Wellacre Welcomes Commonwealth Gold Medallist, Courtney Fry

Posted at 12:23 pm on 3rd May, 2018

Boxer, Fry, delivers Moving Minds programme

Commonwealth Gold Medallist, Courtney Fry, joined Wellacre students as part of a Mentally Healthy Schools pilot to support the emotional wellbeing of its students.

The visit was organised by partner agencies, Moving Minds and 42nd Street, as part of the pilot programme, which will enable Wellacre to benefit from specialist support for both students and teachers.

Courtney Fry, Commonwealth and Olympic boxer, is Wellacre’s assigned athlete mentor and joined Wellacre to work with Year 9 students to build their confidence and help them reach their full potential.

Shivam, Year 9 student, said:

“We learnt about how to live a healthy lifestyle; to exercise more and play less computer games because of how each activity affects us.  It was great working with Courtney and hearing his experiences and advice; we listened lots but there were plenty of fun activities too.”

Year 9 students first spent the day with Courtney exploring physical and emotional wellbeing, confidence building and achieving their potential in school and life through physical activity and developing life skills.

Drawing on his own experiences of managing stress and anxiety when performing at an elite sporting level, Courtney helped students address and understand their own school-related issues.  He then guided them in developing their own personal plan for using physical activity, lifestyle choices and coping strategies to reduce stress and anxiety and ensure they are active, engaged learners.

Athlete mentor, Courtney Fry, said:

“Wellacre students have been really open with me today about their stresses and coping mechanisms.  They came up with lots of good ideas and have set positive goals for themselves. It’s been fantastic visiting Wellacre and I look forward to coming back in 6 weeks time to see students’ progress.”  

Courtney then worked with Year 10 Young Health Ambassadors, appointed by Wellacre, who are undertaking training to support their peers in making healthy lifestyle choices that affect mental health. They will act as ambassadors and mentors, providing important health information and advice, and help to affect real and lasting change in their school and wider community.  

These students received training and content from Courtney to enable them to carry out their role in school and support a targeted group of young people identified to receive support.  They will also attend the Young Health Ambassador Conference in July. This conference will provide an opportunity to share their skills, experiences and practice and provide a platform to celebrate their achievements.

Mr Pemberton, Vice Principal for Welfare and Wellbeing, said:

“Wellacre has welcomed the chance to be part of this programme, to use physical activity and lifestyle choices to help reduce the stress and anxiety of students.  As a school, we recognise that we will see improvements in students’ academic attainment when they feel more supported, confident and happy.”