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Established in 2015, The Harlequins Foundation is the embodiment of the Harlequin FC belief to put our communities at the heart of everything we do. As the charitable arm of the Club, our focus is on solutions that tackle inequality, poor health and the challenges facing the most vulnerable in society using education, skills development and entrepreneurship.<\/p>\n
Vicki is one of the UK\u2019s leading fitness experts and founder of London\u2019s original barre and ballet studio, Barreworks. She trains a vast array of clientele from \u2018everyday\u2019 individuals to elite-level athletes and everyone in-between. She believes that every sport and every individual keen to improve their performance or movement patterns can learn a tremendous amount from ballet.<\/p>\n
Since her participation in the TV show SAS: Who Dares Wins, Vicki has become an advocate for women\u2019s resilience, grit and determination, inspiring others to exploit their genetic potential (physical and mental). She believes in training for general physical preparedness, and that achievement doesn\u2019t have to be constrained by talent \u2013 we all have it in us to succeed if we are driven to do so.<\/p>\n
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Next June, Vicki and three other \u2018ordinary\u2019 women will participate in The Great Pacific Race in an attempt to secure a new World Record. The team will row 2,400 miles, 2 hours on, two hours off from San Francisco to Hawaii. Vicki has never rowed on water until now and will rely on her physical strength and mental resilience to complete this extraordinary challenge.<\/p>\n
Vicki\u2019s inspirational achievements make her a perfect advocate of The Harlequins Foundation. Amongst other areas, she can utilise her experience for our SWITCH programme supporting and enabling girls to grow and develop their skills using sport.<\/p>\n
SWITCH is a multi-tiered programme aimed at encouraging girls to get involved in the sport by:<\/p>\n
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- Increasing accessibility and participation \u2013 providing opportunities for girls to take part in rugby.<\/li>\n
- Inspiring and Excelling \u2013 using our coaches to nurture and develop girls\u2019 progression within the game.<\/li>\n
- Developing and Sustaining \u2013 educating staff, supporting schools, and providing an onward pathway.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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Vicki says \u201cAs a rugby fan for as long as I can remember and with strong local ties to Harlequins with my business in Richmond, I\u2019m honoured to be asked to be an Ambassador for The Harlequins Foundation. I have participated in the brilliant \u2018Rival Ride\u2019 for the past two years, met many of the Harlequins \u2018Legends\u2019 and learned about the invaluable projects The Harlequins Foundation supports. I hope to be able to spread awareness and encourage engagement in their activities in the future as well as loudly cheer on the Women and Men\u2019s squads as they achieve success year after year.\u201d<\/p>\nVicki\u2019s inspiring personal story and journey to success in business and physical adventure supports the aims and goals of The Harlequins Foundation and we are delighted to be working with her.<\/p>\n
Marc Leckie, Head of the Foundation said, \u2018Vicki has been a strong supporter of ours over the last couple of years, through her participation in The Rival Ride and we are incredibly grateful she has agreed to be an ambassador for us. Her positive approach to life and the resilience she demonstrates when taking on challenges is to be hugely admired and something we know will resonate with the participants on our programmes.\u2019<\/p>\n