Today we are really excited to be able to share with you a Guest Post, written by a very enthusiastic and dedicated Schools Plus customer in Brenda Poller. The post is a great insight into the wonderful things Brenda’s T’ai Chi class have achieved and also how their positive working relationship with Schools Plus has helped the class thrive.
Hello! My name is Brenda and I run a T’ai Chi class at All Saints Lower School in York. It’s a small friendly class and runs every Wednesday evening 7pm to 8.30pm. I am a member of the Taoist Cultural Arts Association (www.seahorsearts.co.uk) and teach Lee style T’ai Chi as taught by Professor Chee Soo. The main emphasis in Lee style is on relaxation and health and it is based on Taoist philosophy.
I started the class a couple of years ago and met Steve Shooter, the venue manager for All Saints Lower School, when Schools Plus had just started managing the York schools. Steve and his team are always so helpful and go out of their way to make sure the classes run smoothly. A great example is when it’s very cold in the sports hall (in the winter months!) and the duty staff move us to another hall (when available) where it is much warmer. They even stand outside in the car park to wait for people arriving to direct them to the alternative hall! Wonderful service!
The exercises we do in the class are not strenuous and develop flexibility, posture and internal strength. This in turn has an impact on the overall well being of the student. The beauty of T’ai Chi is that it is suitable for all ages and abilities and you are never too old to learn! I have been practising for over 11 years now and it has become part of my daily life.
Last year myself and T’ai Chi colleagues from York took part in the TV programme ‘Our Dancing Town’ which had a finale in York and I think we got a few seconds airtime! We had great fun rehearsing and filming for it though! A video of the programme can be viewed on YouTube (if you’re interested!) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcCjbySv5uI&t=6s You’ll get a glimpse of us doing our T’ai Chi Dance after the Roman soldiers! I’m the one with the yellow belt!
The class continues all year – thanks to Schools Plus for managing the space during school holidays – a huge plus as far as I am concerned! At the moment we have been accommodated in the Upper School due to some work in the car park at the Lower School – again something we wouldn’t have been able to do had we dealt with the venue direct. There are some lovely outdoor spaces at both schools and in the summer months we take advantage of these and often work outside.
If you want to find out more please visit my page on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/yorkpriorytaichi/ – all page likes are most welcome!
Or follow me on Twitter – @BrendaPoller
Thanks again to Brenda for posting this fantastic insight into her T’ai Chi class. It really is great to see how Schools Plus can help clubs like Brenda’s thrive and survive all over the country.
If you’re also interested in hiring the facilities at All Saints York School please take a look here!