TSB Celebrates Streetsport With £10K Donation and Giant Artwork in Aberdeen

 

To honour the Mirror’s Pride of Sport TSB Community Partner Award winner, TSB commissioned the Graffiti Kings to create a mural on a six-storey building of Streetsport – an initiative aimed at reducing youth crime and antisocial behaviour through sport and physical activity.

The giant artwork was celebrated on Monday 18 December at TSB on St Nicholas Street, which is also celebrating its first anniversary this month.

As a surprise at the event, Chris Galloway, TSB Area Director for North East Scotland, presented Streetsport with a cheque for £10,000 from TSB – to go towards expanding the incredible work it does for communities in Scotland.

Set up in 2015 Streetsport uses sport as a means of touching the hardest to reach sections of society and has improved the lives of more than 16,000 people who now regularly participate in its sessions including street football, street tennis and street dance.

The team has created specific programmes around the idea of ‘prevention, intervention and diversionary activities’ which have also spread from the street and into prison; where family visiting times involve a kickabout rather than just chats across the table to help inmates and their children maintain this important aspect of family life.

Chris Galloway, TSB Area Director for North East Scotland, says: “At TSB we’re all about supporting local causes that make a real difference in the communities they serve. Streetsport deserves to be celebrated in this way as the winner of the TSB Community Partner Award and hopefully it will not only raise awareness of the fantastic work they do but it will also inspire others to support their local community. We wanted to honour them in a really special way and we hope this mural and the £10,000 donation does exactly that.”

Neil Malcolm, Bank Manager, TSB St Nicholas Street, Aberdeen comments: “To be able to honour the team at Streetsport as we celebrate our first anniversary at TSB St Nicholas Street is extra special. Since we opened last year we have seen around 3,000 customers visiting our branch every week, and we’re looking forward to continuing to help many more with their banking. Aberdeen is a city that is very close to our heart at TSB as it was the site of one of the very first savings banks.”

Mark Williams, Chief Operating Officer of Streetsport says: “When TSB first approached us and proposed a large-scale mural in the city featuring Streetsport I thought it was an incredible idea.

“Especially as it features two of our volunteers, Kiloh and Rachael, who have progressed through the Streetsport programme. They’re going to be reflected exactly as they are, local heroes giving back in their city as well as helping the profile of the Streetsport charity.

“They’re a shining example of what can be achieved if you push yourself. They’ve been participants, they’ve been volunteers and now they are really reaping the rewards and changing their lives around.

“It’s only natural that they should be portrayed as the faces of Streetsport on this mural for Aberdeen to see so more people can be like them.”