Author: calderdalewheelchairbasketballclub

This letter from Paralympics GB is a good reminder that the organisation needs constant support to keep up its good work. Dear Supporter, It’s just 1 week until the long-awaited Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games are here, and we can’t wait! ParalympicsGB will be represented by 227 athletes competing across 19 different sports. A number of returning Paralympians including Kadeena Cox, Jonnie Peacock, Sarah Storey and Lauren Steadman have all secured their spot on the starting line. As well as many Paralympic debutants hoping to have their names written into the history books too. And you can be a part of our cheer squad and support ParalympicsGB from home while making a real difference to society. We hope Tokyo 2020 will be a catalyst for change. A change that allows disabled people to live in an equal society. That’s why we’re asking the public to turn their cheers into change and to ensure disabled people are truly Impossible to Ignore. ParalympicsGB is a charity and needs funds to ensure our athletes have everything they need to prepare and succeed at Summer and Winter Paralympic Games. It’s with your support that we can continue to inspire a better world for all disabled people. Donate now and receive your ParalympicsGB clap banner to turn your cheers into change! You can donate as little or as much as you like – with a suggested amount of £5+. Thank you for your support – I hope you enjoy watching all the action!

Mike SharrockCEO, ParalympicsGB.  Donate and order your clap banner now!

Welcome to July’s newsletter from the Activity Alliance (Activity Alliance is the operating name for the English Federation of Disability Sport).

This edition features our response to the National Disability Strategy and the FA Disability Cup.

Activity Alliance responds to the National Disability Strategy

A new National Disability Strategy published on 28 July outlines how the government will support disabled people. Departments and agencies in government set out how they will help bring about practical and lasting change to disabled people’s lives. Sport is recognised within the strategy under a focus policy area. Read our full response to the National Disability Strategy

Vice Chair, Phil Friend: Let’s be better, not just ‘back to normal’

Activity Alliance Vice Chair, Phil Friend, discusses what we learnt and are still learning from this pandemic for disabled people in sport and activity. Read Phil’s blog

“I hope we can change perceptions and social barriers through football”

The FA Disability Cup returned to St George’s Park in July with BT Sport providing coverage – the first time the Cup has been broadcast live. Philip Heap, the FA’s National Development Manager tells us what the return of this cup means for football and its disabled players. He discusses the FA’s plans to encourage more disabled people into playing the game we love. Read Phil Heap’s article

Rainbow’s blog: “Football gives me freedom”

One of the players in the FA’s Disability Cup final was Rainbow. He took part in the blind football final for his team – Merseyside Blind and VI Football Club against RNC Hereford. We hear from him on what it was like competing in the Cup and why football is so important to him. Read Rainbow’s blog

Head Coach Paula Dunn: the Championships are a fantastic opportunity

At the beginning of July, Activity Alliance’s events team managed the National Junior Athletics Championships in Coventry. The Paralympic Games in Tokyo take place later this summer. We caught up with Head Coach for the British Athletics Paralympic Programme, Paula Dunn, to talk more about the significance of this event in such an important year. Read Paula’s article

Make active lives possible with us

We are the national charity and leading voice for disabled people in sport and activity. We work with others to challenge perceptions and change the reality of disability, inclusion and sport. We rely on generous funders and fundraisers to develop and continue our work. Support Us

Moving more where you are

We are committed to ensuring disabled people can be and stay active. Access exercise advice, workouts, and activity guides to support disabled people. This helps everyone to move more, whether at home, outside or in your local area.

The YSF Podcast – The power of people and place Listen to the podcast The latest episode of The YSF Podcast speaks to the people behind the award winning walking football project in the Dearne Valley.The weekly session at Dearne Valley College created as part of Active Dearne, won the Sheffield and Hallamshire County FA Grassroots Project of the Year. We were joined by Adam Kent, Active Dearne Community Champion; Ian Whitehouse from SJD Coaching; Councillor Ken Wyatt; and Paul Cummins, former Project Manager for Active Dearne.The episode looks at the power of trusted people in a community, and how that can support people to be active for the benefit of their physical and mental health. Listen wherever you get your podcasts, and on our website.

MPs make recommendations to Government to increase activity levels Read the Sport England response The Government must renew efforts to get people exercising, concludes a Report by the DCMS Committee, after indications that the Covid-19 pandemic has caused weight gain and a fall in activity levels in children.The Report warns of the yet unknown impact of the third lockdown on people’s fitness and urges the Government and Sport England to pre-empt consequences with a nationwide campaign. The report in full includes ten conclusions and recommendations.

