Secondary school girls take part in Brighton and Hove This Girl Can event 2026

More than 75 girls from Year 8 and 9 came together for the annual This Girl Can Be Inspired event – a day designed to encourage young secondary school girls to be confident, active, and see their place in sport.

Hosted at the 1st Central County Ground, home to Sussex Cricket, the event saw seven local schools in Brighton and Hove take part, including Dorothy Stringer, Portslade Aldridge Community Academy (PACA), Longhill School, Varndean, Blatchington Mill, Patcham High, and Brighton Aldridge Community Academy (BACA).

The event on Friday, March 20, was run in partnership with Brighton and Hove City Council’s School Games programme, Active Sussex, and the Sussex Cricket Foundation.

Gemma Finlay-Gray, Strategic Relationship Manager at Active Sussex, said: “Since the first event in 2024, we’ve seen positive change, but our work continues. 

“We are committed to evolving school and community provision so that every young person finds a sense of belonging in sport and physical activity, and feels safe and empowered to move in a way that works for them throughout their life journey.”

The pupils began the day by listening to three inspirational female speakers in sport – Sussex Cricket women’s team coach Alexia Walker, captain Chiara Green, and physiotherapist Alex Myall – who shared their journeys into sport and what it means to them.

Students also heard from a young cricket player, Bodil, who spoke about her pathway into the game.

Workshops throughout the day focused on practical knowledge and body confidence.

Lucy Horsell, co-founder of PeBe, spoke about the importance of wearing the correct sports bra and how to measure, while Emily Allen, from EmPower, led a workshop on being active and menstrual cycles.

Emma Greenough, School Games Organiser, said: “These events are so important to give girls the opportunity and space to learn more about how to choose the right sports bra and the effects the menstrual cycle has when you’re being active. 

“It’s a really positive space for girls to have conversations and ask questions to experts in their fields. 

“Having inspirational speakers from the world of sport also gives the girls the opportunity to see what they could do after school and why being physically active is so important for their health and wellbeing.”

In Brighton and Hove, research shows that only 15 per cent of secondary-age girls reported engaging in one hour of physical activity in the past seven days, compared to 27 per cent of boys. (BHCC Safe & Well at School Survey 2024) 

To find out more about why this is happening, students took part in a student voice session.

Here, they were asked what the most popular reasons were for girls to enjoy PE, school sport and physical activity. 

There was then a lively discussion of the barriers stopping girls from being active and what could be done to rectify them.

The next activity was to develop solutions to those barriers and create pledges they would take back to the schools.

Ideas suggested included launching a This Girl Can student group, creating posters about where girls can access period products, and introducing a student voice box in the changing rooms where pupils can drop in suggestions.

Emma said: “From these student voice activities, we will be working with the city’s secondary schools to create ‘This Girl Can Brighton and Hove School Pledges’ to break down these barriers and give girls more opportunities to be active.”

Afterwards, the impact of the event was clear in the pupils’ reflections.

One pupil said: “I found the period talk useful because it talked about stuff that no one else will talk to you about.”

Another pupil said: “I like how they incorporated our opinions.”