NB Leisure Trust works in
partnership with Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council and operates out of 5
sports and leisure centres around the West Midlands area.
NBLTs vision statement 'recognises that our
success is dependent on our ability to consistently supply our customers with
high quality sustainable services that meets the needs within available
resources.'
Following 3 year funding from the Football Foundation the position of
Community Disability Inclusion Officer was created. NBLT wanted to increase
participation throughout their leisure centres for disabled people.
Existing Provision
The Bedworth Leisure
Centre is an IFI accredited facility and Pingles Leisure Centre is currently
working towards IFI accreditation which means their access has been audited for
accessibility and their centre staff has received level 1 IFI Disability
Equality Training. Their gym staff has received up to level 3 IFI training.
They have a 'Walking the
Way to Health' walk which is based out of the Bedworth Leisure Centre every
Wednesday at 10:30. The group meets at the café and they walk around the Miners
Welfare Park, attached to the centre.
Why set this project up?
NB Leisure was aware that
they had disabled participants accessing the centre but they usually came on their
own or with a carer. Either way their motivation could have been a lot higher.
They need volunteer support to help motivate their disabled participants to
achieve their fitness goals and try new activities.
One specific example being
of a man with a visual impairment who wanted to attend the gym during peak
times. This is obviously a very busy time of the day and there was not always
gym staff available to support his workout and assist him with the equipment.
NB Leisure were looking to
set up new activities specifically for their disabled participants to help
increase their numbers
What did they do?
There is a stand at the
entrance to the Bedworth site displaying all the disability groups running
within the centre. Concessionary rates are available to all disabled
participants with free access for their carers or PAs.
Volunteers were sourced
from Do-it.org with the help of the AAB Scheme, and also from the local college
and an employment agency called 'Work First'. This agency aims at getting unemployed
people trained up and prepared for work; volunteering is a great step in that
direction and can be great experience for them. All volunteers were trained
using the AABS volunteer training resources and the NBLT staff induction.
There is a new multi-sport
activity group for disabled adults on a Wednesday Morning involving boccia, kurling,
football, gym, swimming and includes the Health Walk. Activity Buddies support
the participants as requested by the participants. They are also sometimes used
to make up the numbers if they are short for one activity. For example one
participant loves football but there is not always enough numbers to play so
the volunteers have a kick about with him. There is currently no charge for
this scheme in the short term.
The Disability Inclusion
Officer set up a Saturday morning activity session at their local community
centre for disabled young people and their parents. They have linked with the
Healthy Living Network to provide advice on health and well-being, as well as
providing sports and games and arts and crafts for the whole family. The cost
of this session is £1 per family.
Football Fanatics take
place at their Alderman Smith Sports Centre on a Friday early evening for young
people ages 8 to 14 yrs. The cost for this is £2.50 if the participant is a
member of the 'passport to Leisure' scheme and £3.00 if they are not.
The above 3 sessions have
been 'disability approved' by the Leisure Trust which means that all sessions
are lead by coaches who have undergone disability awareness training. Also the
sessions are supported by Activity Buddy volunteers.
The volunteers support
disabled participants within the gym during supported sessions on a Wednesday.
The gym also has 8 disabled participants currently working on a 1:1 basis
throughout the week.
The volunteers wear AABS Activity Buddy T shirts to help make them recognisable to the participants.
This helps with their own motivation as they feel part of a team.
Lessons Learned
Reaching out to disabled
people to participate has been an issue. The group on a Wednesday clashed with
a couple of other activities for the participants so it is worth checking out
what is going on in the local area for disabled people and, if possible,
setting the session accordingly.
You have a number of
disabled visitors to your site but need to access a larger number to make
inclusive sessions work: contact your regional EFDS manager (http://www.efds.co.uk/page.asp?section=106§ionTitle=Regions)
and local disability groups to promote your scheme. Go and visit the groups and
talk to them about what your session involves.
Where do you find local
volunteers?
Post your volunteering opportunities onto volunteering
website, for example Do-it.org (www.do-it.org,
or speak to your local volunteer centre who can put it on for you) and 'V' (www.vinspired.com). There are many other
organisations that need to place volunteers. Sports Leaders Awards (www.sportsleaders.org) and Duke of
Edinburgh awards (www.dofe.org) for example
all need their trainees to volunteer for a number of hours to pass their
awards. Also contact local FE Colleges and Universities; students require more
than a degree or a qualification to get good jobs these days and volunteering
is an excellent opportunity for them.
