myplace ambassadors visit Brent

Before the myplace event at Wembley, a short drive away, the London Borough of Brent's myplace project was lucky enough to be visited by not one but two genuine heroes. Sir ‘five gold medals' Steve Redgrave attended as myplace ambassador and attending his first myplace project in his new role as an ambassador was former Iraq soldier Major Phil Packer.

The morning started with some words from the leader of Brent Council and a representative from the Big Fund. Everyone then got to hear from Sir Steve who talked about the opportunities he had as a young person and how that inspired him to take up rowing, which he then became rather good at! Following him fellow myplace ambassador, Major Phil Packer gave a talk about his experiences in the army. Major Packer was injured whilst serving in Iraq, and was told he would spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair. Less than two years later, he is now walking again. He was supporting the myplace project because it was about creating opportunities for young people, inspiring them and helping them achieve their goals through the best facilities. His main focus is to encourage young people with disabilities to do as much as they can and get involved in sport and activities.

Finally, there was a talk by young people themselves, who outlined how their ideas had been incorporated into the proposed design of the building through the work they had undertaken with the Sorrell Foundation. The images of the final plans were very impressive and everyone was looking forward to the future when the plans become a reality.

After the presentations there were workshops to take part in, including art, digital animation and a session about life skills. Sir Steve and Major Phil were very keen to join in with the workshops and to talk to as many of the young people as they could.

At the end, a group of young people sang a version of "You are not alone" and "I'll be there" which was so moving I nearly grabbed the phone to speak to Simon Cowell. 

It was good meeting Sir Steve and Major Phil, however in the end, seeing how this project was being driven by young people was the real highlight of the day.


See more photos taken at Brent in the myplace photostream.