Everybody Health & Leisure launches Mia Magic Awards in memory of swim teacher and HR apprentice Mia Jennings. Independent charity Everybody Health & Leisure officially launched their new Mia Magic Awards on Friday 22nd November at Macclesfield Leisure Centre, in partnership with Mia’s memorial fund, set up by her parents James and Louise Jennings of Greenside Estate in Macclesfield. The Awards have been developed to honour the memory of EHL staff member Mia Jennings, who died in 2023 aged just 19, from cardiac arrest.
The award is comprised of five certificates that children on the Everybody Health & Leisure Learn to Swim Scheme can earn. The certificates all refer to a quality of Mia’s. They are:
Being Respectful and Loyal
Being Brave and Determined
Being Happy and Friendly
Being Kind and Caring
Being Helpful and Organised
Once a child has been awarded all five certificates they will receive a pin badge as recognition of the full Mia Magic Award. Prior to launching the award Katie Harrop, Head of People and Organisational Development at Everybody asked children who attend clubs, swim at the leisure centres or attend Active Holidays programmes to submit their own designs. Five winners were chosen, and their designs developed into the certificates that make up the award. On Friday the winners were invited to come to the Leisure Centre to collect a framed certificate and their winning submissions, presented to them by Mia’s parents, and Everybody Health & Leisure’s CEO Thomas Barton.
Thomas said, ‘We are so happy to see the children collecting their winning submissions and certificates today and we hope that these awards will continue to inspire children to show the amazing qualities that made Mia such a wonderful teacher and person.’
Katie Harrop added ‘I was privileged enough to work with Mia in the HR team and I know firsthand how she embodied every element of these awards. It has been wonderful working with the children that she taught and her parents to develop these awards, as well as using our resources as a charity to enable over 450 cardiac screenings through CRY’.
Everybody, and Mia’s memorial fund have benefited from the support of CRY (Cardiac Risk in the Young) who have supported the charity in putting on cardiac screenings at their leisure centres to make sure no more members of staff are lost to preventable cardiac events. James and Louise Jennings have also been supported by Deborah Dixon, who lost her son Aaron (23) to cardiac arrest. Earlier this month Deborah supported her 100th event in memory of Aaron.
If you would like to support Mia’s memorial fund or CRY in the run up to Christmas please consider donating or attending Mia’s Festive Tractor Run on the 28th December at Higher Farm in Byley.