A school teacher with a passion for golf is behind an ambitious project to get youngsters out of the classroom and onto the fairways.
Richard Moore, who lives in Stevenage and works at The Nobel School in the town, wants to give as many children as possible the opportunity to take up golf, and now has funding to support his ambition.
Letchworth Golf Club, where he is a member, is also getting behind the project, making available its facilities to the children and forming close links with North Herts schools.
Schools that sign up to the scheme agree to include golf as part of PE lessons and after school activities.
They are supplied with kit bags containing children's clubs and irons, teaching aids, training schedules, lesson plans, golf balls and tees.
Staff at participating schools are also given training on how to teach pupils the basics.
The scheme is sponsored by the Mike Amos Foundation - established at Letchworth Golf Club to provide funding for junior golfers - Hertfordshire Golf and The Golf Foundation.
Schools already signed up include The Nobel, The Knights Templar School in Baldock, and Letchworth schools Pixmore Junior, Wilbury Junior, The Highfield and St Christopher’s.
Richard, 44, has set up the scheme with the help of Letchworth Golf Club's events manager Esther Strous and club welfare officer Tony Pohlman. He said: “It’s been frustrating in the past that golf has been difficult to teach in school because of a lack of equipment and a lack of people able to teach the game to students.
“I wanted to get the equipment in place and give teachers the education and skills to get the children started and introduce them to the sport.
“After the last couple of years, with children cooped up at home because of the pandemic, it’s more important than ever for their mental health to get them outdoors and into the fresh air.
“Not all children are sporty in the sense they want to kick a ball about, and have bags of stamina, but golf is something everyone can do at all levels and abilities.
"You see the confidence they get immediately by the broad grins on their faces.
"There are so many benefits and I am grateful for the support from schools that have embraced this project.”
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