Physical health and sport is an important component for young people to live a healthy, active lifestyle. Healthy and active lifestyles make a vital contribution to young people’s personal development and overall wellbeing. Regular physical activity and healthy eating has been increasingly linked with a variety of positive indicators, including improved learning and academic attainment, better mental health and cardiovascular fitness, as well as healthy weight status (1). Sport has been identified by the Department for Education as one of the five foundations for building character, which strengthens resilience, determination and self-belief while promoting values such as teamwork and egalitarianism (2). Group participation in physical activity also helps children and young people to connect with their peers, leading to a greater sense of social connection, community participation and the development of broader support networks (3). In addition to physical health and sports, holistic wellness plays a crucial role in supporting the overall development and well-being of young people.
Physical health is not only about engaging in regular physical activity but also includes maintaining balance and addressing recovery. After intense exercise or daily physical stress, the body requires adequate rest and care to prevent injuries and promote healing. Effective recovery strategies, such as stretching, proper nutrition, and rest, help improve overall performance and prevent long-term damage. For young people, a focus on recovery can be particularly beneficial, as their bodies are still growing and adapting. This approach ensures that they continue to engage in physical activities without the risk of burnout or injury, supporting their active lifestyles and fostering a lifelong commitment to health.
Massage therapy is an invaluable tool in supporting physical health, particularly for young people who are involved in sports or physical activities. By targeting muscles, soft tissues, and joints, massage helps to alleviate tension, improve flexibility, and increase circulation. The renowned services from InspineTherapy offer specialized treatments that can assist in muscle recovery, reduce the risk of injury, and promote relaxation. With the right therapy, young individuals can experience a faster recovery, which allows them to stay active and continue pursuing their fitness goals. This holistic approach to wellness enhances both physical health and mental well-being, contributing to the overall development of young people.
Integrating physical activity with practices that nurture emotional and mental health can create a more balanced and healthy lifestyle. For individuals seeking to deepen their understanding of wellness beyond traditional approaches, online certification courses in holistic health provide a unique opportunity to explore a range of natural health modalities. These programs, such as those offered through https://es.scholistico.com/, allow learners to gain expertise in areas like nutrition, mindfulness, and naturopathy, equipping them to support holistic well-being in their communities. By combining the benefits of physical activity with holistic practices, young people can experience greater resilience, improved mental clarity, and a deeper sense of overall health, fostering lifelong habits that benefit both mind and body.
Approximately a quarter of UK children are overweight or obese when they start school, rising to a third of children by the time they leave Year 6 (4). The North West and West Midlands regions – where many of Ormiston’s academies are located – have among the highest rates of childhood obesity in England (5). Current guidance from the UK Chief Medical Officers recommends that individuals aged between 5-18 years should engage in physical activity for an average of at least 60 minutes per day. However, only 47 percent of children and young people met the current guidelines during the 2018/19 academic year (6). Black and minority ethnic (BAME) communities, girls, those with disabilities and children from lower socio-economic backgrounds are even less active on average (7). With children and young people spending, on average, a quarter of their waking lives in school, OT academies can play a crucial role in fostering positive habits regarding physical activity as well as healthy diets (8).
Grant programmes examples: Cooking competitions, healthy eating advice, fitness programmes, sports competitions, sports kit and sports leadership programmes
Note: We have on rare occasions contributed some limited funding for sports facilities where a grantee was able to use OT funding (<£50k) to leverage in at least 9-10 times more funding from another funder.
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James is the Chief Executive officer of Ormiston Trust. He has worked as an organisation advisor in the private, public and voluntary sectors, helping organisations to grow sustainably over the medium to long term. He has helped charities for over 20 years in the fields of strategic development, partnership setup, programme and project delivery.
Poppy is the Youth Engagement and Partnership Officer at Ormiston Trust, responsible for coordinating our team of Young Advisors and developing effective working relationships with external organisations. She is currently studying ‘Politics, International Studies and Global Sustainable Development’ at Warwick University and previously worked as Board Advisor for a non-profit youth-focused organisation in Croydon. She has experience in activism work – attending COP26 with environmental education company Force of Nature and had been a member of the UK Youth Parliament for many years, speaking on environmental issues in the House of Commons for its ‘Make Your Mark’ campaign.
Tom heads up Comms and Youth Engagement here at Ormiston Trust. His role focuses mainly on helping run the Youth Advisory Council, as well as heading up our social media accounts and planning events. His creative roots lie in journalism, music and theatre as well as horticulture and creative producing, having been involved in a variety of workshops and projects. Tom is passionate about the environment and politics and received his undergraduate degree from the University of Birmingham in International Relations.
Fiona is the Grants Assistant at Ormiston Trust and in her role she supports the Grants team. Previously, she worked in the City for 10 years, firstly as a dealer on the floor of the London Stock Exchange and then as an equity salestrader.
Samia is a business and ICT Teacher with over 20 years of leadership experience in Education, working with leaders from Key Stage 1 to Key Stage 5. Her experience has ranged from working as an Acting Head Teacher to a Deputy for an Education Trust. Some of the key highlights from her education career have included building schools and setting up education provisions, including a teaching school, and winning several National awards. Samia is passionate about ensuring the young people in her care have the best possible experience and has always led by example by sending her own children to the schools she has been a part of.
Ray leads the youth engagement, partnerships and fundraising work streams at Ormiston Trust, in particular having strategic oversight of how we as an organisation can embed the voices of our young people in everything we do, and how we can work with partner organisations to maximise shared outcomes and opportunities.
His background is in community project development and funding, having worked with charities, schools, and local authorities in East Anglia to develop a plethora of projects including primary-secondary school transition, award-winning youth amateur theatre, social prescribing in rural GP practices, and youth commissioning boards, for which he was recognised as a Prime Minister’s Point of Light.
Ray is a global health and medicine graduate, alongside his work at Ormiston, he is a hospital doctor and public health academic. He is also an #iWill Ambassador and national #iWill Partnership Board member.
Anne is Finance Manager at Ormiston Trust and has worked for Ormiston Trust for over 30 years, overseeing the property portfolio and asset management. She combines her work at the Trust with voluntary community work and has raised thousands of pounds to enhance leisure and education opportunities for young people in disadvantaged communities.
Karlene is Finance Manager at Ormiston Trust and has been handling the Financial Management of Ormiston Trust since 2014. Her background is in Financial Services with 20 years working in the industry and she has a passion for systems, processes and spreadsheets to enable good finance management.
Aneela is the Head of Education at Ormiston Trust. Prior to joining Ormiston Trust, she was Head of Professional Development and School Improvement at Beaconhouse Group, overseeing the professional development of over 8000 teachers and implementing systems for school improvement across 200 international schools, in the Southeast region. Prior to this, she worked at Universities in the UAE, where she taught on the Bachelor of Education and Diploma programmes, and previous to this she was a Lead Advisor for Nord Anglia Education services, working with head teachers and principals to raise educational standards across schools in Abu Dhabi.
Melissa is a Programme Management Officer at Ormiston Trust. In her role she supports the #WeWill programme management, and works closely with the monitoring & evaluation, social action toolkit & skills, and youth engagement teams. She completed her undergraduate degree in International Development at the University of Sussex, and her postgraduate degree in Global Health and Development at UCL. Over the last eight years, she has dedicated much of her time to working with non-profit organisations in the UK, Nigeria, China, and Tanzania.
