The Prince and Princess of Wales join mental fitness workout

The Prince and Princess of Wales attended a mental fitness workshop run by SportsAid at Bisham Abbey National Sports Centre. The workshop, run in conjunction with charity BelievePerform, supports young sportspeople and their families to manage their mental wellbeing, and to understand how together they can build the skills for happy and healthy experiences in sport and life.

A survey conducted by SportsAid and BelievePerform in September 2023 found that 42% of young athletes said they occasionally feel anxious in their day-to-day life, with a further 20% saying they ‘often’ or ‘always’ felt anxious. In addition, 40% of all athletes reported they were unsure how much access they have to mental health services or support.

During their visit, The Prince and Princess joined sessions with young athletes and parents to see the support being offered by SportsAid to build their mental fitness. They were joined in the sessions by SportsAid ambassadors including gold medal winning Paralympic swimmer Ellie Simmonds and Commonwealth champion netball player Ama Agbeze. 

Their Royal Highnesses also took part in two practical sessions with young athletes focused around building mental resilience. The first session saw them try to score points in a netball hoop under external pressures such as crowd noise or against the clock. Finally, The Prince and Princess played in a game of goalball, a visually impaired Paralympic sport.