Lyndsey Barrett Accepts Honourary Degree

Sport for Confidence founder, Lyndsey Barrett has been awarded an honorary degree by Writtle University College in Essex. 

Lyndsey founded Sport for Confidence in 2015. The organisation has created opportunities for more than 3,000 individuals who face barriers to participation in sport. 

 

Sport for Confidence’s healthcare professionals, namely occupational therapists, work collaboratively with sports coaches with the aim of making society active and more equitable. 

 

In 2021, Lyndsey was awarded a British Empire Medal (BEM), in recognition of her work. 

Writtle University College’s Vice-Chancellor Professor Tim Middleton said: "We were delighted to confer honorary awards as part of our graduation ceremony. Lyndsey Barrett is an inspiration to our students and has made incredible contributions to removing barriers to participation within sport.” 

 

Lyndsey, who worked as a Senior Occupational Therapist for the NHS before launching Sport for Confidence, has extended occupational therapy practice into mainstream community-based settings, such as leisure centres. 

 

Her work enables more people to enjoy community spaces that promote movement, activity, wellbeing and relationships. Her ambition to influence nationally and to reimagine physical inactivity from an occupational perspective has recently resulted in a system partnership investment from Sport England. 

 

Sport for Confidence now operates at multiple leisure centres across Essex and London, bringing occupational therapists together with sports coaches to deliver goal oriented, person-centred sporting experiences. 

 

Lyndsey said: “‘I am absolutely delighted to receive an honorary degree from Writtle University College. It is a privilege to be an Occupational Therapist and to be able to apply an occupational perspective to tackling inequalities in physical activity participation. 

 

“There has never been a more important time to level the playing field for those most excluded from the huge benefits that sport and physical activity provides.” 

 

Writtle University College offers further and higher education sports courses on its countryside estate near Chelmsford. The University College’s facilities include a new Centre of Sport and Health which supports students, athletes and the local community. It is also home to the Writtle Performance Centre, a physiology lab that supports athletic performance. In 2023, the University College will offer two new Health, Sport and Wellbeing degree courses; BSc (Hons) Health and Exercise Psychology and BSc (Hons) Health and Physical Literacy. 

 

Lyndsey accepted her honorary degree on Friday, September 9, 2022 as part of the official, annual graduation ceremony held within the grounds of the University College’s beautiful countryside estate.