HBC receives Sport England grant for new equipment

Disability sport in Hyndburn is set to receive a welcome boost after Hyndburn Borough Council and Hyndburn Leisure received a £7,831 award from Sport England to purchase new equipment.

The money will be used to purchase a mobile hoist, steps and other equipment which will open up opportunities for disabled people in Hyndburn to try trampolining for the first time.

Councillor Ciaran Wells said, “This is fantastic news. Over the last few years the Council have invested in improvements to disabled equipment at Hyndburn Leisure Centre including pool hoists and improved accessible changing facilities. We are delighted that Sport England has provided funding for us to take this further, and provide accessible equipment which will allow people with disabilities to take part in more sport.”

Lisa O’Keefe, Sport England’s Director of Insight, says: ‘We know that many organisations and clubs delivering sport struggle to provide sporting opportunities for disabled people because of a lack of access to specialist equipment. We are delighted to award these vital funds to Hyndburn Borough Council which will play a transformative role in opening up sport to many people who previously found it inaccessible.’

The award is part of Sport England’s ‘Get Equipped’ fund which was designed to build on the success of the London 2012 Paralympic Games. £1 million of National Lottery funding is being distributed to organisations across England to allow them to provide specialist equipment which will help make sport a practical choice for many more disabled people inspired by the Games.

The number of disabled people playing sport regularly is on the rise. In December, Sport England’s Active People Survey - an annual, in-depth measure of the nation’s sporting habits – revealed that a record number of disabled people in England now play sport each week. The number of disabled people aged 16 and over playing sport once a week has increased by 62,000 over the last year, bringing the total number to its highest recorded figure of 1.67 million, 351,000 more than in 2005 when London won the bid to host the Games.

However, non-disabled people are still twice as likely to play sport as disabled people (39.2 per cent compared to 18.5 per cent) which is why Sport England continues to focus attention and investment to address this imbalance.

Drop in and specialist taster sessions will begin in April. For more information or to register and interest email contactus@hyndburnleisure.co.uk