British Wheelchair Basketball Launches Participation Campaign
British Wheelchair Basketball has launched a new campaign in a bid to double participation over the next four years.
The ‘Inspire a Generation’ programme, which will be supported by £1.5m of funding from Sport England, with whom it worked closely on the campaign, aims to engage an inactive population through inclusive activity and transition participants into longer-term active lifestyles.
British Wheelchair Basketball says the initiative will support disabled participants to find or return to physical activity, and highlights that this is a demographic that has been disproportionately impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.
The governing body for wheelchair basketball in the UK says it is now calling for Community Activators and Local Community Partners to deliver the programme, who will receive the necessary support and virtual training to offer fun and enjoyable opportunities for people to participate in wheelchair basketball. Six-week taster sessions are then scheduled to begin in the summer.
“I’m absolutely delighted to be launching the Inspire a Generation programme,” said Lisa Pearce, Chief Executive at British Wheelchair Basketball.
“It’s a fantastic opportunity for us to grow participation and, thanks to substantial investment of £1.525m from the National Lottery and Sport England, the first time in nearly 10 years that significant funding has been made to support participation growth in wheelchair basketball. There are a potential 70,000 new people waiting to play our sport and through Inspire a Generation, we have the ability to introduce them to wheelchair basketball and embed sustained active lifestyles, whilst improving confidence and self-esteem.”
Mike Diaper, Sport England’s Executive Director of Children and Young People and Tackling Inactivity, added: “With thanks to the National Lottery for their continued funding and support, we are immensely proud to be working with British Wheelchair Basketball to support the Inspire a Generation programme.
“In aiming to double participation of those playing wheelchair basketball alongside creating an accessible and inclusive environment to take part in grassroots sport, the Inspire a Generation programme is a significant step forward in helping more people gain the benefits of being active.
“Aligning with Sport England’s new 10-year strategy – Uniting the Movement – which was announced earlier this week, programmes such as Inspire a Generation will be pivotal in tackling inequalities and ensuring everyone has the opportunity to be active. I look forward to seeing the positive impact that the programme will have.”
The Inspire a Generation programme will also be supported by a number of national partners, including StreetGames, UK Coaching and Whizz Kidz
