Disabled people across the country will have more opportunities to
get involved in sport after we announced 44 projects that will
benefit from £10.2 million of National Lottery funding
from our
Inclusive Sport fund.
Welcoming the news, Britain’s greatest
Paralympian, Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson joined Sport England
Chief Executive Jennie Price at Mile End Leisure Centre and Stadium
to see first-hand how it will break down barriers to participation
for disabled people.
Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson said: “This
funding will go a long way to helping those inspired by the
outstanding performances of our Paralympians this summer to get out
and try sport for themselves. It’s fantastic to see such a wide
range of organisations benefitting – all of them focused on helping
more disabled people to discover how much sport has to offer.”
Responding to the high quality of bids, Sport
England has increased the funding available through this Olympic
and Paralympic legacy programme from £8 million to over £10
million. The Inclusive Sport fund will help tackle the
opportunity gap that sees one in six disabled adults playing sport
regularly, compared to one in three non-disabled adults.
Sport England Chief Executive, Jennie Price,
said: “We have one simple aim with this investment: to make sport a
viable choice for disabled people, young or not, talented or not.
It is a tribute to the organisations who bid for funding that we
had so many high quality proposals we were able to increase the
lottery funding available from £8 million to over £10 million.”
Minister for Sport Hugh Robertson said: “We
want to continue the momentum from the London 2012 Paralympic Games
and do all we can to increase opportunities for people with a
disability to get involved in sport. The Paralympics was arguably
the biggest success of the summer and we want to leave a real
legacy from the Games.”
Among the projects to receive funding is
Together East, which is receiving over £560,000 to deliver a series
of initiatives designed to respond to the needs of disabled people
in East London. A collaborative project between the London Legacy
Development Corporation, Pro-Active East London, five of the
Olympic and Paralympic Host Boroughs, Greenwich Leisure Limited,
WheelPower and Lee Valley Regional Park Authority, Together East
will deliver a multi-sport participation programme culminating in
an annual festival of disability sport on Queen Elizabeth
Olympic Park.
The funding will pay for sports equipment that
can be taken to a variety of locations using bespoke designed
portable surfaces in order to reach more than traditional sports
facilities, giving disabled people new opportunities to get
involved at times and places that are convenient to them. The
project will also recruit disabled people as ambassadors for sport
as well as working directly with venues, facilities and clubs to
support and improve the sports they have on offer.
Dennis Hone, Chief Executive of the London
Legacy Development Corporation, the lead applicant for the Together
East bid, said: “We are delighted that the Inclusive Sport fund
will help East London to build on the most successful Paralympics
in the history of the Games. Thousands of people will be inspired
to get involved in sport in and around Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park
and we want to make sure there are opportunities for everyone.
“Together with our partners, we are matching
the funding from Sport England so that Together East will channel
over a million pounds into sport for disabled people. With
accessible venues on the Park and an annual festival of disability
sport from 2013, there is a huge opportunity to leave a lasting
legacy.”
The Inclusive Sport fund builds on
the work already being done by Sport England to make grassroots
sport truly open to everyone, which is a key focus of the
organisation’s Youth and Community strategy.
Other projects to receive funding include:
- £352,381 for the Wheelchair Football Association to deliver
hundreds of introductory and coaching sessions for Powerchair
football. The funding will be used to recruit three development
officers to promote and deliver opportunities right across the
country.
- The Down’s Syndrome Association has been awarded £290,145 to
build upon its successful DS Active programme, which provides
children and young adults with Down’s syndrome the chance to get
involved in sports, particularly football. The programme will
be expanded to include adults and give opportunities to play
tennis.
Charles Reed, the Chair of English Federation
of Disability Sport (EFDS), said: “The number of applications and
the increase in the fund made available highlights how many
organisations have been inspired to increase inclusive sports
participation at every level. It is fantastic to see such a wide
range of successful projects, which will indeed make a wider impact
on local and national provision for disabled people. We look
forward to working with the project leaders to share better
practices, promote the opportunities and ensure disabled people can
be active for life”.
Inclusive Sport is part of Sport
England’s 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.
The British Paralympic Association is also
building on the success of the Paralympic Games and looking to help
those inspired by the London 2012 Games.
Tim Hollinsgworth, CEO of the British
Paralympic Association, said: “Alongside this welcome announcement
from Sport England, the British Paralympic Association is also
building on the inspiration of the Games and the success of the
ParalympicsGB team with a series of events designed to enable
disabled people to try Paralympic sport. The inaugural
ParalympicsGB Sport Fest takes place today and tomorrow at Surrey
Sports Park and over 800 disabled people are expected to attend to
'meet the medallists, try the sports and get inspired'.”