Barnsley and Sheffield successfully Beat the Street! What is Beat the Street? Both Barnsley and Sheffield saw the conclusion of their ‘Beat the Street’ games in the last ten days. Beat the Street turns places into giant games. People earn points, win prizes and discover more about their area by walking, running and cycling. In Sheffield, more than 60,000 people collectively travelled 452,964 miles, making it the biggest Beat the Street ever based on number of people taking part.A total of 22,661 people signed up and walked, cycled and rolled 161,043 miles in Barnsley during the six-week challenge.

Walking and biking prioritised in new Highway Code Find out more New changes to the Highway Code will give pedestrians greater priority over cars at junctions and crossings, the transport secretary has announced. Under the current code, motorists only have to give way when pedestrians step onto a crossing. The new code will also ensure cyclists have priority when travelling straight ahead at junctions.

News in brief

Planning application submitted for new leisure centre in Halfiax A new multi-million pound state-of-the-art swimming pool and leisure centre for Halifax has moved a step closer to reality after the Council submitted the planning application for the new building. Find out more… Activity Alliance responds to the National Disability Strategy Sport is recognised within the strategy under a focus policy area. Find out more… Blog: The role of walking sport in keeping people active Tim Howells, Health and Wellbeing Support Manager for Public Health England (Yorkshire and the Humber) kicked off our week looking at the impact of walking sport, looking into the role it can play in the Covid-19 recovery. Find out more… New programme sees Hard Knocks teaching young people skills for life Yorkshire’s Hard Knocks Boxing Gym is using the power of boxing to support the mental health of local young people. Find out more… Stepping off the sidelines Anna tells us the story of how a new walking rugby session in Wath has created a new-found love for team sport. Find out more…

In addition to pre-booked appointment sessions, the NHS are also running regular walk-in vaccination clinics throughout Calderdale where you do not need to book in advance.

They hold these clinics subject to demand and deliver vaccinations on a first-come first-served basis.

These clinics are open to anyone

• over 18 who has not already received their first vaccination.
• over 40 who had their first vaccination over 8 weeks ago. (You must ensure that you attend a vaccination clinic which is delivering the same vaccine type as your first jab).

If you have any questions about the COVID-19 vaccination please take a look at their Frequently Asked Questions

View Latest Drop-ins

New £50 million partnership to boost National Lottery funding to ethnically diverse groups Find out more The National Lottery Community Fund and The Ubele Initiative, on behalf of The Phoenix Way Partners, have jointly announced a new £50 million partnership aimed to boost funding and support to ethnically diverse community charities and grassroots groups over the next five years.The Phoenix Way National Steering Group will work with The National Lottery Community Fund to identify national and regional priorities and award funding to ethnically diverse community-led charities and grassroots groups that are best placed to support their communities to thrive.Operational details of The Phoenix Way programme will be designed and developed over the summer – with the aim of awarding funding, from autumn 2021.

Changes made to strengthen Code of Governance Find out more Changes to strengthen the Code for Sports Governance have been confirmed after an extensive consultation involving hundreds of organisations.The revised approach is primarily focused on ensuring bodies in receipt of substantial public funding from Sport England or UK Sport have a detailed and ambitious diversity and inclusion action plan to increase diversity on their boards and senior leadership teams, as well as across their wider organisations.

Blog: Sharing our learning is a great way to connect Find out more Last week, we held the first Connect and Share virtual get together, with a focus on Active Workplaces.James Brown, Director of Local Support and Partnerships, reflects on what happened and some of the things he learnt.

New multi-use games area opened in Rotherham Find out more Greasbrough’s new £126,000 Multi Use Games Area (MUGA) has been officially opened.The MUGA, which has been funded by the Football Foundation, Veolia Environmental Trust and Rotherham Council was opened by the Deputy Mayor of Rotherham – Cllr Tajamal Khan, Greasbrough Ward Councillors – Cllr Sarah Allen and Cllr Rob Elliott and Rotherham United Assistant Manager Richie Barker.

Working in partnership, StreetGames, Sported and Yorkshire Sport Foundation are looking to host a joint network event in September.

The last year has seen community organisations adapt and adjust their methods of working when it comes to engaging with young people.As collective partners we want to ensure our support to you is valuable and useful.We are keen to hear what type of support would be most beneficial to you as we look at the road to recovery post Covid-19. We are asking community sports sector partners to complete this short survey which will inform our decision making on the type of event to host. The survey should take no more than a few minutes to complete.The survey will remain open until Monday 26 July.

