Head of Safeguarding role appointment at Skateboard GB

We are happy to announce that Lara Hayward will be joining Skateboard GB as the Head of Safeguarding

Lara is passionate about creating healthy, sustainable, and inclusive cultures in the sport, arts and education sectors.  Her love for the outdoors has led her to explore the effects of the natural environment and community spaces, creativity and movement on health and wellbeing, specifically in the forms of surf therapy, dance for health, and nature connection programmes. Her lifelong desire to start skateboarding finally got off the ground in 2021, after a couple of sessions with Lynsey McClaren's Neighbourhood Skate Club and the London Girls Surf Club, and being inspired by the increasing number of women and girls taking up the sport. Alongside her current role, she co-founded HCSC, a club for landlocked surfers that aims to widen the social impact benefits of surfing and skating to underserved communities.

Lara joins us from Oxford University where she was responsible for leading the staff wellbeing programme. She has a background as a qualified lawyer,  previously holding Non-Executive Director positions focussing on safeguarding, athlete welfare and legal matters for Mountain Training England and the Paralympic NGB, Boccia UK.  As Legal Counsel at UK Sport she managed all regulatory aspects of investment into Olympic/Paralympic sport including anti-doping, funding eligibility, governance and athlete welfare matters. Alongside her legal career, Lara also worked in Athlete Services at the London 2012 Olympics, the ITU Triathlon series and as Ireland’s Team Liaison Officer at the England 2015 Rugby World Cup.

Lara will take responsibility for safeguarding within Skateboard GB and developing policies and processes to support good safeguarding practices across the diverse and rapidly changing environment of British skateboarding at all levels – from grassroots to talent progression and international performance.