CSP: Lincolnshire Sport
Lincolnshire Sport has been running Activities 4 All – an inclusive fun day of sport and physical activity for everyone – for the past four years. Activities 4 All has grown and grown since year one, and the title has gained recognition across the county, with participants travelling from as far away as 50 miles to take part!
The event provides a market place for children and young people with disabilities, their families and carers to come and try a wide range of leisure activities, as well as the opportunity to find out more about activities available in their communities. Local clubs, activity and service providers all offer their services free of charge, ensuring that the experience is accessible to all.
Research from EFDS shows that people with a disability want to do more sport and physical activity, and that is what Activities 4 All aims to achieve.
The event was developed as a result of consultation with professionals including carers, and learning disability, physical & sensory and mental health partnership boards, to try and establish what sort of activities to provide and how we can make them accessible to everyone. We have also spoken to parent carers, young people and families themselves to make sure the event is tailored correctly.
To ensure our event is the best it can be, we also collect case studies at each event from participants, carers and parents, and volunteers. We believe this is part of the reason Activities 4 All has grown so much over the year; the insight collected at each event helps us make the next Activities 4 All bigger and better.
At first the idea behind Activities 4 All was to promote the new sports and activities funded through Lincolnshire County Council’s Short Breaks initiative to people of all ages with a disability and/or sensory loss and their families. The event was marketed through the local 4All publication sent to all families of children and young people on the Children Act register. After the first year those with no disability or sensory impairment were encouraged to attend too.
To attract the non-sporty and those who wouldn’t usually take part in physical activity, support groups, NGBs, disability organisations, charities and education providers were invited to have an information stand or offer an activity at the yearly event. This accomplished two different objectives: it successfully communicated the Activities 4 All event through connections and contacts of the various support groups and charities and it also made the actual day both fun and educational.
The inclusion and fun element of the activities, which have included laser tag, spa treatments, 4x4 wheelchairs and netball, plus numerous others means that there is something on offer for everyone, no matter the participant’s age or gender or whether they had a disability or not.
Lincolnshire Sport works with the local authority, Lincolnshire County Council, as well as the venue provider, Lincoln College, and sponsor Evan’s Halshaw Ford Lincoln, in developing this series of events has created foundations for future successful activities, events and opportunities.
The aim of Activities 4 All is to engage and encourage those who are not normally active and to increase awareness of inclusive activities in Lincolnshire, and that target is met each year when more and more people attend.
Evan’s Halshaw Ford Lincoln, the biggest motability dealership in the county, has sponsored the event from year one, and its continued support is largely due to the trade it receives each year. It would have been much harder to achieve a bigger and better event each year without the support from a renowned and highly praised sponsor like Evan’s Halshaw Ford Lincoln.
Activities 4 All is held at Dean’s Sport and Leisure, a part of Lincoln College, and each year we are inundated with volunteering enquiries from the college’s Skills for Working in Sport course. Activities 4 All is a perfect opportunity for these students to gain confidence and leadership skills, make themselves more employable and it also counts towards their 20 compulsory volunteering hours.
Sports clubs and activity providers value the days as it has been a great way to attract new members, with two bowls clubs having attended our events led to them applying for the disability packages and has increasing their membership.
Charities and campaign groups use Activities 4 All to reach those who may otherwise be inaccessible. Notable targets include The Stroke Association achieving their annual target in 2014 for blood pressure assessments for people with disabilities, and the alcohol awareness group reported it had reached their targets too. Additional providers have even asked if they can sponsor elements of the next event, and current contributors have fed back that Activities 4 All is the most enjoyable event of the year, and they loved they can join in with the activities.
It’s not just external providers that benefit from the event. Lincolnshire Sport’s project delivery team co-ordinate Activities 4 All, but board members, partners and stakeholders have attended the event every year as both stallholders and volunteers. Involving board members and supporters in events like this helps build relationships, and allows us to explore new avenues for success with feedback and brainstorming after the event.
Come and join in the fun – watch our video on our Youtube channel by clicking here.