lockdown Archives

February 23, 2021

didi rugby classes are given the green light to return outdoors

A traffic light with a green light on show

didi rugby classes have been given the green light to return to outdoor sessions from March 29.

Provision for schools and nurseries will start three weeks earlier on March 8.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the decision to allow children’s outdoor sport classes when providing the Houses of Parliament with his ‘Roadmap out of Lockdown’ speech on February 22.

didi rugby founder and CEO Vicky Macqueen said she was delighted with the decision.

“This has been an incredibly hard time for our members at classes around the country,” said Vicky.

Local coaches

“Our little didi stars have missed seeing their friends both at school and at our classes and they have missed interacting with our local coaches who they are used to seeing and having fun with every week.

“And, as a parent of two young boys myself, I know exactly what parents have been going through during this latest lockdown trying to work and homeschool at the same time.

“I am delighted that my own children can return to school from March 8 and I am delighted that our didi rugby classes can re-start outdoors from March 29.”

didi rugby classes saw a huge uplift in numbers after the first national lockdown in 2020 came to an and Vicky says she – and her coaches around the country – are expecting an even bigger uptake this time around.

Sporting activity

“It came as no surprise to us that after being stuck inside for so long during last Spring and early Summer, children and parents were desperate to get back to some organised sporting activity,” said Vicky.

“We made sure that, as soon as we got the green light to return, we had safety procedures in place to offer security to children, parents and our incredible band of coaches.

“When parents saw what we were doing to make our classes as safe as possible, the support and trust we got in return was incredible. Our classes filled up again and we made sure that our part of the bargain also included having lots of fun.

“We have been through the process of starting again from lockdown before so we are primed and ready to get our sessions back up and running again and we can’t wait to see our didi stars and their parents back having some fun and learning with us.

Online activities

“I just want to personally thank our wonderful local coaches, members and ambassadors who have stuck by us during lockdown and supported us by attending the range of online activities we have provided.”

All local coaches will be in touch with current members to inform them of the dates of times of their upcoming classes.

Indoor classes are allowed to resume from April 12.

Anyone parent wanting to book a free taster session for their child can find their local class online at www.didirugby.com under the ‘Find a Class’ tab.

Watch More: Can you complete Vicky’s Lockdown Challenge…?

February 10, 2021February 11, 2021

Vicky’s Blog – Schools should be measured on physical activity provision

Children complete a didi rugby session at school

Vicky Macqueen is supporting plans for schools to be measured on how much physical activity they provide for kids who have been starved of activity during successive pandemic lockdowns.

If you can show me a parent who has not had to try and cajole their kids into some form of physical activity during this latest lockdown, I’ll be surprised.

Those of us with a back garden or a nearby park have had it easier than those without.

What is fairly obvious is that, as a nation, our children will need to get back to some regular and structured activity as soon as they are allowed back to school and back to classes with organised activity providers.

I have long felt that sports and PE has played second fiddle in terms of priority to more academic lessons in schools. That has been frustrating.

Wellbeing

So, I was delighted to hear that schools could soon be measured over how they prioritise sport, physical activity and wellbeing under new plans to get kids moving again at the end of the lockdown.

Reading about the Daily Telegraph’s ‘Keep Kids Active’ campaign, Government sport minister Nigel Huddleston confirmed that that talks had taken place with the department for education over some form of measurement of a school’s approach to physical activity.

What’s more, those ‘positive’ talks had also been formally backed by Ofsted.

“We are coordinating and trying to push things together,” said Mr Huddleston. “We have heard very positive vibes. They are as keen to get sport and physical activity going again as soon as possible.”

Activity

It’s incredible to think that most of our children have only been in school for three or four months between March 2020 and March 2021.

Hardly surprising then that the physical and mental health of our youngsters has taken a huge hit over the last 12 months.

As the founder and CEO of a children’s sports activity provider like didi rugby, it will come as no surprise that I advocate physical activity, not only to keep our children fit and healthy but to provide them with a positive experience for their mental health too.

I want children to have healthy bodies and healthy minds. Let’s face it, that has been a challenge for us all over the past 12 months.

