PRINCESS OF WALES SHOWS SUPPORT FOR SPORTSAID'S MIND HEALTH PROGRAMME ALONGSIDE PRINCE OF WALES

Their Royal Highnesses The Prince and Princess of Wales joined talented young athletes and their families at Bisham Abbey National Sports Centre for a SportsAid workshop dedicated to mental health and wellbeing! The charity, in partnership with BelievePerform, has been providing information and advice on mental health and wellbeing to the country’s brightest sporting prospects, as well as their parents and guardians, for several years.
The Princess, who has been the Patron of SportsAid since 2013, and The Prince saw first-hand the support being offered by the charity, contributing to two themed discussions and picking up tips to aid mental fitness along the way. They heard from current SportsAid beneficiaries, as well as their parents and guardians, about how they manage potential anxieties experienced from the pressures and expectations of being a talented young athlete, whilst balancing other areas of their lives.
Their Royal Highnesses undertook two practical exercises, focussed on building mental resilience, to put their learnings into practice. The first task saw The Prince and Princess competing in a netball penalty shoot-out challenge under various forms of external pressures such as crowd noise and performing against the clock. Former England captain and Commonwealth Games gold medallist Ama Agbeze led by example with The Prince and Princess both impressing as they kept cool heads!
The Prince and Princess also took part in a game of goalball, a visually impaired Paralympic sport, for the second instalment as the visit drew to a close. They were guided by Great Britain coach Alex Bunney and athletes Caleb Nanevie, Lois Turner and Matt Loftus. Their Royal Highnesses were blindfolded, to replicate the visually impaired conditions of goalball, as they attempted to score past the goalball athletes. The sport has to be played in silence to hear the ball which has a bell inside it!
The visit from The Prince and Princess came after SportsAid revealed the findings of a new mental health and wellbeing survey, commissioned by the charity in September 2023, on World Mental Health Day. The survey highlighted the anxiety felt by young athletes involved in performance sport, the different challenges facing female and para athletes, and the appetite for more support. SportsAid, in partnership with BelievePerform, will be launching a groundbreaking mind health programme early next year.
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