Bristol’s largest disability-inclusive community sport event
Access Sport and WECIL join forces to host Bristol’s largest disability-inclusive community sport event
On Sunday 10th July, national charity Access Sport and disabled people’s user-led organisation WECIL will jointly host the exciting Ignite Bristol Multi-Sport Festival for disabled adults and children in St Pauls, Bristol. Over 100 people have signed up, with 26 local sports clubs and organisations delivering inclusive taster sessions throughout the day. Visitors will be spoilt for choice, with everything from football to fencing, basketball to boccia, wrestling to wheelchair sports and even adaptive nerf guns on offer! All sessions are free of charge and designed to be fully inclusive so that everyone, whether disabled or non-disabled, can take part.
The event is part of a movement called Ignite Bristol – a collaborative initiative led by Access Sport which aims to get more disabled Bristolians active. There is no doubt that Ignite Bristol has a key role to play, with research showing that disabled people are only half as likely to be active as non-disabled people (Bristol Quality of Life Survey, 2020-21). The Ignite Bristol Network aims to change this by developing more inclusive, local opportunities for disabled people to participate in community sport. The Network is a co-created group of organisations and professionals from across the sport, disability, health and education sectors working together to make Bristol a more inclusive, active city for disabled people.
The event will showcase the wide range of inclusive sports opportunities currently on offer and aims to encourage volunteers, sports clubs and organisations attending to get involved in order to create even more inclusive opportunities in Bristol. There is a real shared passion and commitment to improve opportunities in Bristol, which can be seen by the many volunteers involved in running the event, including university students from UWE and all the wonderful coaches and organisations who are volunteering their time to offer taster sessions on the day. Access Sport and WECIL have been able to utilise funding from Mencap’s ‘Round The World Challenge’ and the Out & About Consortium to ensure that the event is free of charge for all ages.
Lizzie Edgecombe, Project Manager at Access Sport and Chair of the Ignite Bristol Steering Group says: ‘This event is a fantastic example of what can be achieved when working together. There are lots of wonderful groups out there offering inclusive opportunities but we need to make it easier for disabled people to find these sessions and feel confident to take part. Whilst we’re sure all attendees will have an amazing day, what we’re really hoping for is for participants to find a sport they love so that they can experience the benefits of sport and physical activity for life.’
Matt Peall, Head of Children & Youth Services at WECIL and member of the Ignite Bristol Steering Group says: ‘We’re really excited to be a part of this event. Through the Out & About Consortium we know there’s a huge demand for inclusive sport opportunities, so to give local disabled children and their families the chance to try so many on one day is amazing. We hope to make this a regular feature in Bristol’s event calendar as Ignite Bristol continues to develop and improve opportunities for all’
There are limited spaces still available, but participants must register in advance: https://www.accesssport.org.uk/our-movement
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