AltSport

Did you know we're relaunching our community sports sessions?

We're looking for venues in Melton Mowbray and Braunstone Town. What orher areas would you like to see us bring back our sports sessions?

AltSport quietly disappeared after we positively impacted the lives of thousands of people across all walks of life, from children and young adults through our sports clubs and holiday programs, to families at our Hunted games that took place across the country in Leicestershire, Newcastle and Hertfordshire, to seniors in the care homes we worked in and still maintain to this day under Andrew Hill Personal Training.

Over the last couple of years, I've found myself frequently reflecting on the positive impact we've had on the community. Today, all that's left of what we built is our foodbank whose mission it is to reduce food inequality by supplying several youth hostels throughout the East Midlands with food parcels for their residents, working in partnership with Neighbourly and their partners including Aldi UK, Marks and Spencer and Sainsbury's, we also offer a signposting service for those needing support with budgeting, debt, welfare, housing and homelessness, domestic violence and addiction. As well, we have a number of community volunteers who work in neighbourhoods helping tenants to manage their tenancies and provide assistance in several aspects in order to maintain their independence.

Each time I reflect on our business, I find myself considering starting up all over again. We served the purpose we initially had with respect of promoting social cohesion in the wake of lock down but separate to that is all the fun we and our players had and the opportunities presented to us by Leicester City Council and Leicestershire County Council, Melton Borough Council and charities across the country to further the positive impact we had made so far.

Today, we live in a strange old world. Four years on since lock down was lifted and despite the impact we've made, my colleagues who still work closely with schools tell me that whilst progress has been made, there are still serious concerns about the delay we witnessed first hand after more than a year of social isolation and remote learning. A report by Save the Children UK reveals that 90% of teachers believe this delay has been caused exclusively by the deprivation of social opportunities in children during their formative years. What AltSport did when we were running our sports clubs, holiday activity and food programs, teaching the next generation of entrepreneurs and playing the world's largest game of hide and seek (self-certified of course) was prove that we can cure this.

This isn't the only report that's concerning. Whilst learning gaps have reduced, the National Audit Office reports that primary reading and maths deficits are still higher than pre-covid levels and persistent educational inequality has remained significantly higher than pre-covid levels.

Key challenges facing the education sector and students today includes poor mental health, inadequate social skills and poor behavioural recovery. Almost a quarter of 8-16 year old meet the criteria for a probable mental health disorder, almost double what it was in 2017 and the number of school isolations, suspensions and exclusions have sky rocketed since we returned to school.

The number of children who are persistently absent from school and the number of children requiring additional support at school has also doubled from pre-covid levels.

The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill (2025) aims to boost support in areas like attendance, safeguarding, and provision of breakfast clubs addressing some of the structural challenges schools and their pupils face, but does this go far enough?

I'm painting a very bleak picture, and this on a national basis but we feel it in our community, our children are suffering because of these problem in society since the pandemic and this is where I was before we started the business, recognising the problems affecting our communities.

While the pandemic has left a lasting scar on education and community wellbeing, the experience of AltSport proves that with creativity, collaboration and a focus on bringing people together, we can rebuild stronger foundations and make significant improvements. The challenges may be significant, but they are not insurmountable and with the right support, our children and communities can thrive once again.

AltSport once delivered wide-ranging community benefits through sports clubs, holiday activities, food programmes and care home work, but today its legacy continues mainly through a foodbank supporting youth hostels and vulnerable tenants. Reflecting on this, it’s clear that while some progress has been made since COVID, schools and young people are still grappling with deep challenges including persistent learning gaps, rising inequalities, poor mental health, social and behavioural delays, absenteeism, and increased demand for SEND support. Government efforts such as the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill aim to address these issues, but the reality is that many children are still suffering the long-term consequences of the pandemic, highlighting the vital role of community-led initiatives like AltSport in helping to rebuild cohesion and opportunity.

If someone told me it's all well and good saying all of this and then asked what's the solution, I’d suggest it requires a layered approach that brings schools, communities, government and the private sector together, rather than expecting schools alone to carry the burden, in other words, simply throwing money at schools and additional tuition simply isn't going to fix the problem and the Department for Education should take note.

The ONLY way out of this hole is:
1. Community-led programmes: What AltSport achieved shows that structured play, sports, mentoring, holiday activities and food initiatives can plug the social and wellbeing gaps that schools aren’t resourced to fill. Expanding these kinds of grassroots projects could have a direct positive impact on mental health, behaviour and social skills. We know this because we witnessed it amongst thousands of children.

2. Targeted academic recovery: Tutoring, smaller class sizes in key subjects especially for children who experience lower attention or increased anxiety or exhibit disruptive behaviour in larger class sizes, and catch-up interventions need to be directed especially at disadvantaged pupils. Without narrowing the attainment gap, inequality simply compounds year after year making the problem even worse, this is especially true for those children coming from low social and economic backgrounds and other disadvantaged pupils.

3. Mental health and wellbeing embedded in education: Every school should have proper counselling provision and wellbeing staff, not just overstretched teachers doubling roles or first aiders who have attended a one day training but real, qualified counsellors. Early intervention prevents behavioural issues spiralling into exclusions and keeps more kids in school.

