Giants Inspire Healthier Choices in Partnership with Belfast Harbour

The Belfast Giants Healthy Lifestyle Programme has been running since 2005 and is designed to encourage young people to make conscious decisions around their lifestyle choices. Led by Giants’ relationship and business development manager, Laura Small and facilitated by Giants’ defenceman, Mark Garside, the programme focuses on delivering the message of the importance of looking after both mental and physical wellbeing, through getting enough sleep, maintaining a balanced diet, exercising regularly, and limiting stress to take steps towards a healthier lifestyle. Last year, the programme reached over 1,800 pupils.

So far this year, over 20 schools have already signed up for the programme including Holy Trinity Primary School, Belfast, Lough View Integrated Primary School, Belfast, and Poyntzpass Primary School, Newry. It is hoped this year’s programme will be delivered to at least 2,500 schoolchildren and will run until the end of the academic year in June.

Launching the programme for 2022/23, Laura Small, relationship business development manager at the Belfast Giants said: “The Healthy Lifestyle Schools’ Programme is something we’re proud to facilitate. It allows us to use our platforms and our players’ experiences to inspire others. Our work and outreach in the community is important to us as an organisation – just knowing that we’re making a positive impact in inspiring our younger generations to make healthier choices is extremely rewarding.

“It’s great to have our Community Outreach Partner, Belfast Harbour, back on board with the programme after a successful first year – they're so supportive and we’re grateful for all that they do.”

Allison Dowling, director of communications and marketing at Belfast Harbour said: “We are delighted to support Belfast Giants in delivering the Healthy Lifestyle Schools’ Programme for the second year, as the team’s Official Community Outreach Partner.

As a socially responsible Port, Belfast Harbour is committed to investing in our communities and during the first year of our partnership, we were able to see the clear benefits of this programme to the children and teachers involved. We are excited to see how it can grow this season and inspire even more young people to make healthy lifestyle choices.”

There’s still time for schools to register for the Healthy Lifestyle Schools’ Programme. The programme is open to all primary schools within the Greater Belfast area. For further information or to sign up, schools should contact angela.turkington@theodyssey.co.uk.