The Active Code

We’re excited to welcome both Dave Thomas, Director of Business Development at Fox Cycling, to The Active Code. 

Since 2010, Fox Cycling has taught thousands of children to cycle so families can ride together; the fun, progressive instruction has been further refined and developed over time.

We all know that the current generation of kids spends way too much time indoors, leading sedentary lifestyles, and cycling is the perfect antidote to this problem. But, as we all know, learning to ride a bike can be tough, especially when the bikes are too heavy, or those pesky stabilisers are involved. Luckily, Fox Cycling is here to save the day, offering a brilliant license program that enables sports coaching companies to deliver top-quality cycling provisions to children all over the country.

Who is Dave Thomas? 

Dave Thomas has more than enough experience as he is the Director of Business Developments, with prior experience driving sales and performance of the group of franchisees under his leadership. Coaching, motivating, and developing his team to achieve and exceed set quarterly targets, which includes supporting his team through close and frequent communication to drive success.

Fox Cycling recognises there are three main barriers to children not cycling, so they designed a fun activity-based methodology to get kids cycling safely in an hour.  Utilising this gap in the child development and family health sector, Dave manages and organises Fox Cycling’s licensees and franchisees. 

Since 2010, Fox Cycling has taught thousands of children to cycle so many more families can ride together; the fun, progressive learning system has been further refined and developed over time.

What do we chat about in the episode? 

During the episode, Dave discusses:  

·       Why is learning to ride vital for children?

·       The current barriers to children learning to ride

·       How organisations can help children develop a life-long love for cycling

·       The different licencing opportunities available for coaching providers around the UK

·       How sports coaching providers can make up to £450 per coach, per day with Fox Cycling

We’re excited to welcome both Karl Andrade and Adam Hampton, Directors at Essex Professional Coaching, to The Active Code. 

Karl Andrade and Adam Hampson hold Director positions at Essex Professional Coaching and are recognised for their immense passion within the AAP network. Essex Professional Coaching is committed to fostering personal development, motivation, and inspiration through sports and physical education. Their core values of enthusiasm, passion, and care are deeply ingrained in their approach to coaching. 

Who are Karl and Adam? 

Karl and Adam are the Directors of Essex Professional Coaching, which is an independent sports coaching company that offers a wide range of coaching services. 

Their main objective is to provide expert guidance and support to individuals, helping them achieve their sporting goals while fostering personal growth and development. Their experienced coaches are dedicated to delivering the highest quality coaching across a variety of sporting activities. 

Karl and Adam believe in tailoring their services to meet the specific needs of each individual, and they are committed to promoting an environment that inspires and motivates their clients to reach their full potential. Their passion for sports coaching is reflected in their comprehensive approach, and they take pride in helping individuals achieve success both on and off the field.

What do we chat about in the episode? 

During the episode, Karl and Adam open up in an honest and transparent way about: 

·       Their journey from childhood friends to owning a business, and the steep learning curves throughout the process.

·       The importance of offering a wide variety of opportunities to children.

·       How a customer care focus has helped their business grow.

·       EPC’s mission, vision, and values.

·       How being accountable owners drive successful teams.

·       The amazing highs, and tough lows of being business owners.

Listen wherever you get your podcasts. 

Watch on YouTube [link to YouTube video] 

We’re excited to welcome Tom Trout, an expert in Nursery, Childcare, Wraparound care, and Sports Coaching Recruitment, to The Active Code. 

Tom is the Managing Director of Love Recruitment, which specialises in recruiting care staff for companies across the UK. They recruit for all departments within the childcare sector, from senior operations to front-line teams. Their services include providing staff for wrap-around care, sports camps, and childcare environments. Love Care Recruitment's focus is on providing outstanding service and delivery while continuously innovating to ensure their clients make the right decisions.
 


Who is Tom Trout? 
 
As the Recruitment Director of a specialist fitness recruitment agency based in Southeast London, Tom leads a team of consultants to deliver exceptional service to both clients and candidates. 
His agency recruits for health and fitness jobs across various sectors, including franchise, private, public, and commercial. We aim to save our clients time and act as their agents to find the best candidates, resulting in a long-term and effective return on investment. Their approach is focused on building strong partnerships with our clients and becoming their account managers. 
Tom and his team have supported over a thousand candidates to find their perfect roles, and are specialists in nursery, child, and adult care.
A few of his achievements involve successfully account managing his client’s business to become one of the most profitable accounts since taking over as Recruitment Director. Additionally, he is sharing this extensive expertise with the new generation of workers as he’s recruited and trained new consultants to achieve their targets.

 
What do we chat about in the episode? 
 
During the episode, Tom shares: 
 
• How Love Care do things differently.
• Why putting their clients and applicants at the heart of everything builds trust and leads to better results.
• The current recruitment trends in the children’s activity sector.
• Why so many job adverts don’t work.
• Since the pandemic, what people look for in a job advert.
• How employers must adapt to a new generation of applicants.
• The results of an industry-wide survey of applicants.

We’re excited to welcome Stuart Armstrong, a strategic sports development professional, to The Active Code. 

Stuart has been involved with some of the biggest names in the industry.  Some of which include The Golf Foundation, UK Coaching, The RFU as Head of Player Pathways, and Development & Rugby Growth. Stuart’s most recent role with Sport England as Head of Coaching & Strategic Lead for Workforce Transformation. Using his extensive experience within the industry, Stuart shares the current challenges with physical activity initiatives. 

Who is Stuart Armstrong? 

Stuart Armstrong is a dynamic, and innovative sports development professional with a proven track record of leading transformational change initiatives across multiple sporting domains. He is currently developing the sport and physical activity workforce to better meet the needs of a broader range of participants. 