Lockdown

What is important when lockdown ends and children go back to school is that a genuine commitment to getting them active and having fun is not merely given lip service by schools, Ofsted and the authorities.

Make activities just as important as core curriculum subjects.

And let’s not just give extra time to play sports and do activities during school time, let’s open up school facilities to the local community out of school time too (another of the Telegraph’s aims that I fully support).

If children and parents want to get involved in being active, let there be no barrier to them doing so.

Vaccines

“We are now in the path of re-opening,” said Mr Huddleston. “We want to make sure sport and physical activity is absolutely front in that list.

“With the vaccines rolling out, I think we do have a glidepath to a future that is more optimistic and more sustainable.”

didi rugby is ready and waiting for the green light so let’s hope the schools, supported by the Government and Ofsted are as ready as we are.

After the 12 months we have just had, there is little time to waste. Our children are relying on us.

Watch: Meet our new didi rugby ambassador Jodie Ounsley…

January 8, 2021January 8, 2021

‘We are by your side’ – didi rugby’s pledge to parents and children during Lockdown 3

didi rugby franchisees hold a meeting online

Founder and CEO Vicky Macqueen has pledged to children and parents with didi rugby memberships that they will be offered fun, online classes and activities to last them through the latest national lockdown in England.

Having enjoyed an incredibly busy time since the restrictions of the first lockdown were lifted, indoor and outdoor didi rugby classes across the country were forced to stop once again for the foreseeable future on January 5.

Undeterred – and with plenty of experience from the first time around – didi rugby will be providing some exciting online options for its members to keep children engaged, learning and having fun with other members of their family.

Online classes will also enable didi members to see the friendly faces of their local coaches throughout lockdown and take part in a group activity with children they would normally see on a weekly basis.

Story time

Vicky will also be posting daily challenges and offering competition prizes to keep children and parents very much on their toes. While the incredibly popular evening ‘story time’ is set to make a return to didi’s Facebook page after England star Heather Fisher read to children every week day during Lockdown 1 back in 2020.

“Never has it been more important for kids to do some physical activity, see a familiar face and have fun,” says former England international Vicky.

“We are determined to make sure that the children and parents who love our sessions still have the opportunity to take part in a didi class every single week for as long as these latest restrictions last for.

“I can promise lots of fun and interaction in a delivery that will be easy to access for every parent on whatever device they choose.

Online classes

“As soon as the latest pandemic restrictions were announced by the Prime Minister, all of our franchisees got together on a Zoom meeting (pictured) to discuss ideas and share best practice and we left that meeting ready, determined and ambitious in what we could achieve for our members.

“Of course, we would all prefer to be meeting our wonderful didi stars in person but, until we are allowed to again, we are all really excited and can’t wait to get going with our online offering.

“This is a challenging time for parents across the country and I promise to those parents with children in our classes that we are by your side every step of the way and will do whatever we can to keep them active and engaged.”

If you would like to join one of our online classes for a free taster session, please contact your local coaches (check www.didirugby.com or on Facebook) or book in online at: www.didirugby.com/find-a-class.

WATCH: Remind yourself what fun you can have with Heather Fisher at her didi rugby Storytime sessions…

November 3, 2020November 3, 2020

A letter about lockdown from didi founder Vicky Macqueen

Dear didi family,

While there is so much worry and uncertainty around about a second lockdown in England, I just wanted to reassure you that we will be right by your side throughout the next four weeks.

We are currently waiting for confirmation from the Government regarding our ability to deliver safe, face-to-face classes with you and your children.

It’s the outcome we ALL want to see and, if we are allowed to do so, we will carry on as normal.

BUT… if we are unable to do so, we will be moving to an online delivery to keep classes on and to keep your children engaged and active during the lockdown period.

Where possible, online classes will be delivered by your local coach or franchise holder from your local area so your children will see a face they recognise and can relate to.

Fantastic fun

We have had a huge didi meeting to share ideas and best practice to make our classes the very best they can be.

Having put on some fantastic fun sessions during Lockdown 1, we have now got plenty of experience.

Our coaches are primed and ready to go. Sessions can be activated from any device. You just need to find enough space to have some fun and games in your own home!

