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Rachel Leyland

Rachel has previously volunteered over 15 hrs per week and has recently gained paid work for 9 of these hours due to successes. She volunteers at Warrington Wolves Rugby Club handing out sports leaflets and actively recruits for the junior dance team, coaching them for the performances on match days. She also performs herself as part of the senior dance team at the Club on Match days.

In addition she volunteers at summer camp (2wks) teaching multi sports (hockey, basketball, Dance, hockey & football). She spends every evening apart from Wednesday involved in dance for her local Community. She not only spends her time volunteering but additionally has to devote time to create new moves and routines for her classes. She has also helped out her Local Authority with one off events when they have needed additional volunteers to support the organization of the events and activities.

Rachel is a fabulous volunteer who tirelessly promotes and publicises dance and sport within her community. She uses her own initiative to develop dance routines for her classes to ensure they remain interested and also develop their own skills. She constantly promotes inclusion and diversity, having taken in upon herself to take a course for including disabled performers in order to alter her sessions accordingly to include all abilities. A perfect example of her commitment was her support of one individual who was a wheelchair user who tended to sit out of sports activities during a summer camp. She invited them to the dance class at the taster sessions in the camp and coordinated the routines to include them in the sessions. As a result the individual joined the dance club! She promotes dance to the whole of the community resulting in an increase of men engaged in the sport.

She also works with the younger generation to introduce the sport and overcome the usual prejudices linked with dance. To do this she organised a dance performance for the JSLA Award for group of 15 yr olds – girls and boys. She took the role of choreographer, coach, health & safety officer and sports leader for the event. She also took responsibility for over 30 children at a multi sports camp during the school break, giving up a large chunk of her summer holidays to develop dance in the community. She has also focused on her own personal development by taking courses such as First Aid, Good Practice Child Protection, Step into Sport, Millennium Volunteers, and dance workshops.

She even took on a dance class voluntarily at the local sports centre -this class initially was due to close due to low attendance. She took on the class but was given a low priority time slot (Fri eve). She developed it, increased numbers and now the class has moved to Tues evenings due to demand! In doing so she also increased male membership in dance! She has increased popularity in dance in the local area to such an extent that she has now managed to gain paid work out of previously volunteering roles due to increase in demand.

Her efforts in dance volunteering include: Volunteers her skills at local primary and secondary schools as an introduction to dance. She also has a pathway for them to join a local dance club Warrington Wolves continually increase their membership to the dance club from her constant leafleting and marketing.