His specialities include but aren’t limited to Coach Development, Coach Education, Talent Academies, apprenticeships, and Sourcing External Funding. 

What do we chat about in the episode? 

During the episode, Stuart shares: 

·       The challenges with current physical activity initiatives. 

·       Lack of autonomy in the delivery of physical activity. 

·       Why children’s activity levels are low.

·       The vital role people play in engaging children and young people. 

·       Ideas on developing the sector’s workforce.

Listen wherever you get your podcasts. 

Last week we  welcomed Craig Brennan, founder and CEO of The Little Sports Group, to The Active Code.

This episode is the best bits!

Drawing on his extensive experience in the sports, education, and childcare industries, Craig shared his expertise and insights in this must-listen episode.

Who is Craig Brennan?

Craig Brennan is an experienced CEO with a demonstrated history of working in sports,
education and childcare. Craig is founder and CEO of The Little Sports Group, a group of companies that provide education, childcare and physical activity programmes across the UK to schools and families.

Craig is skilled in strategy, innovation, operations and leadership, and has a proven track record in acquisitions, start-ups and scaling businesses.

What do we chat about in the episode?

During the episode, Craig shares:

·       His experiences of acquisitions

·       Employing over 230 people and the challenges that brings

·       What LSC’s people strategy includes and why it’s vital for success

·       How his views on physical activity and what it means have changed over time

Listen wherever you get your podcasts or watch on YouTube  @AspireActiveEducation

We’re excited to welcome Craig Brennan, founder and CEO of The Little Sports Group, to The Active Code.

Drawing on his extensive experience in the sports, education, and childcare industries, Craig shares his expertise and insights in this must-listen episode.

Who is Craig Brennan?

Craig Brennan is an experienced CEO with a demonstrated history of working in sports,
education and childcare. Craig is founder and CEO of The Little Sports Group, a group of companies that provide education, childcare and physical activity programmes across the UK to schools and families.

Craig is skilled in strategy, innovation, operations and leadership, and has a proven track record in acquisitions, start-ups and scaling businesses.

What do we chat about in the episode?

During the episode, Craig shares:

·       His experiences of acquisitions

·       Employing over 230 people and the challenges that brings

·       What LSC’s people strategy includes and why it’s vital for success

·       How his views on physical activity and what it means have changed over time

Listen wherever you get your podcasts or watch on YouTube @AspireActiveEducation

We’re excited to welcome Chris Sharman, co-founder of Topodium, to The Active Code. Chris has been at the forefront of innovation in the sports, health and wellbeing industries and has a wealth of experience and insights to share. Through Topodium, Chris aims to transform these industries and make a positive impact on people's lives.

Who is Chris Sharman?

Chris co-founded Topodium Group in 2020 with a single mission; to transform the sports, health and wellbeing industries.

By leveraging a powerful set of collaborative solutions and industry expertise, from sports marketing and technology, to youth consultancy and business growth, 

Topodium are able to effectively and efficiently address change, achieving better outcomes and inspiring new possibilities for people around the world.

What do we chat about in the episode?

·       The challenges of rolling out services on a global scale

·       How Topodium put emphasis on a ‘family feel’ organisation, even through rapid growth

·       The vision of making people feel good inside and out

·       The importance of selling the ‘why’ and the feeling through marketing messages

Listen wherever you get your podcasts.

Watch on YouTube 

Last week we has Sporting Communities’ Ben Rigby join us on The Active Code. Here are some of the best bits of the episode for you to enjoy.

Who is Ben Rigby?

Ben Rigby is Managing Director at Sporting Communities.

Sporting Communities is an ethical, not-for-profit community interest company who are committed to delivering cost-effective, timely and professional services.

What do we chat about in the full episode?

You’ll get to hear:

·       How Ben and his team have engaged over 30,000 people in regular physical activity

·       How Ben and his team have invested millions into communities 

·       What Ben means by providing ‘activity by stealth’

·       The importance of stepping out of your comfort zone to develop

·       How it’s vital to go down and talk to those in your local communities to fully understand what motivates them to take part

Listen now wherever you get your podcasts.

Watch on YouTube:  https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOmF3y8wuiYKL7jmm1kdxRgJqwzHtVAwo

We’re excited to have Sporting Communities’ Ben Rigby joining us on The Active Code.

Who is Ben Rigby?

Ben Rigby is Managing Director at Sporting Communities.

Sporting Communities is an ethical, not-for-profit community interest company who are committed to delivering cost-effective, timely and professional services.

 What do we chat about?

During this episode you’ll get to hear:

·       How Ben and his team have engaged over 30,000 people in regular physical activity

·       How Ben and his team have invested millions into communities 

·       What Ben means by providing ‘activity by stealth’

·       The importance of stepping out of your comfort zone to develop

·       How it’s vital to go down and talk to those in your local communities to fully understand what motivates them to take part

Our last episode of our podcast was with Chris Jones, ex-international England rugby player. This latest episode features the best bits of that podcast.

Who is Chris Jones?

On the pitch, Chris was a senior player and key decision-maker. Chris was a key member of successful Premiership-winning squads and capped for England.

Following his playing days, Chris is still involved in coaching and mentoring younger players.

In his professional career, Chris has moved outside of the sector.

What do we chat about?

During this episode, Chris speaks to Luke and Paul about:

·       Being offered his first professional contract

·       The transition from his playing days to his new career

·       The impact physical activity has on mood, sleep and health

·       What the great leaders did in high-pressure situations

·       What leading by example looks like

Listen now wherever you get your podcasts and on YouTube