Crown Princess Victoria has participated in a session with the training group “Bara vanlig” for people with cognitive function variations. The Crown Princess Couple Foundation financially supports the project.
This time Crown Princess Victoria left her high heels and formal attire in her closet as she sported black leggings, a black shirt and running shoes to participate in a training session of “Bara vanlig” which would translate as “Just normal” in English.
Photo: Sara Friberg, Kungl. Hovstaterna
The group was founded in 2016 when a father, Niclas Wennerlund wanted to sign up his daughter with a cognitive function variation for a sports-related hobby only to discover that there were none. Mr Wennerlund then founded “Bara vanlig”, a running group in which everyone can participate regardless of their functional variations. At first, it was just himself, his daughter and her assistants but soon others joined, too.
Today, “Bara vanlig” has around 20 training groups throughout Sweden with the goal to become nationwide in 2021. The project is supported by the Crown Princess Couple Foundation, founded on the occasion of the wedding of Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel in 2010.
Photo: Sara Friberg, Kungl. Hovstaterna
The Crown Princess visited one of the running groups at Hellasgården, Nacka. She joined in a three-kilometre run through the forest, and after the work-out, Crown Princess Victoria joined the children and volunteers for coffee and a conversation.
Photo: Sara Friberg, Kungl. Hovstaterna
The volunteers are obligated to follow a special online training session and subsequent workshop in order to learn to understand people with cognitive functional variations. The preparation aims to recognise the strength and capabilities of these people instead of weaknesses.
The Crown Princess Couple Foundation was established in 2010 on the occasion of the wedding of Crown Princess Victoria to Daniel Westling. The Foundation supports projects with the topics of social isolation and health. Recently, the Crown Princess Couple also founded “Generation Pep”, a non-profit organisation with “the vision that all children and young people in Sweden should have the ability and desire to live an active and healthy life.”