News in brief

ukactive report sets out key role sector can play in getting our ageing nation active Older adults have revealed what they want from the fitness and leisure sector to encourage greater participation, in a major new report published by ukactive. Find out more… Premier League launches defibrillator fund for grassroots facilities Funding available for thousands of grassroots clubs and facilities to apply for device that can save lives. Find out more… More needs to be done to encourage girls into sport, new study shows Boys are four times more likely to take part in organised sport than girls – and participation for both peaks at age 14 – according to a new study by Leeds Beckett University. Find out more… Insight pack – Health conditions and physical activity: Understanding the impact of Covid-19 This insight pack provides the latest picture of the behaviours, attitudes, and feelings of adults with long-term health conditions (LTHCs) towards physical activity. Download a copy… Updated NSPCC e-learning course for sport and activity CPSU consultants have worked with colleagues in the NSPCC to refresh their elearning course about child protection in sport and physical activity. Find out more… Leeds Beckett University nominated for two ukactive Awards Two people from Leeds Beckett University’s Sport & Active Lifestyles department have been recognised at this year’s UK Active awards, having been shortlisted in two categories. Find out more… Date for the diary National Fitness Day, Wednesday 22 September.

Jobs  Disability and Inclusion Football Development OfficerOrganisation: Sheffield and Hallamshire County FAApplication Deadline: 5:00pm – Fri 9th July, 2021Read More »  Health ActivatorApplication Deadline: 12:00pm – Mon 12th July, 2021Read More »  Enrichment OfficerOrganisation: Leeds City CollegeApplication Deadline: 12:00am – Wed 14th July, 2021Read More »  Full Time PE SpecialistApplication Deadline: 5:00pm – Fri 16th July, 2021Read More »

The countdown continues: with 50 days to go until the Paralympic games, our team is growing… June was a bumper month for team announcements. With the likes of Ellie Simmonds, Alfie Hewett and Hannah Cockroft all securing their place on the plane to Tokyo. So far, with a mix of returning Paralympians and Paralympic debutants, we have 114 athletes across 12 differents sports making up ParalympicsGB. Keep your eyes peeled on our socials as our team grows throughout July! See your latest teammates

Watch the latest ParalympicsGB+1 episode “A happy boat is a fast boat” – Paralympic champion, James Fox, gives you an exclusive behind the scenes look at the recent rowing team announcement…Watch now Meet the history makers… ParalympicsGB’s welcomes two more athletes to make their Paralympic debuts this summer. Back-to-back World champion,Jack Shephard and three-time European champion, Dan Bethell will make history when they become the first players to represent ParalympicsGB at Badminton’s inaugural games at Tokyo 2020. Hear their reaction

“The idea of doing something with swords was pretty cool!” Having just been selected for his second Paralymic games, find out Dimitri’s inspirations, how he found fencing and his journey to Tokyo 2020. Meet Dimitri The first group of our athletics team announced! Six Rio gold medalists are announced amongst the first 12 track and field athletes selected to represent ParalympicsGB this summer. Find out who and hear their reactions below. Meet the team

Lets turn cheers into change It’s shocking that one in three people think disabled people are seen more as being a burden. Thats why we’ve teamed up with the disability equality charity Scope to call on fans to make this summer’s Tokyo Paralympic Games a catalyst for change. As part of our team, you can be a part of the movement to change attitudes and make society equal for everyone.  Turn your cheers into change

With Tokyo 2020 gettting closer and closer, we hope you enjoyed hearing the latest from ParalympicsGB! Thanks so much for being a part of the team and making sure disabled people in the UK are #ImpossibleToIgnore

The YSF Podcast: Move More – A physical activity strategy for Sheffield Listen to the episode The refreshed Move More physical activity for Sheffield is the topic for discussion on the latest episode of The YSF Podcast.We were joined by Dr. Anna Lowe, Programme Manager for the National Centre for Sports and Exercise Medicine, and Tom Hughes, Development Manager for Yorkshire Sport Foundation, two people who were at the heart of putting the strategy together.The strategy was refreshed and launched earlier this month, as well as a new brand and website. We discuss how they went about it, including reflections on the previous Move More strategy and the steps involved in creating something that the entire district can get behind, as well as their hopes for the future.Search for The YSF Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or listen on our website.

Chris Boardman appointed new Chair of Sport England Find out more Chris Boardman will succeed Nick Bitel as Sport England Chair, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has confirmed.The cyclist, who won gold in the individual pursuit at the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games, will serve a four-year term starting on 22 July.In his new position, Chris will play a critical role in supporting and developing grassroots sport and physical activity and helping get more people active across the country as it recovers from the pandemic.

