Get Yourself Active launch press release

Tue,30 June 2015
News Being Active

Get Yourself Active – launch of new sport and activity programme for disabled people

A new project to support disabled people to get more involved in physical activity and sport will formally launch on 30 June.

Get Yourself Active, launched in partnership by Disability Rights UK and Sport England, will find ways to increase the number of disabled people doing sport and other physical activity. Awarded £791,171 worth of National Lottery funding from Sport England, the three year pilot programme will see disabled people’s organisations in Cheshire, Leicester and Norfolk working with a range of local organisations, including health and social care professionals and sport and leisure providers, as well as with disabled people directly to create sporting opportunities.

The project will also work at a national level with policy makers and professional bodies and focus on understanding the value and benefits of using personal budgets for those wanting to use their funds for sport and physical activity.

Project co-ordinator Leanne Wightman from Disability Rights UK, which is running the project, said:

“The benefits of sport and other physical activity are well documented. They can help disabled people get fitter of course, but there are lots of other advantages; physical activity can improve confidence and skills and help people feel part of the community they live in.

“And of course it can help people become more independent.”

Lisa O’Keefe, Sport England’s Director of Insight, added:

“We are committed to improving sports provision and choice for disabled people, and increasing the number who play sport on a regular basis.

"This is an exciting opportunity for Sport England to work with Disability Rights UK and broaden our network with other disability organisations. This innovative partnership in a new sector will promote sport and exercise as a way of meeting people's needs, and ultimately help in getting more disabled people who would like to use a personal budget to play sport more regularly.”

Details of the Get Yourself Active scheme are available from www.Getyourselfactive.org or via Twitter on @GetYrselfActive.

Ends

For further information from Disability Rights UK, please contact Ben Furner on 01273 463461, 07946 355795 or Ben@furnercommunications.co.uk

For further information from Sport England, please contact Andrew St Ledger on 0207 273 1800 or Andrew.stledger@sportengland.org; or Callum Stewart on 0207 273 1593 or callum.stewart@sportengland.org

Notes to editors  

  1. The pilot scheme will be run through the Cheshire Centre for Independent Living, the Leicester Centre for Independent Living and Norfolk’s Equal Lives; all organisations run by disabled people.
  2. This partnership is part of Sport England’s wider National Lottery-funded ‘Take-up Programme’, working on a number of projects to increase the number of disabled people regularly playing sport. There remains a significant imbalance between the number of disabled and non-disabled people playing sport. This project is designed to change thinking around how disabled people can take up and play more sport.
  3. The launch took place at The Oval, Kennington SE11 5SS. Journalists are welcome to attend. Please contact DRUK for press passes.

Get Yourself Active