Welcome to The Hunslet Club July News letter, this is our way of spreading the news and documenting the things we do. Here, you can catch up with everything we did and achieved in July. Our newsletter comes out on the 4th of each month. So, check in to our news page to keep up with the good work: https://www.hunsletclub.org.uk/newsletters/
The Hunslet Club Summer Gala is an annual event here in South Leeds, which gets bigger and more exciting each summer, and this one was no exception! On Saturday the 23rd of July, over 2000 people attended throughout the day. This was the biggest Hunslet Club Gala ever. The day began at 12:00PM when hundreds of people had already gathered, ready to enjoy the rides, stalls and attractions. There was something for all ages, from our favourite tropes of the fairground, to gift stalls, games and food stands.
From 1:00PM, the community were greeted by live performances, showcasing everything the talented young people of The Hunslet Club had been working on over the last 12 months. We saw a range of sections exhibit their skills including, ballet, boxing, hip-hop, cheer and gymnastics. The crowds were blown away by how professional each routine was, with some of the day’s dancers being as young as 5 years old.
Alongside the Summer Gala, was a mini Football tournament and award ceremony, which took place across the football pitch and courts. Here each player from all of the internal Hunslet Club Youth football teams was recognised for their, skills, sportsmanship, commitment and progression. This was a great addition to an already perfect day. In addition to the excitement of the football, rides, attractions, stalls and entertainment, there were also some special visitors who you wouldn’t usually get to see on the day to day, including a power ranger and some donkeys, who were very popular with younger attendees!
Over the course of the day, the atmosphere was remarkable. We gathered together as a community for something so positive, and it was great success. It was brilliant to see such a wide mix of people young and old from all different backgrounds. Many local people also got the opportunity to make new friends and become better involved in our wider community here in South Leeds.
We want to say a huge thank you to our volunteers, sport sections, local people, staff, West Yorkshire Police and West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue, for making such a fantastic event possible. We couldn’t have done it without such a strong community.
On the 10th of July, six of our dance teams and soloists from ‘The Hunslet Club Emeralds’ took on the BCA challenge championships at the Sheffield English Institute of Sport. This is a huge competition, which brings talented dance groups together from all over the country to compete. The teams knew the competition would be tough, so they dedicated hours of their spare time outside of regular sessions to perfect each routine. Each group took the stage by storm on the day, executing each performance perfectly. The crowd watched on in suspense from the side-lines as the intricate and fast paced dances were performed.
The girls finished the competition confidently. They paid undivided attention to all aspects of the competition from timing and synchronisation to hair, costumes and presentation. Our Mini Pom and Mini Hip Hop groups scared the highest both taking home an award for first place in their categories.
On the 12th of July, we received some pictures and videos from our friends at The Gulu Boxing Club in Uganda. This was in response to us donating some of our kits, gloves, pads and skipping ropes.
It is important to us to build relationships with clubs all around the world to ensure opportunities are available to as many young people as possible. The coaches at Gulu boxing club are a great inspiration to the young men they coach, and we are proud to be able to help them on their journey.
Watch the video below to hear from the Gulu Boxing Club and coaches themselves:
At youth club, our favourite celebration of the year is our summer barbecue. Here, we celebrate the summer holidays with food, mocktails and outdoor activities. The summer barbecue is also a great welcome for newcomers with team games encouraging our attendees to make new friends.
At youth club, our favourite celebration of the year is our summer barbecue. Here, we celebrate the summer holidays with food, mocktails and outdoor activities. The summer barbecue is also a great welcome for newcomers with team games encouraging our attendees to make new friends.
Overall, we had two barbecues. One on the 28th of July and one on the 29th. These were for our different youth clubs. Our junior youth barbecue offered a range of games and activities, which were structured and led by our youth workers over the course of the evening. Then, everyone was welcome to take a free burger or hotdog as well as a drink. This was another great success as over 60 young people aged 8 to 12. Following this, we had the senior youth club barbecue which was a lot less structured. Our 13+ members sat with friends, took part in some table games and enjoyed more burgers and hotdogs with mocktails.
A huge well done to our youth team for making this event possible! They do a brilliant job of providing free events, meals and support to young people in and around Leeds.
Summer Activity Camp 2022 is in full swing and we are having a brilliant time! Amazingly, we have already had hundreds of young people through our doors, to take part in this years camp. There is a great mix of both new and familiar faces who are having fun and making new friends all day every day in true Hunslet Club style. This year’s Summer Camp has come equipped with new games and activities including rounders and penalties, which has been a great hit with all who have taken part. In addition to these, we are running our regular activities; boxing, baking, I.T, football, outdoor play, indoor games, arts and crafts, dance, gymnastics, dodgeball and table games which are alternated sessions throughout the day. This ensures that everyone gets to try out everything we have on offer while they are here.
Moreover, some of our lucky campers even got to take part in a one off rugby sessions with, OBE, and ex England Rugby Captain, Jason Robinson. This was great opportunity for our young people as some of them were already big fans of the game while other were giving it go for the first time with a professional. We are here for five weeks and this is only the beginning. We can’t wait to see what’s in store for the next four as our youth workers are doing a brilliant job so far!
Thank you to Leeds Community Foundation, Healthy Holidays Leeds and Fareshare for supporting this opportunity.
On Sunday the 31st of August, three of our competing boxers achieved gold! They have been working alongside our dedicated boxing coaches tirelessly, in their pursuit of becoming the best they can be. Five members of our team entered the competition. Although two didn’t take home the gold, they gained experience, and came out with a drive to come back stronger than ever.
We want to say huge well done to Adam, Reggie, Presten, Fred and Corey. They represented the club brilliantly and made us all proud.
The Hunslet Club July News Letter.
The Hunslet Club July News Letter
