ALL GIRLS TOGETHER AS MARIE STANDS UP FOR WOMEN’S SPORT
Abbey School pupil and GB Dragonboat team member Marie Lucas (aged 16) helped raise the profile of womens’ sport and met some of the UK’s leading sportswomen at a photo shoot at the Houses of Parliament yesterday. Marie was invited to support the launch of a Women’s Sporting Calendar designed to raise funds for the Us Girls charity (www.usgirls.org.uk), which aims to encourage women and girls aged from 16-25 from under-privileged areas to get involved in sport. The organisers also wanted to protest the recently announced all-male British Sports Personality of the Year shortlist.
Marie was joined by national team captains Sarah Hunter (RFU), Charlotte Edwards (Cricket), Nicolla Weeks (Rounders) as well as many other stars of UK Women’s sport. Also attending were Sarah Winckless, World Champion rower and Chair of the British Olympic Athletes Commission, Jennie Price, CEO Sport England, and MPs Tracey Crouch and Barbara Keeley. Reading East MP Rob Wilson also came along to lend his support.
Marie talked with several of the sports stars, all of whom were keen to learn about Dragonboating, and showed the Gold medals that she won at this year’s Dragonboating World Championships to MP Rob Wilson. She also had the opportunity to meet legendary paralympian Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson.
The Abbey School was invited to bring one of its sports stars to the photo shoot thanks to the school’s relationship with the Girls Schools Association, one of the supporters of the US Girls charity. Speaking on behalf of the school, Marketing and Development Director Felicity Rutland said: “We’re pleased to be supporting the GSA and the Us Girls charity through this photo shoot. We believe that sport should be an important part of any young woman’s life, and we look forward to finding ways in which we can support Us Girls further.”
The Women’s Sporting Calendar, which was launched at the photo shoot, features action shots of many of the UK’s sporting heroines and is available to purchase from http://www.illustratus.co.uk/shop/wsc2012.