A NORTH Wales-based engineering, environmental and planning consultancy is providing welcome support to the Young Ambassadors programme at Ysgol Friars.

Caulmert, which has offices in St Asaph and Bangor – where Ysgol Friars is based – has helped supply sports equipment and clothing for the scheme.

The Young Ambassadors scheme focuses on important life skills such as communication, organisation, confidence, resilience, and leadership, rather than just performance levels.

In addition, the programme not only helps those interested in participating in sporting activities but also assists those whose focus is on aspects like coaching, refereeing, fixture planning, and first aid as they deliver opportunities for their peers.

Young Ambassadors are recruited by local authority sports development teams together with schools and colleges.

With the support of 30 Young Ambassadors, Ysgol Friars hosts about 30 clubs for pupils of all abilities and with a variety of interests.

Mr Oliver Walters, head of PE at Ysgol Friars, is “extremely grateful” for Caulmert’s support.

He said: “Thanks to Caulmert, we have been able to take the scheme to the next level and become more inclusive.

“We are able to not simply focus on the ‘top athletes’ but those that are interested in sport and have knowledge in another area that can be utilised to its fullest.

“We’ve been able to have six or seven groups with ambassadors leading the sessions, rather than it be one teacher talking to everyone.

“There are plenty of schools running the project and from Caulmert’s point of view they might not see the impact they are having, but they are playing a part in what is a major success.”

Included in the 30 clubs under the Young Ambassadors scheme, are the hugely popular rollerblading club and K-pop (Korean popular music) dance class.

Mr Walters added: “Things like the rollerblading club have become embedded in the programme and 30 pupils enjoy it every Monday, with displays also put on.

“The K-pop dance class has been an unbelievable success. A number of those who now produce displays at the local theatre have suffered from anxiety and self-esteem issues.

“We’ve also got 15 Ukrainian pupils taking advantage of the extra-curricular programmes we have in place.

“It’s completely free to attend any one of the clubs which promote health and wellbeing as much as physical activity.

“For example, we have an area with board games that allows people to socialise.

“The set-up is close to the gym and table tennis tables, and within 10 or 15 minutes the group who were having a chat are often off to use the equipment.”

The Young Ambassador programme in Wales, funded by the National Lottery, is run in partnership between Sport Wales, Youth Sport Trust, and the sport development team in each local authority.

Ambassadors are categorised in bronze, silver, gold, and platinum, with three of about 30 of Ysgol Friars’ contingent at gold level or above.

Platinum ambassador, head girl Emily Patterson, has spoken at the virtual nationwide Youth Sport Trust bronze ambassador conference, as well as helping host the silver conference in Llandudno through her position on the Welsh Sports Panel and participation in the National Leadership Academy (NLA).

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Emily said: “Being on the panel allowed me to travel to Cardiff to discuss everything relating to young people and sports.

“There are plenty of chances for young people to have the opportunities I’ve had through being on the panel.

“I’ve been fortunate to give the introductory speech at the bronze ambassador conference as well as organising a workshop on leadership roles for those attending, so they could identify their own potential as a leader both in and out of sport.

“I also helped organise the silver ambassador conference, which involved talking to sports officers to gauge how their young ambassadors were doing and what they thought could be done to improve the programme.

“The panel are open to new members, and it is something any young person should consider doing.”

Mike Caulfield, co-founder and managing director of Caulmert, added: “We are eager to help promote children’s health and wellbeing through sport, and after the pandemic and numerous lockdowns, we wanted to support Ysgol Friars and the Young Ambassadors programme.

“Hearing about the impact the programme has had on the school is fantastic, and I wish them all the best for the future.”

Founded in 2009, Caulmert is on track to meet an ambitious growth and development plan.

Its expertise in a variety of planning, environmental and engineering disciplines is supported by its use of Building Information Modeling (BIM) to a level two standard in many of its projects.

For more information, visit www.caulmert.com.