Sports Inclusion Day a Triumph
The Foundation hosted 120 men and women who have a wide variety of disabilities and additional needs for a day of sport. The event was a great success as we continue to grow our reach of those with disabilities in south London and beyond.
Hosted in partnership with the Croydon Local Authority’s Sports and Physical Activity Team, Learning Disability Commissioning Service and Youth SEND Service, and all the guys at the Monks Hill Sports Centre. BT also provided us with some volunteers for the day.
With people coming from south and north London, Surrey and Croydon, we clearly are offering a unique experience to all those who attend. It was great to see so many people come together to join us in playing football and trying out a variety of new sports such as tennis, basketball, boccia, athletics, golf and dance.
Along with our partners we are growing our ‘Inclusive Eagles’ disability program. This has seen us deliver a wide range of specific sports and activities to pan-disability and disability specific groups over the past three years, including our weekly learning disability football coaching sessions in Croydon and Sutton. A Learning Disability is a reduced intellectual ability, normally caused before or shortly after birth. Almost all learning disabilities are permanent and can impact a person’s life in a number of ways. A person with a learning disability will tend to need more time to learn new things. This means they may find aspects of daily life, such as carrying out basic household tasks or making friends, more difficult.
The Foundations Disability Manager Michael Harrington, whose post is funded by the Premier League and Professional Footballers Association, gave this insight into the Festival: “This was our second Sports Inclusion Day and I honestly think this beats the last one, which I didn’t think was possible! It really was wonderful to see so many people join us and really feel able to let their hair down, relax and just enjoy doing what we all love: playing sport.”
Arthur Hawksworth, a support worker from the Lambeth Elfrida Rathbone Society added: “I just wanted to email to say a massive thank you to you and those involved in organising and running such a good day on Friday. The service user I attended with went home with a beaming smile and could not stop talking about how much he enjoyed the day, football especially! It was amazing to see so many people all together all enjoying themselves; I don’t think I saw anyone without a smile on their face!”
The CPFC Foundation is aiming to create equality of opportunity for every person with a disability to participate in sport. The benefits that this brings include improved motor skills, physical fitness and functional ability and the opportunity to develop self-esteem, confidence and gain family interaction with new friends and the wider community.
For more information on Inclusion Sports, or any other aspects of our Disability program, please contact Michael on 020 8768 6047 or admin@palaceforlife.org