•Down’s Syndrome Association becomes 100th agency to sign up to ‘Inclusive and Active 2’
•25,000 disabled Londoners helped to become more active since 2010
The Mayor Boris Johnson has issued a rallying call for more organisations to embrace the legacy of London’s sell-out Paralympics by signing up to a ‘gold standard’ of disability sport, which has already helped tens of thousands of disabled Londoners become more active.
In the run up to the 2012 Paralympic Games, the Mayor launched Inclusive and Active 2, an action plan to get more disabled Londoners involved in sport. Working in partnership with leading sports development agency, Interactive, the focus is on making mainstream sports provision open to all Londoners. Since its inception in 2010, around 25,000 disabled Londoners have been helped to become more active.
One hundred organisations, ranging from major charities and borough councils to grassroots community sports clubs, have now signed up to Inclusive and Active 2’s ‘gold standard’, committing to become more accessible to all Londoners.
In a world first, London will host both the IAAF Athletics World Championships and the IPC Athletics World Championships together in 2017. Ahead of this prestigious event, Boris Johnson wants to see many more organisations involved in sport in the capital sign up to the ‘gold standard’ scheme. Already, any organisation applying for money from the Mayor’s own sports participation fund must pledge to adopt the standard.
The Mayor is investing over £16million to develop sports projects and will invest a further £6million over the next two years. So far this has helped nearly 80 sports facilities, trained 13,000 coaches and invested in numerous projects, in a range of different sports. Every single scheme has set out a clear plan to involve disabled people. Additionally, through the Mayor’s sports skills fund, over 100 disabled Londoners have been helped into employment in the sports and leisure industry.
The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: ‘One year on from London’s historic sell-out Paralympic Games, I am more determined than ever to make London the most inclusive city in the world. Creating more opportunities for disabled Londoners to get involved in sport has been a vital element of work to ensure a long-lasting legacy from our awe-inspiring Games. More and more organisations are taking steps to help us reach this goal, but, as London prepares to host the IPC Athletics World Championships in 2017, I want to see all sports providers reach our gold standard of inclusive sports provision.'
Kate Hoey, the Mayor’s sports commissioner, said: ‘It has always been our central aim to ensure that every disabled person in London can participate in their preferred sport or physical activity at their chosen level ideally as part of mainstream sports provision. We also want to promote the sports industry as a fulfilling employment option for disabled Londoners. One year since the heady excitement of the Paralympics, there’s been good progress but we want to see these benefits reaching even more people in the future.'
Rebecca Dance, Chief Executive of Interactive, said: ‘The 100th ‘Inclusive and Action 2’ adoption represents a landmark moment in Interactive’s development of significant and sustainable cultural change. But it is also just a stepping stone to a fully inclusive sporting landscape; one where disabled people have truly equal opportunities to take part in the activity of their choice, at the venue of their choice and at the level of their choice. The Down’s Syndrome Association’s commitment to these ideals and the importance of sport and physical activity can set a benchmark for other disability sector agencies, whose support will be essential if we are to achieve our aim of disability equality in sport.’
Celebrating the first anniversary of the London Paralympic Games, the Mayor is hosting National Paralympic Day featuring his annual Liberty Festival in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park (Saturday 7 September). Elite athletes will revisit Paralympic glories and Londoners can have a hands-on go at a range of disability sports such as boccia, as well as enjoy a programme of Deaf and disabled arts, including street theatre, dance and live music.
The London Legacy Development Corporation is also promoting disability sport in boroughs local to Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park through Motivate East, which has a target to support 5000 disabled Londoners get involved in sport and to train over 70 disability sport volunteers by February 2016. To date, Motivate East has helped nearly 700 disabled people take part in this programme.
The Down’s Syndrome Association (DSA) is the 100th organisation to sign up to Inclusive and Active 2. Former Premier League and Republic of Ireland star Kevin Kilbane became a patron of the DSA seven years ago and has been heavily involved in its DSActive programme* since its inception, for example assisting in the delivery of three national football festivals.
