#TimeTogether: Your stories

My mum is my top supporter

Elizabeth and mum victoria

It’s so good to be able to spend time with my mum as I spend a lot of time at college, so I don’t get to see ger much during the day when I am there and she is working.  So we get time to go to our yoga class together or she takes me back and fourth to my cycle training we can have a good chat and a catch up. I can’t really ride with mum anymore when I have training or endurance rides to do so it’s great when we find something we can do together like yoga or even walking together its always great to get to spend time with her still being active.

I like it when my mum comes and supports me at races, my mum has a special way of being able to calm me down before races as I get very stressed out so it helps her being there.  She gives great pep talks too! She is very supportive and just great support overall to have at my races.  Without my mum there I really wouldn’t be able to perform the way I do s I am so thankful she is there to support me at races and take me to training all of the time and puts me before herself always.

Feel the call of the wild, the challenge of the rock and the freedom of the hills

Mariella Sullivan, Hill Walking and Volunteer Coordinator

What’s the best thing about the countryside? You already belong there. The hills don’t judge and the crags don’t care how expensive your shoes were. Spending time on wild moorlands and rocky outposts can be freeing and exhilarating, peaceful and challenging. No matter how you like to move, you set the pace.

Spending time in nature can help to improve your mood, it reduces feelings of stress and anger, and can help you to feel more relaxed. It can build self-esteem and reduce loneliness, helping you to feel more connected and present in the world around you. And there is no better way to experience these benefits while immersing yourself in the natural world than by getting out in to the hills.

Walking and climbing are ideal ways to get active and spend time together. Whether as belay partners or as explorers on the hills, climbing and walking will help to build trust and create incredible memories. Interested? Here’s how to get started:

 How to start Hill Walking

Walking is maybe one of the easiest activities to start out in, whatever your ability you’re already acing it! You don’t need to spend money on entrance fees and you likely already have everything you need at home, a comfortable pair of supportive shoes (that you don’t mind getting muddy), a jumper or two to keep you warm and a rain coat to keep you dry. You can start out locally, find a park, river or nature reserve. Once you feel confident to head further afield, the BMC has all the support and advice you need to get out in to the hills, mountains and moorlands of this beautiful island. For a comprehensive guide on getting started, download a copy of Into the Hills, our latest guide for new hill walkers.

Get involved! Why not join us at the YHA Festival of Walking, where BMC Volunteers will be leading guided walks from YHA hostels around England and Wales. Walks are beginner friendly and open to all, just sign up on the YHA website.

How to start climbing

If the challenge and excitement of climbing is calling you head down to your local wall to give it a go. You can find walls on the BMC’s Wall Finder tool. Look out for walls offering #TimeTogether deals this October. Just take some comfy clothes you can easily move about in and think about whether you want to give rope climbing or bouldering a go. Different walls will have different set ups. Bouldering is a great place to start as you don’t need belaying (rope) skills, but if you do want to learn the ropes you might consider joining a BMC affiliated club or looking out for beginner and training sessions offered by the wall. For more information on getting started, take a look at our five steps to start climbing.

DOWNLOAD Parents Guide

Wednesday rounders is me and Georgia time

Tash and her daughter Georgia

This is the heart-warming story of how rounders became an integral part of Tash and Georgia’s mother and daughter relationship.

Six years ago, Tash was lucky enough to welcome Georgia into her home as her foster parent. On their first full day together, they went to play a rounders match! It was an experience that continues to be important in their special bond.

Georgia says “it was nerve wracking to say the least as I didn’t know Tash very well at this point, …..I left after the match thoroughly enjoying it.”

They continue to play for the same club, North Devon Rounders, both enjoying the chance to spend time together. Even though Georgia is old enough to have moved out now, they continue to play and look forward to their rounders training sessions.

Tash says that rounders is still so important to their relationship because “when it comes to Wednesday rounders, it’s me and Georgia time”.

We pick up a stick together every Saturday

The Golledge family

Caroline, 53, is a proud mum who gets to spend most Saturdays on the hockey pitch for Berkshire based team Scarlett Runners. Scarlett Runners are a ladies club team based in Berkshire consisting of just one team, founded over 100 years ago, currently playing in the South Central Women’s Division 3 Thames league.

The team, built up of local players from across the county who love to play hockey but can’t commit to weekly training or matches, encourages players of all ages and abilities to come, pick up a stick and play hockey in a fun and relaxed environment.

Caroline joined Scarlett Runners age 31 after a 13 year gap when she decided not to play hockey at university after first playing at age 11.

Daughter Ruby, 22, like her mum, played hockey throughout school and took a step back whilst at university. Ruby decided just over a year ago to get back into hockey with her family and joined the Scarlett Runners alongside her mum and sister Daisy.

Daisy, 19, played hockey until she was 14, but, with some persuasion and encouragement from the Runners, Daisy joined the team and has been playing ever since.

The trio love being able to play hockey together, they tried other activities like running, but found hockey was perfect because they can play in the same team regardless of their ability, fitness and age.

As a mum, Caroline loves spending time with her family, she comments: “Logistically it’s really really good because you’re all going out together, but also, it gives us something to talk about after. We’ve got a really nice team that we play for but it’s nice that we have something to talk about and can do together.”

“As you get older and we all get busy and are working at different times and don’t see each other in the weekday, it’s really nice to see each other on a Saturday” continued Daisy.

Ruby added “I was really excited about the idea of the season starting again and being able to play more regularly. It’s really nice to do something together and to have a bit of guidance from someone you are really comfortable with and get a bit of support from your sister”.

Get started: 

Find a Club
Pick up a stick 

Weightlifting helps me cope with challenging days

Heather and Abigail

Heather and daughter Abigail Burt are both weightlifters. They told us what inspired them into the sport:

Heather, how did you get into weightlifting? 

