23 August 2024
What started as a conversation in Ruth Ashford’s classroom has blossomed into a place for asylum seekers, refugees and migrants to feel a part of a group.
Welcome to Badminton was set up by Ashford after she shared her love of badminton with her ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) students at a further education college in Newcastle.
The Gateshead native is now part of a team of 19 people which has welcomed over 500 people from all backgrounds to learn the nation’s favourite racket sport and get to know their local city and a new sport, as well as make friends.
Now, Ashford and the charity have been recognised with August’s Babolat Community Spotlight.
“It means a lot because we have been working hard for more than two years on this project and it’s lovely to see a public body like Badminton England highlighting our contribution,” Ashford said.
Some of the players of Welcome to Badminton
“We introduce people to the sport, and we also signpost players to other clubs and groups in the area if they are interested.
“One of our players has gone on to win local social badminton tournaments and one of our volunteers has now qualified a level 1 coach.
“We have five trustees and 13 volunteers and without them, we couldn’t run the project as it is too big now for one person to manage, so I am very grateful to the team as they give their time and energy and enthusiasm to the project.”
Ashford, who serves as Operations Lead for Welcome to Badminton, also acknowledged the role local organisations including Connected Voice, We Are Rise and Volunteering Matters have played in helping the organisation to grow and develop.
Ashford came to badminton relatively late in life, taking up the sport to keep active and have fun.
She added: “I found playing badminton a good way of relieving work-related stress.
The charity has now welcomed over 100 players at its height
“Later when I worked in an ESOL department, I would sometimes talk to my students about what they did in their free time.
“I realised that many of them did not have the opportunity to take part in sport and leisure activities because of the barriers of cost, lack of language skills or their lack of local knowledge about sports facilities in their area.
“It takes confidence to try new things at the best of times and when you are a stranger in a new city and country, it can be very difficult to find an outlet for physical activity and social contact.
“Many of our players have been very socially isolated and lonely and being part of the badminton group can make a big difference to their state of mind”.
Ashford has seen Welcome to Badminton expand from a small group of around 10 students to an initiative now offering badminton and other sports to about 80 participants per week, with funding from Sport England integral to their growth in their first two years.
Welcome to Badminton has received plenty of positive feedback from participants, and one of the trustees joined the project as a Ukrainian refugee.
They said: “The past year and a half have been incredibly stressful for me, and several times I thought I would fail and go crazy.
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“I saw an announcement about badminton classes in a conversation group mailing list.
“For several months I did not dare to go because of my poor physical condition, but then I found friends who went to the first lesson with me.
“It was an hour and a half of life without thoughts about the war, the future, forced immigration.
“It was communication with friends, getting to know each other, jokes.
“With every movement, with every drop of sweat, came the calmness that I feel after every training session. The subconscious mind calms down, allowing the conscious mind to gain inspiration for a normal life.
“Badminton sessions, a beautiful gym, a calm, caring coach – all this has become a place of strength and encouragement for me.”
Photos 1, 2 and 4 courtesy of Sabina Phamova