The country may be locked down 🔐 – but there will be no ‘restriction of movement’ of our online didi classes. 🙌

As always, didi HQ as well as your local coaches, will keep you updated over the next few days.

Thank you and stay safe.

#didifamily

Vicky Macqueen (didi rugby CEO and founder) 😀

Read more: BLOG: We all have a part to play in helping our kids recover from lockdown

WATCH: Helping our parents get fit and fight Covid…

October 14, 2020October 14, 2020

BLOG: We all have a part to play in helping our kids recover from lockdown

A graphic showing that 71% of young people say that physical activity improves their mood

We all have a role to play in making sure our children recover from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, says didi rugby CEO, Vicky Macqueen.

Thankfully, the vast majority of children seem to only get mild symptoms, if any at all, if they get infected by the virus.

But they have most certainly endured long-lasting effects to both their mental and physical health by missing almost half a year of their schooling, as well as being cooped up inside for large parts of that time with few places to burn off their energy.

As a former teacher myself, I have seen at first hand for many years how physically inactive children can sometimes struggle inside a classroom, both with their attainment, confidence and behaviour.

Physical activity

Of course, I am generalising here. As the CEO of a company like didi rugby, I am also clearly biased. Hands up.

But there are few people who could argue that physical activity gets kids moving, gets their heart rate up, improves their fitness and can make them more alert when inside a classroom.

So it was no surprise to see some new research from Sheffield Hallam University showing just how much of a benefit activity can have on school age children.

At didi rugby and for me as an RFU Level 4 coach, qualified PE teacher and Early Learning provider, I really believe we do generally underestimate how much a young child can gain from being physically active from a much earlier age.

It becomes imbedded in them and, part of their DNA, to feel good, happy and confident after exercise. They don’t necessarily know why and they don’t know how, but they know they feel good.

It’s not only kids that benefit. Parents have reported the same feelings after didi classes themselves. One of our major aims across the UK is to educate and support families to all feel better, healthier and more confident in life by taking part in our sessions. The positive effects of physical activity are absolutely massive!

The huge Sheffield Hallam study was on more than 60,000 students and 4,000 teachers and surveyed attitudes to work, physical and mental health.

The researched showed, in many different ways, that helping young people get active can play a vital role in helping them catch up on work missed during the Covid-19 pandemic and in supporting their mental health too.

Fun and activity

The report shows that 92% of staff believed that being physically active helps with school work, while 91% of students felt that physical activity can improve their mental and physical health.

That is fairly unequivocal isn’t it?

Now the national lockdown has ended (and let’s hope it doesn’t need to return) and organised children’s educational sports classes are being backed by the Government, let’s make the most of it.

All of our didi classes are dedicated to getting children that fun and activity they need to keep them fit and active, to get endorphins flowing around their body, get them laughing, interacting with other children their own age and giving them quality fun time with parents, who have had a tough time as well over the last seven months.

My passion is to make everyone’s life a little bit better and even more so now!

Read all about the Sheffield Hallam report here: https://www.shu.ac.uk/news/all-articles/latest-news/research-confirms-being-active-helps-pupils-in-school

VIDEO: Engaged parents getting active with didi rugby to help us fight viruses…

September 10, 2020

didi rugby booming after ‘survive then thrive’ planning

Founder and CEO Vicky Macqueen has paid tribute to children, parents, carers, coaches and franchise owners who have helped didi rugby bounce back from lockdown and now be in a position where classes across the UK are ‘absolutely booming’.

With regular classes filling up rapidly, areas in places like Sutton Coldfield and Stafford have even added extra sessions to meet demand.

Similarly, the launch of a new didi rugby area in Harrogate, set for September 19, has over 100 children booked in for what is set to be an exciting and busy day.

“It has been astonishing,” said Vicky. “The demand we have seen for our provision has gone through the roof and it has been amazing for our local coaches to see the smiling faces of the children they were entertaining via Zoom during lockdown.

“We spoke as a group of coaches and franchises on a regular basis during lockdown planning our recovery when restrictions had died down. We discussed putting ourselves into a position where we could ‘survive then thrive’ when we were allowed to go back to face-to-face delivery.