4. Support for families: Food insecurity, housing instability, debt and domestic struggles all feed into poor school attendance and performance. Strengthening foodbanks, breakfast clubs, parental guidance and financial support services is just as much an education strategy as curriculum reform. This means ensuring children are well fed at school and not simply given a "food allowance" of £1.20 which barely covers the cost of a portion of chips or a couple of slices of toast.

5. Reimagining education: A broader, more relevant curriculum (including vocational and entrepreneurial pathways) would engage children who are otherwise disillusioned, while also reducing the reliance on high-stakes exams that many struggle to recover from post-Covid. There's a lot of arguments for and against schools turning into academies but what I've seen personally is that whilst we have all of these academies popping up, abandoned and neglected are the vocational opportunities many children who aren't academically minded excel at which aren't always delivered by academies but are in managed schools. The government must review the national curriculum to ensure it is relevant and suitable to all students.

A single policy or bill is not the solution. Instead, partnerships between schools and community organisations like AltSport, with real investment in both wellbeing and learning is going to be the magic pill that cures the after effects of the pandemic, ensuring children don’t just “catch up” academically but also regain the confidence, social skills and resilience they lost due to years of social isolation, hiding their expressions behind face masks and interacting with their peers only through Zoom.

We're gearing up for our first NERF party of July today and it's going to be amazing!

Our parties are bigger and better than ever with new themes being introduced as we speak! Keep your peelers open for new developments and, later, photos! 😎

We have a new program in the pipeline developed entirely by A Hill Sport & Education Ltd and Leicester Active CIC which will see us nurture the next generation of young entrepreneurs aged 16 to 24 years old. It's going to be an amazing opportunity for colleges and business leaders to get involved in as we continue changing lives within our communities.

Lukas is our first Player of the Week since our rebrand for his continued amazing sportsmanship. Well done Lukas! Always a fantastic team player!

Sessions are unaffected by our rebrand and departure from Active Future and take place every week across Leicester and Leicestershire.

Register your child's place on any of our dodgeball programs by visiting https://altsport.co.uk/what-we-do/dodgeball/

You are worthy now.

Not when you get that degree, or when you lose 10 pounds.
Or when more people know who you are.

Now!

And you are exactly who you are supposed to be.
Despite, and because of, your bruises.

Our rebrand is underway, our business is growing, we've opened two new sessions which have kicked off without a hitch and our first 12+ dodgeball session in Desford is picking up traction.

It's going to be great and we can't wait to really kick things off over the coming months as we expand into Nottingham and Coventry.

Our dodgeball sessions throughout Leicester and Leicestershire are centered around the child, with a focus on promoting individuality and creativity through child-led play. Our approach allows children to feel valued and empowered while developing fitness and athletic skills as a byproduct of having fun, making friends and improving social skills.

But our sessions are so much more than just dodgeball. Our sessions have been refined into something completely unique where children are taught to play in a way that encourages sportsmanship and cohesion, through a range of ball games which are designed to improved core athletic skills seen in dodgeball.

Our experienced coaches create a safe and inclusive environment where every child can express themselves in their own unique way. We encourage children to take the lead in their play and foster a supportive atmosphere where individuality is celebrated.

Through these sessions, children not only develop physical abilities such as hand-eye coordination, speed, and agility, but also gain confidence and self-esteem. Our child-centered approach emphasises each child's strengths and helps them to grow in their own way.

If you're looking for a fun and engaging way to promote your child's personal growth and athletic skill development, come join our dodgeball sessions today!

Sessions take place at various venues throughout the city and county including Braunstone Town, Melton Mowbray and Desford with more sessions opening over the next few weeks! Find out more and register by visiting our website:
https://altsport.co.uk/what-we-do/dodgeball

Dear all,
You'll have noticed our page has been unusually quiet the last few months with the exception of some sporadic posts.

Regrettably, due to unresolved differences with our franchisors, we have taken the difficult decision to leave the Active Future network. We will be releasing a full statement in due course.

For now, we are in the process of reverting to our previous business name, AltSport, and updating our marketing and taking other relevant steps to cease the use of any intellectual property owned by Active Future.

Rest assured, we have already taken all relevant and necessary steps to ensure business continuity and your sessions and other events, birthday party bookings and other purchases remain unaffected.

Going forward, you can look forward to even more opportunities for children and adults throughout Leicester and Leicestershire as we introduce new sports and activities which we were previously unable to launch under Active Future. The only relevant changes will be some slight adaptations to certain policies, and a complete overhaul of our safeguarding policies.

In the meantime, we are taking steps to change our branding and cease the use of any Active Future intellectual property. We are preparing for a significant marketing and recruitment drive and look forward to investing in our business and community to ensure that we are maximising the opportunities this change presents.

Amongst other exciting changes, we are also so pleased to announce our expansion into Coventry and Nottinghamshire. The restrictive nature of Active Future prevented us from expanding previously and we are looking forward to competing with Active Future on all levels going forward.

All the best
Andrew Hill
Director of AltSport

Happy Birthday Nayan and Naksh!

We hosted an incredible 8th birthday party for two lucky lads this afternoon in Thurnby Lodge.

There was Dominoes PIZZA, samosas, katchuri, more than 60 NERF guns, over 1000 foam darts and more than 20 big smiling, laughing faces!

It was amazing! Book yours today and take advantage of our 50% discount off all bookings for any parties in 2023 (offer ends 1st April 2023)!