Delivering local opportunities in the Highlands and Islands

Badminton Scotland has been keen to make the sport more accessible throughout the country and by working closely with local communities we have made real progress in delivering more opportunities throughout one of the most geographically challenged of regions – the highlands and islands.

Various courses have been organised and delivered locally, making it affordable and more convenient for the clubs and associations to upskill their coaches.

These include UKCC courses on both Orkney and Shetland as well as a Badminton Basics and Level 1 course on Benbecula and a Badminton Basics on Barra.

Cutting out the travel, overnight stays and the time taken to attend courses held away from the islands has made attending the local run course so much more attractive for the islanders.

Orkney were the first area to do the course assessment by video link and this method will also be used in Shetland and the Western Isles.

Additionally, Active School Co-ordinators have been trained to deliver the Young Sports Leaders Award and the Badminton Basics Award.

There are also three tutors in each area able to deliver the Young Sports Leaders Award and the Badminton Basics Award which will also cut down on cost of travelling and can be arranged locally to suit the needs of the schools and the clubs.

This work will be continued over the coming seasons along with regular CPD workshops run locally or through video links.

In the wider Highlands region there has also been:

8 Badminton Basics courses (Skye, Alness, Nairn, Wick x2, Inverness x2, Golspie)
2 UKCC Level 1 (Dingwall and Fortrose)
1 Level1+ (Nairn)

For more information on how to get involved with badminton in the Highlands and Islands contact Jane Grant by emailing janegrant@badmintonscotland.org.uk or phone 07539 139311