National recognition for Leeds Community Tennis Programme Find out more Leeds Community Tennis Programme has been crowned a national winner at the prestigious LTA Tennis Awards for its exploits growing the sport in the region.The team at the Leeds Community Tennis Programme has scooped the LTA’s Communities and Parks Award after being recognised for its inspirational work adapting to Covid-19 restrictions and booming back to life after lockdown.

West Yorkshire primary schools skip into summer Find out more Pupils at a school in Leeds have been celebrating the culmination of a five-week project to encourage them to be more physically active.The ‘Skip into Summer’ initiative involved more than 35,000 children from 155 primary schools across West Yorkshire, and was led by Skipping School thanks to funding from Yorkshire Sport Foundation (YSF) and the West Yorkshire School Games. It was designed to inspire and engage children to get active, have fun, build self-esteem and confidence.

News in brief

Guidelines for sport and health organisations will maintain positive social media use post-pandemic Sport, physical activity and health organisations should keep using social media to deliver exercise and cooking classes and information on staying healthy even after pandemic restrictions have eased, according to new guidelines published by experts at the University of Birmingham. New Diversity, Equality and Inclusion Sub-committee set up after review England Boxing has set up a new Diversity, Equality and Inclusion Sub-committee to help it implement recommendations from a recently-completed Diversity, Equality and Race Review. Find out more… Beat the Street Sheffield off to record breaking start Beat the Street Sheffield is off to a record-breaking start with nearly 50,000 participants in its first week. Find out more… Walking sport – A look at the research This summary highlights some of the potential outcomes of walking football and walking netball and the possible links to engaging older adults in physical activity to help with re-conditioning. Find out more…

Welcome to the latest edition of the Get Yourself Active newsletter from Disability Horizons UK.

This is our round up of what the Get Yourself Active team and our partners have been up to during the month of June – and some opportunities that we hope will be of interest. More from us next month!

Co-production in Practice

On Wednesday 23rd June, Get Yourself Active Programme Managers Anna Denham and Liddie Bone presented “Co-production in Practice” at the Westminster Insight Disability Digital Conference.

We presented an overview of the key principles of co-production, the benefits, and how to progress up the co-production ladder. We also spoke about co-production in practice in the sport sector, with a particular focus on some of the projects we are delivering within the Get Yourself Active programme: co-production training to the sport sector; our ‘Moving Social Work’ project with Durham University; and the Tackling Inequalities Fund from Sport England (see article below).

The take-away message was that when people who use services are involved on an equal level, in the design, delivery and evaluation of a project or service, it always makes for better outcomes for everyone involved. To find out more about co-production, check out some of our bite-size webinars (button below), or contact lydia.bone@disabilityrightsuk.org

Find out more about Get Yourself Active and Co-production via our webinar series

Tackling Inequalities Fund by Sport England – update

Disability Rights UK (DR UK) is one of the National Delivery Partners for Sport England’s Tackling Inequalities Fund (TIF). The fund aims to reduce the negative impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic and any widening of inequalities in participation rates in sport and physical activity.

To-date we have funded over 35 projects, via a range of organisations, across England – all of them delivering different kinds of activities. Some of the projects have now completed and we’ve had some great feedback from them about how their projects have supported people to get or keep active, feel less isolated, and more connected during the pandemic.

We are still accepting applications, from User Led Organisations (ULOs), or organisations which can demonstrate a user-led project idea, that supports Disabled people, and/or people with long-term health conditions, to keep active in a Covid-19 safe environment and in a way that is right for them. Projects must be delivered by 31st March 2022. For more details, including how to apply, please contact: tacklinginequalities@disabilityrightsuk.org or call Elliot on 0203 687 0771

Carers & Activity  

It was Carers Week on the 7th – 13th June 2021, which aimed to  raise awareness of the importance and impact carers have on society. We were asked by London Sport to create a video around how physical activity can help support carers and the people they care for.  Programme Manager, Liddie Bone, talked about the importance of increasing carers confidence and knowledge of sport and physical activity both for themselves and the people they care for.  In the video, Liddie introduces the guide we have co-created to support an assets-based approach to discussing opportunities and outcomes brought about by physical activity. Watch the video here

Active @ Home

Despite lockdown measures starting to ease, you may feel more comfortable getting active at home for the time being.

