.

Workshops will also promote the importance of a good night’s sleep for their development, encourage them to be more active every day and provide tips on reducing the amount of time they spend on their screens.

Stephen Garrett, Commercial Manager at the Irish Football Association, said: “The Irish FA are delighted to extend their strategic partnership with safefood which will seek to educate children and families throughout Northern Ireland on the importance of healthy eating.  We’re particularly excited to embed this educational activity throughout the Irish FA Tours programme, via the Irish FA Education and Heritage Centre, by delivering free workshops to visiting schools throughout the year. For more information contact tours@irishfa.com or visit irishfa.com/tours.”

safefood is an all-island body with a remit of promoting the importance of good food hygiene in the family home and helping people make more informed choices about the food they eat.

For more information on safefood visit www.safefood.net/news

Caption: Pictured at the launch are (l-r) Alfie Liggett and Ella Nazik from Forge Integrated Primary School alongside NI Women’s International player Vicky Carlton.

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To enter the competition which launches on Friday (13th May), customers must scan the QR code at the Moo’d ice cream kiosk at their local SuperValu or Centra store and nominate the primary school they want to win. The school with the most nominations by the end of the competition will win.

Made by family-run business Ice Cream Treats, Moo’d is now available in 30 SuperValu and Centra stores in Northern Ireland.

Moo’d prioritises natural ingredients and simplicity, steering clear of vegetable and palm oils and using natural flavours as much as possible. It is made using dairy cream from over 3,100 farmers across the island of Ireland with a range that includes something for everyone.

Julie Cherry, SuperValu and Centra Trading Director said: “We believe that the pupils deserve a treat to celebrate the end of a successful and tiring school year, so we’re excited to launch our Moo’d ice cream competition to give them just that.

“Moo’d ice cream is our exclusive ice cream brand handcrafted by a group of local experts. They offer such a wide selection of products and the most amazing flavours such as Madagascan Vanilla, Cookies and Cream and Salted Caramel. The winning schools will receive tubs of ice cream for the entire school – students, teachers and all staff. We hope the competition will lift everyone’s mood and help to kickstart the summer the right way!”

The Moo’d ice cream competition opens on Friday, 13^th May and closes on 12^th June. To enter, simply visit one of the local stores with a Moo’d Kiosk, scan the QR code at the kiosk and nominate your local primary school. Nominations made in SuperValu and Centra stores will be counted separately, so there will be one winning school for SuperValu and another for Centra. Go on, give it a whirl!

Caption: Enjoying Moo’d ice cream at SuperValu Bells’ in Crossgar are (from left) 11-year-old Olivia from St Joseph’s Primary School, nine-year-old Zack from Cedar Integrated Primary School and 11-year-old Hannah from Glasswater Primary School, all in Crossgar. They are joined by SuperValu and Centra Trading Director Julie Cherry to launch the Moo’d ice cream competition.

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