“The planning and detail that went into our return was thorough and I would like to thank all of those involved in getting didi rugby classes back up and running and all parents and children who have been quick to trust our safety measures and return to outdoor classes with a smile on their face.”

Indoor and outdoor didi classes came to a dramatic halt – like most other things in the country – when PM Boris Johnson placed the country under lockdown in March.

But local didi coaches across the UK did an amazing job of maintaining engagement with their young stars and parents with online sessions during lockdown.

Classes booming

And since restrictions were lifted, didi HQ were very quick to re-start classes with social distancing and COVID cleanliness at the top of the agenda.

As restrictions have eased, didi classes around the country have seen an incredible influx of interest from parents who are looking for a safe environment to bring their child for some much-needed fun and activity.

With didi cricket also launching in selected areas too, Vicky says she has been overwhelmed by the support of franchise owners and coaches who have committed to returning to class delivery as soon as possible – and the way they have tackled a challenging situation to provide fun and activity for children in their areas.

Get active

And having home-schooled her own two young children through the lockdown period, Vicky says she has since met so many people who were delighted to be able to get out and get active with their kids.

“We have all been in the same boat haven’t we? Stuck inside our four walls with children who were desperate to do what kids do best – get outside, playing and having fun,” added Vicky.

“It has been a tough period for us all as parents but we have come out on the other side and didi rugby – and cricket for that matter – are absolutely booming as a result of some great commitment from our didi team and our parents and children. There are exciting times ahead.”

WATCH: One of Vicky Macqueen’s ‘Lockdown Challenges’…

April 3, 2020April 6, 2020

didi rugby online classes prove popular during coronavirus lockdown

didi rugby’s online classes are proving to be a massive hit with parents and children across the UK.

While the coronavirus has led to schools closing and even a lockdown on all but essential travel, didi rugby coaches across the country have reacted quickly and are providing their ever-popular classes online instead.

didi rugby HQ is committed to keeping children active and having fun during the most testing time for families across the country.

The reaction from children and parents has been incredible with huge support coming from households in terms of both engagement and positive feedback to the classes.

Because of their success, didi rugby is now ramping up the amount of sessions they are offering which cover three age ranges from as young as 18 months up to 6 years of age.

It has been great to see older siblings joining in the activities too.

Online classes

Easy-to-use online platforms have made the delivery of the classes simple for coaches, parents and children alike and attendance numbers are increasing all of the time.

didi rugby founder and CEO Vicky Macqueen, who has been delivering classes to her didi stars while home-schooling two children, said she has been over-joyed with the response.

“During tough times for families across the UK, it has felt amazing to be involved in something which is able to give so many people, so much fun,” she said.

“We all miss our regular classes terribly and can’t wait to get back to them when things become safer for all of us.

“But, until then, we will keep providing for our members via a fun, friendly and energetic online delivery, as well as making sure that our ethos of ‘fun, confidence and activity’ remains at the heart of everything we do.

“Because our classes are being delivered by the local coaches who usually run their sessions, it has been amazing to see the children’s response when they see a face they recognise.

“Obviously, that has helped get the kids engaged from the very first minute and the rapport between the group has been great to see.

Book a class

“We have enjoyed some amazing responses from parents who say they are not only happy to get their kids active but to give them a structured focus during the day.

“Meanwhile, our coaches have found online delivery very rewarding and have been full of stories about brightening up people’s day.”

NON-MEMBERS Book your child a place on our national online classes by visiting our booking page

MEMBERS: For options of classes local to your area with the coaches you usually see at your face-to-face sessions, visit the Find A Class Page and click on your local link

VIDEO: Watch didi rugby South Wales coach Robyn Lock challenge you to a Lockdown Challenge

What is didi rugby?

didi rugby has been devised to get young children active and to teach them new skills while having fun in a safe environment. Classes have been designed by former England Women’s international Vicky Macqueen and are aimed at kids in three separate age groups from 18 months to six years old. These age ranges offer flexible boundaries and are based on each child’s ability and confidence as opposed to a strict age structure. didi rugby has franchises across the UK.