Inclusive Sports Festival hailed as ‘truly inspiring’
A SPORTS festival for people with a variety of disabilities has been held to help celebrate International Day of Persons with Disabilities.
The Inclusive Sports Festival was organised by Active Charnwood, the sport and activity team at Charnwood Borough Council, and partners which was held at Loughborough Leisure Centre on Friday (Dec 3).
The Active Charnwood team worked with partners including Fusion Lifestyle, Leicestershire Country Cricket Club, Charnwood Indoor Bowls Club, Leicester Tigers, Leicester City in The Community and Loughborough Lawn Tennis Club to promote and expand Charnwood’s inclusive sport offer. Sporting activities took place during the week before the sports festival.
Cllr Robin Popley, the Council’s champion for disabilities, said: “I am so pleased to see so many people get involved and enjoy the Inclusive Sport Week which Active Charnwood and others have worked so hard to organise.
“To see so many people be involved in different activities and not let their disabilities determine them is truly inspiring as all people have the right to be involved in sport.”
This year’s theme of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities is ‘Not All Disabilities Are Visible’. The day aimed to raise awareness of disabilities which may not be immediately apparent but can still have an impact on people’s lives.
Paralympic GB gold-medalist, Thomas Young, visited the sports festival, giving those that attended a close look at his gold medal that he won during the summer.
Over 100 people attended the sessions throughout the week with around 25 people involved in activities in the sports festival.
The sessions which took place included inclusive sports such as walking netball, walking football and seated exercise.
Active Charnwood hope that the inclusive sport week will help raise awareness and serve as a catalyst for future inclusive sport and activity opportunity within the borough.