Earlier this week, we saw the incredible work of two of our proud partners come together for a groundbreaking evening in Easton. It was a privilege for us to be involved, as Empire Fighting Chance, Bristol Bears and the Bristol Bears Foundation teamed up to deliver an evening championing women’s sport, with a boxing, rugby and Pilates session for over 50 women followed by a host of inspiring discussions.

The evening saw Empire’s Box Sisterhood Programme and the Bears Foundation’s Strive 25 Programme combine to bring together young women and girls for sport, connection and powerful conversation.

Kicking off with a brilliant boxing session on the gym floor led by Empire, it was then over to the Bears coaches, who were joined by Scottish internationals Evie Gallagher and Meryl Smith, as well as England’s World Cup winner Sarah Bern, to lead some energetic rugby games and drills. To round off the session, Empire’s Kirsten Rees took everyone through some core and breathing exercises to help everyone regulate and focus on their wellbeing.

The panel sessions were focused on Women in Sport, where we heard from the Bears players together with Kirsty, W Women and Girls Coordinator at the Bristol Bears Foundation, and Dalma, Box Champions Coach and Amateur Boxing Lead at Empire Fighting Chance, who explored the themes of representation in sport and the challenging realities of making progress in pressurised and competitive environments.

This was followed by a thought-provoking panel lead by Empire’s Careers and Future Opportunities team, where the conversation shifted beyond the white lines of the rugby pitch and the four walls of the gym, looking at alternative pathways, before the Self-Care and Wellbeing panel centred on managing pressure and looking after mental health.

It was a fantastic opportunity for members of the Strive 25 and Box Sisterhood Programmes to share their thoughts and feelings, and it was brilliant to see so much active participation and insightful contributions to the conversations throughout the evening. One of the most poignant discussions came from Empire’s Redefining Failure panel, featuring their Impact Manager Eleanor Sadler, alongside two representatives from Bristol City Council and Francesca, a Strive 25 participant.

The final discussion was then centred around navigating the world as a woman, where the Bears players and a wide range a representatives from local businesses in Bristol shared their thoughts and experiences, including social media manager Eiri-Wyn Pitman, Natalie, a wildlife TV producer, co-owner of the Season + Taste restaurant chain Imogen Waite, Victoria, managing director of a Bristol recruitment company, and Lily, a member of the youth advisory board and a co-coach for our Box Sisterhood group.

It was a proud moment for us at RedRock to see the work of our partners complement each other and come together in such a purposeful manner, sharing our focus on creating brighter futures for young people in our local community. We created a short video in partnership with the Bears and Empire covering the event that you can watch here.