“I am delighted that this new allocation of funding is available
and is specifically targeted at improving access to grassroots
sport to more disabled people."
Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson
With less than 100 days to go until
the start of the Paralympic Games, organisations with ideas and
expertise to open up more sporting opportunities for disabled
people can now bid for a share of £8 million of National Lottery
funding after the launch of Sport England’s Inclusive
Sport fund.
Supported by Britain’s greatest Paralympian
Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, the fund will help to tackle the
opportunity gap that sees just one in six disabled adults playing
sport regularly, compared to one in three non-disabled adults.
“It is an uncomfortable truth that disabled
people enjoy fewer opportunities to get involved in sport,” said
Jennie Price, Sport England’s Chief Executive. “Sport England is
committed to changing that, and making it easier for disabled
people to fit sport into their daily lives.
“The Paralympic Games will put the sporting
achievements of disabled people in the spotlight as never before. I
want to make sure that Sport England's £8m lottery investment is a
catalyst to help more disabled people get involved.”
The investment is part of the Places
People Play legacy programme that is bringing the inspiration
and magic of a home Olympic and Paralympic Games into communities
all over the country. Organisations can bid for £10,000 or
more for projects that make is easier for disabled people to take
part in sport more often.
“I am delighted that this new allocation of
funding is available and is specifically targeted at improving
access to grassroots sport to more disabled people,” said Baroness
Grey-Thompson. “I am confident that this will encourage people who
don’t come from a traditional sporting background to
participate.”
There are a number of challenges facing
disabled people wanting to take part in sport. These include lack
of specialist equipment; transport issues; low self-confidence;
deliverers who aren’t trained to offer sport inclusively; and poor
information about the opportunities out there.
“We want more disabled people to have the
opportunity to play sport,” said Hugh Robertson MP, the Minister
for Sport and the Olympics. “In the year the Paralympics come home,
this £8 million investment will help breakdown some of the barriers
to participation and make sport a more viable choice for disabled
people.”
Inclusive Sport builds on the recent
investments by Sport England to improve the expertise offered by
the disability sport sector to other organisations that want to get
disabled people playing sport. It brings opportunities for new
partnerships that bring together experts from both the sport and
disability sectors.
It also heralds a greater focus on disabled
participation throughout the sport sector. A large number of sports
bodies are currently drawing up ambitious plans to increase
participation levels among disabled people over the next four
years. From football to fencing any sport seeking public investment
for its disability plans will be required to sign up to targets for
raising participation rates among disabled people.