Kevin Kilbane, said: ‘As the proud parent of a daughter with Down’s syndrome, I want her to be able to have similar opportunities – to experience the sheer fun of playing football and to have the chance to have football aid in her development. It has often been said that football is a universal language that brings together people from different countries and cultures. While this is true, I think we can take it a step further to include people of all abilities and backgrounds. I am proud to be the father to a daughter with the condition and proud to be a patron of the Down’s Syndrome Association and DSActive. I hope the programme will continue to grow provide yet more players with Down’s syndrome the opportunity to enjoy and learn from sport.’
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Notes to editors
For more information on Interactive, visit: http://www.interactive.uk.net/page.asp?section=000100010005§ionTitle=Inclusive+and+Active+2
Case studies of projects that have received Mayor’s sports programme funding:
•Run! London received £200,000 from the Mayor’s sports participation fund helping to bring grassroots sports to inner London boroughs. It is a community-led athletic project, bringing activities, sports events and taster sessions to these areas. The project ensures all its activities are inclusive to disabled people and has seen an uplift in participation from disabled Londoners since the Games.
•London Wheelchair Basketball Development Programme received £95,000 to increase capacity for wheelchair basketball to be delivered in London. This project has provided opportunities for over 9000 people to experience wheelchair basketball in its goal to support the development of new wheelchair basketball clubs across the city: in September 2011 there were only 2 clubs in London, as a result of Mayor of London funding this has increased to 11 clubs (with 2 additional clubs and 5 satellite clubs in the pipeline). These 11 clubs are host to more than 400 regular participants. Since 2011, 4 additional London clubs have entered the national wheelchair basketball league. The project has also established a schools competition and a London regional competition. Over 350 people have been trained as wheelchair basketball coaches. The £95k invested has resulted in the project being able to leverage more than £400k investment and commitment to sustain and expand activity over the next 3 years.
•Cricket for Change successfully bid for £180,000 from the Mayor’s sport legacy fund to provide a 6 week introductory programme for disabled people followed by year-round weekly coaching; and establishing a new London-wide inter-club competition. This project trained teachers and provided equipment to schools enabling them to deliver cricket in school hours and after school. It provided 6-week introductory cricket programmes for disabled young people, as well as free weekly coaching sessions (1.5hrs) all year round. It established 16 (to be confirmed) new cricket clubs for young people with disabilities and a London-wide inter-club competition network for the clubs. It has established 33 new cricket clubs for young people with disabilities and a London-wide inter-club competition network for the clubs.
•‘Panathlon’ received £172,000 to provide coaching and competition to special schools in all London boroughs, with annual London ‘finals’ event. Panathlon Challenge provided coaching, specialist equipment, leadership courses and multi-sport competitions for young disabled people (including those with physical impairments, severe learning difficulties, and visual and hearing impairments) in all 32 London boroughs. The project grew by a third between 2009 and 2012 as a direct result of investment from the Mayor of London’s sports participation fund.
•'Fit for Life’: received £45,000 targeted specifically toward elderly people including those with mobility issues. This project set out to influence and support the behavioural change of older people towards leading healthier and more active lifestyles. It included exercise classes, the use of 'Peer Mentors', the development of an exercise DVD and information directory for older people.
*Down Syndrome Association’s DSActive programme offers children and young people with Down’s syndrome the opportunity to take part in sport at a level that is both comfortable yet competitive. The programme has created partnerships with 23 professional and grassroots football clubs to deliver weekly football sessions, as well as the Tennis Foundation with whom DSActive now run 13 weekly sessions, with several further sessions due to launch this year.
Many of the participants in the programme had never partaken in sporting activity due to a number of physical, technical, social and psychological barriers but have flourished since joining DSActive. DSA’s Inclusive and Active 2 action plan will support the programme to continue enhancing provision in order to provide sporting opportunities to as many people with the condition as possible. DSActive’s main focus for the next three years will be the inception and delivery of further football and tennis sessions to their smallest participant range; people with Down’s syndrome aged 18 and upwards.