sport England Unveils Trio Of Charity Partners

Sport England has announced new long-term partnerships with disability charities Sense, Mencap and Special Olympics GB.  

The three charities join over 120 organisations that Sport England has partnered with this year, all of which have been chosen ‘for their unique influence and ability to level up access to sport and physical activity across England and create system-wide change.’  

Tackling inequalities in activity levels is at the heart of Sport England’s Uniting the Movement strategy, and the new partnerships, which total £6.5m of National Lottery and government funding, have been announced at a particularly challenging time for disabled people with the aftermath of the pandemic and current cost of living crisis disproportionately affecting them.

Mencap is a UK charity for people with learning disabilities which has been awarded £2.7 million, with the funding award helping the organisation improve access to physical activity and their presence in multiple locations across England.

Special Olympics GB is a sporting organisation which uses sport to empower children and adults with an intellectual disability and has been awarded £1.5m by Sport England.

Finally, Sense, the charity that supports children and adults living with complex disabilities in the UK received £2.2m.

These newest partners form part of the next stage of Sport England’s new approach to long-term partnerships, launched earlier this year. Its updated funding model provides funding for up to five years, providing the financial security needed for partners to deliver Uniting the Movement, which ‘helps to transform lives and communities through sport and physical activity.’

Tim Hollingsworth, Chief Executive of Sport England and the Government’s Disability and Access Ambassador for Sport and Physical Activity, said, “The pandemic disproportionately affected disabled people and now the cost of living brings new and difficult challenges. Our strategy Uniting the Movement aims to help everyone play sport and get active – no matter who they are, where they live, or what their background is.

“But disabled people are still far less likely to be active than other groups, and this is an inequality that we are working hard to address.  

“We are proud to partner with these three incredible charities that actively promote sport and physical activity for disabled people, in what has been a notable year for disability sport. These partners will help disabled people who may have previously felt unable to take part in physical activity to get involved.”