Medal-winning clay target shot Amber Hill, BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year 2013, attended a national event with BASC’s Huw Lloyd designed to inspire young women to take up careers in sport.
The event, at London’s Olympic Park, was part of a campaign entitled Inspiring Women in Sport which is aimed at encouraging the next generation of young women to consider a career in sport. It was hosted by broadcaster Clare Balding.
Three hundred girls from 18 state schools attended the event at the London Aquatics Centre.
More than 50 influential women from sports governing bodies, professional athletes and sports media took part and spoke to groups of schoolgirls about forging their career in sport. In addition to shooting, sports represented included everything from archery to volleyball.
Huw Lloyd, BASC England South East officer said: “Deciding in your teens what path to take in life can be difficult so we were pleased to be able to attend this event and inspire and encourage some budding young sportswomen.”
Amber Hill started shooting when she was 10 years old and her successes include winning the gold medal at the International Shooting Sport Federation World Cup in 2013.
She said: “I’m not a typical shooter, I use pink cartridges and a brightly coloured gun. I am a real girly girl and sport is a massive part of my life. I was keen to show the schoolgirls attending the event that they too can have a mix of both.”
The event was backed by principal partner BT Sport and also the British Olympic Association and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
The week is part of the wider Inspiring Women campaign, run by charity the Education and Employers Taskforce which already has 12,650 female volunteers willing to go into state schools to talk with pupils.
For more information visit http://www.inspiringthefuture.org or Twitter @Edu_Employers
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