Fifers encouraged to stay active during lockdown

Paige, from Kelty, has been a member of sportscotland’s Young People’s Sport Panel (YPSP) since November.

The panel is currently in its fifth two-year cycle and the 20-strong group have already started their work to help ensure the voice of young people is part of the sporting conversation across Scotland, in an initiative led by sportscotland and supported by Young Scot.

Crucial to the National Lottery funded programme is that young people are heard and have the opportunity to influence decision making and drive change.

During a challenging time for the sporting sector and people across the country, mental health has featured prominently in the panel’s early discussions.

The YPSP have supported the sportscotland Walk and Talk campaign which started last June with the goal of encouraging people to set a time for a walk and talk phone call with a friend, to help keep people active and connected.

Paige is in her second year studying at the University of Stirling. She is a self-employed coach who delivers weekly training sessions to a wide age group.

She also volunteers for Inspire Stirling, a group set up with the aim of helping improve peoples’ lives through sport.

Paige was selected to represent Fife Active Schools in Sweden for one week as a rugby coach. Her placement was in local school but she also got the chance to work with local and national rugby teams.

The 19-year-old is encouraging people to find what works best for them and what they enjoy the most, even small amounts of gentle physical activity can be beneficial.

She said: “Regular physical activity can really help our mental wellbeing, it is a great way to reduce stress. Switching off from other activities and focusing on physical activities is a great way to refocus your mind.

“My day is started with a walk, a great way to start any day is by getting some fresh air.

"It allows me to start the day focussed and alert. My advice would be set a plan for your activity, start small and each day build it up.

"Remember that anything is better than nothing.”