Community Link Foundation
AN organisation that promotes healthy lifestyles and provides sporting activities has been awarded a grant by Community Link Foundation to support a series of country walks.
Sporting Challenge, based in West Lancashire, aims to provide sporting activities to improve health and well being while encouraging healthy lifestyles and regular exercise in a supportive environment.
The activities are particularly for people with learning difficulties in West Lancashire and surrounding areas.
Sporting Challenge is made up of parents and carers who have been providing sporting activities for around 40 people with learning difficulties in West Lancashire for over six years.
They organise evening and weekend activities – a great way for their service users to have fun, make friends and lead an active lifestyle whist providing valuable respite for their parents/carers.
Sporting Challenge can really help as it provides specialist support workers who can collect participants from where they live and provide much needed support while they are having fun, before dropping them back home.
Sporting Challenge secretary and trustee Edward McCarthy said: “I am delighted with the support we have received from the Community Link Foundation. This will help fund our walks over the next year.
‘‘On behalf of Sporting Challenge I would like to thank them for their support. It will make a huge difference.
“Attendance at the activities will improve their quality of life by enabling them to try something different, learn new skills and have the opportunity to socialise.
‘‘Some people with learning disabilities do not need physical support, but they may lack the skills to organise their own activities and maintain a circle of friends. We feel that that by providing these activities for people with learning disabilities we have really made a difference to their quality of life.”
The sessions also give parents and carers a short break from their caring responsibilities whilst the person they care for is taking part in the activities. Enda Rylands, chairman of Community Link Foundation, said: ““We are pleased to a award a grant of £ £900 to Sporting Challenge for them to continue with the wonderful work that they are doing.
“They are a great o organisation that helps so many people.”
For more information about Sporting Challenge, go to www.sportingchallenge.org.uk. For more information about Community Link Foundation, go to www. clfoundation.co.uk.