If you haven’t already, make sure you check out our Active @ Home section on our website. We have collected accessible videos according to which activity you are interested in, which also includes videos from some of our TIF partners. As well as this, we have pages dedicated to other resources, such as worksheets and downloadable resources. Click here for to see the Active@Home section of the website

Sport England – FAQs on the national coronavirus restrictions

Whilst many of us had hoped to see a full easing of restrictions on the 21st June, we continue to be obliged to follow regulations and guidance – including when getting active.  It’s therefore important to keep on top of what the current restrictions are when it comes to sport and physical activity.Who knows what July might hold for us all, but in the meantime, Sport England very helpfully keep their FAQs page regulalry updated, so that you can keep abreast of the regulations and good practice, relevant to your sport or activity. Do check it out regularly and when in doubt about any of the activites you are delivering – this could include numbers of people, regulations on space or distancing and hygiene protocols. Check out Sport England’s FAQs page on national restrictions

COVID impacts most acute in deprived and ethnically diverse communities

Grassroots clubs from deprived and ethnically diverse communities face the biggest challenges in returning to organised community activity post-lockdown, research conducted by the Sport and Recreation Alliance reveals.

According to the  research, participation opportunities in the most deprived areas of the country are expected to fall by 48% compared with just 2% in the least deprived areas.

As well as this, those serving ethnically diverse, deprived or urban communities also consistently reported needing greater financial assistance to reinstate active opportunities – £5,000 more on average than those working in other areas. Read more about the findings here

Our Chair blogs: Disabled people need to be at the heart of the return

UK Coaching Week is a campaign to celebrate coaching at all levels in sport and activity. This year’s theme was ‘The Great Coaching Comeback: Coaching for all’. Here, our Chair, Sam Orde, talks about her coaching experience and how important it is to ensure everyone has access to inclusive, accessible coaching. Read Sam’s blog

Michelle Carney, Special Olympics GB CEO, blog: Inclusion in Action – In Learning Disability Week (14-20 June), Activity Alliance recognised organisations working to encourage more people with a learning disability to take part in sport and activity. Recently, national charity and Activity Alliance member, Special Olympics GB launched their new strategy – Inclusion in Action. Here, CEO Michelle Carney writes about their ambitions for the future. Read Michelle’s article

Matt Maguire, Mencap National Sport Manager, blog: Impact & innovation – Here, Matt Maguire, Mencap National Sport Manager writes about the impact of COVID-19 on people with a learning disability, and the innovative programmes they have delivered with partners to keep people moving during lockdown. Matt Maguire’s article for Learning Disability Week

Blog: “You can’t put a price on seeing people learn new skills”In UK Coaching Week we heard from football coach and one of our engagement advisors, Alex Giles. Alex told us about his coaching experience and his hopes for returning to coaching after the COVID-19 pandemic. Read Alex’s blog

Celebrating Inclusive PE during National School Sport Week

Activity Alliance was pleased to support Youth Sport Trust’s National School Sport Week campaign (19-25 June). To celebrate this, we looked back on the positive impact the Inclusive PE programme is having on both teachers and their pupils. It recognises the important role PE and school sport plays in the next generation’s lives, especially as we recover from the coronavirus pandemic.

Read about  our work in supporting PE to be more inclusive

Tackling inequalities: 2tshirtgang Find out more Bradford-based 2tshirtgang is the feature of the latest episode of The YSF Podcast.The functional fitness, health and well-being organisation are one of those to receive funding from Sport England’s tackling inequalities fund, introduced to reduce the negative impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on under-represented groups.Co-founders Anthony Williams and Trinity Brown join us to discuss how the Health is Wealth project aimed to lift people’s mood during the pandemic through activity and nutrition. The funding helped provide the resources needed to take sessions online, including equipment and booklets.

Primary PE and sport premium confirmed for 2021/22 Find out more Primary school children in England will benefit from higher quality PE lessons and better sport opportunities, the Education Secretary has announced this week.Backed by a £320 million investment, the PE and Sport Premium will encourage children to play more sport, increase their social skills, and improve their physical activity after lockdown. Schools will also be able to improve the quality of their teaching and make longer-term, sustainable changes to their lessons.It is a continuation of the funding that first doubled from £160m in 2017.

Beat the Street comes to Sheffield and Barnsley Find out more Beat the Street, which launched in both Sheffield and Barnsley recently, challenges schools, workplaces and community groups to clock up as many active travel miles as possible.Participants can walk, cycle, run, scoot, wheel or roll to the next one on the map within an hour to score 10 points; the further players go and the more Beat Boxes tapped, the more points they will score.There are 264 Beat Boxes placed on lampposts around Barnsley for the duration of the game, and more than 450 around Sheffield.

Take Women in Sport’s Health Check Survey Take the survey Women in Sport is researching workplace culture and how it is changing now that more women are involved in sport, and they want to hear from you.They are exploring all aspects of workplace culture and inclusivity; not just those relating to gender. The findings will be used to develop best practice across the sporting sector.