“I started out in CrossFit, then Ramsey Kechacha, my coach, put on a weightlifting course there and the rest is history.”

Abigail – was your mum a role model to you getting into weightlifting? How did you start lifting?

“Yes, I wanted to do what she did. I started with a broomstick in the garage with mummy over lockdown and then when we got the garden gym, they bought me my own bar. After that I really started to get into it”.

Where do you train?

“Abigail trains at Colchester Weightlifting, 3 times a week with the other youths whilst I train both at the gym (Colchester weightlifting) and in our home gym in the garden”.

Are there benefits of you both weightlifting?

“The main benefit is the shared interest and time spent together, but it does help that we can both cope with the more challenging day to day tasks that involve a bit of strength relatively easily”.

Have you ever / do you train together? If so, does this help to keep you motivated?

“When Abigail first started, we trained together a lot, now that she is older and has joined the youth sessions at the gym (Colchester weightlifting) we don’t so much. But I am always training at the same time and for me the fact that I know she is watching motivates me more than anything else, I just want to make my daughter proud.

Abigail, has it helped that your mum has also been involved in weightlifting? Has it made you want to continue training?

“Yes, sometimes when I don’t feel like going to the gym Mummy tells me to get in the car and I go and have fun with my friends”.

Abigail, what do you enjoy about weightlifting? 

“I love weightlifting and want to be an Olympic champion”.

Heather, what do you enjoy about weightlifting? 

“I enjoy the day to day grind and then the feeling when it all pays off, comp day normally. I also love the community, some of my best friends are in my life because of weightlifting and I will be forever grateful for that”.

Women in Sport is encouraging mothers and their teenage daughters to spend #TimeTogether this October trying out new activities to experience the joy that sport and exercise can bring – why would you encourage people to try weightlifting?

Abigail – “Because when I go to train I feel happy and energetic”.

Heather – “I would encourage people to try weightlifting because it’s not just a sport, it’s an amazing way to improve your fitness, strength and mobility for day to day life and it’s a whole community of some the most supportive and caring people you will ever meet”.

Thank you for taking the time to speak to us Heather and Abigail. We look forward to catching up with you at a competition soon!

Want to get fitter and stronger? Why not try Couch2Kilos which is a strength challenge designed to help EVERY women get stronger in 6-weeks.

With three levels Couch2Kilos is suitable for women of all abilities from just starting out to those who are already active.

It is totally flexible, you can do it anytime, from anywhere, at the gym or home and on any device. You can start with zero equipment and work up the levels and learn how use a variety of weights. For more information click here.

Want to try Olympic Weightlifting? We have affiliated clubs who can help you get started on your weightlifting journey. To find a club near you visit our club finder web page here.

Rugby helped me find inner strength

Ellie and Ali

At primary school I found out that I was naturally good at sport. I had a really encouraging PE teacher who introduced my class to tag rugby. I loved the rough and tumble of it all but when I moved on to secondary school there weren’t many options to continue, and it just tailed off.

It wasn’t until I was around 13 and a friend of my mum’s set up a girls rugby club that I found a route back into the sport.

I love being part of a team, working together with people you love to reach a goal. Rugby has given me such confidence. I can be proud of what I look like, my strength and power and nothing matches that feeling of having hold of the ball and running free up the pitch.

It’s brilliant to be able to share this feeling with my mum. One summer the club ran a fun for fitness programme, and I persuaded my mum to come along and that was it, she was hooked too! It has been so good playing rugby or training with my mum. We’ve grown closer. We’ve become friends as well as mother and daughter. It is great to have this common interest.”

Mum, Ali, has found that playing rugby together has opened up a whole new life for her and taken their relationship to a new level.

Netball takes away the pressure of work and school

Phoenix Netball

We previously played in adult (mums) and junior (daughters) teams then started our own netball team ‘Phoenix’. When playing as Phoenix, we found we had gaps in our team, either due to injury or maternity leave, so our daughters filled in.

We soon became a team that almost always had at least two mum/daughter pairings in each game. It hasn’t been uncommon to have three pairings playing in a game.

Melissa (48) and Maisy (18): “It’s been really important for us to play netball together because it’s given us time to do something away from the pressures of work and school. It’s also meant that we have something to do together, we have a large family and netball has been something Maisy and I have been able to share.”

Rachel (54) and Molly (18): “It’s great playing together. It gives us a shared activity and we enjoy talking about the game after the match. It gives us one-to-one time together.”

Gill (51), Lizzie (19) and Hattie (18): “Netball gave me the opportunity to play sport with both my daughters as they grew up and progressed through their later teenage lives. It was a time away from the day to day, and probably made us closer as a result.”

We enjoy taking our dog running

Lara and Clare

We went on a run once together for fun and just kept going! We also need to take our dog out every day and I really like running with our dog. I enjoy the fresh air, going on the Downs and to local parks, exercising and spending time together. I like running with my mum because I like spending time with her.

It is important to be active, it keeps me healthy. I also love playing tennis and being fitter and faster is good for my tennis!

Me and my mum have always been really close, running together means we can be even closer and be together more.

Golf has given us a special bond

Tracey and Amelia

Tracey and Amelia both agree that playing golf gives them an opportunity to spend precious time together, to chat, to compete, to wind down and to share a laugh or two while enjoying great exercise is what has helped create an extra special bond between the two generations.

Mum Tracey was already a keen golfer when 10-year-old Amelia first picked up a club to have a bash. Soon, her other sporting loves took a backseat and it was full steam ahead on the golf courses around their home in Norfolk.

Earlier this summer Amelia, now 21, and her mum achieved the rare honour of being selected for England and winning their respective categories at the Home Internationals against Wales, Ireland and Scotland staged at Woodhall Spa.