CHILDREN and young people cared for at Derian House Children’s Hospice will benefit from new play equipment and sports services following a successful application for funding from the Toyota Parasport Fund.
Launched in November 2019 by Sport England, Toyota GB & the British Paralympic Association, the fund provides equipment aimed at helping disabled people to become more active in England.
Among 93 successful applicants in total, Derian House was awarded £1,300 in funding as well as receiving an array of specialist sports equipment.
Katie McNally, Wellbeing Services Lead at Derian House Children’s Hospice said: “The equipment we have received will enable us to offer new and exciting outdoor activities which will really make a difference to our children and young people this summer.
“We also plan to develop a monthly sports club which will provide fun opportunities to learn new skills.”
The children’s hospice, based in Chorley, provides respite and end-of-life care to more than 400 children and young people from across the North West and South Cumbria.
Sport England Director of Children & Young People, Mike Diaper said: “Derian House will be positively impacting the children and young people in it’s care by increasing opportunities to get active which will improve their wellbeing.
“I look forward to seeing how the project develops and we thank both the National Lottery and Toyota GB for their investment which make partnerships like this possible.”
Mike Sharrock, Chief Executive of the British Paralympic Association, said: “The Toyota Parasport fund is a huge boost to ensuring activity providers are able to access the equipment and have the training they need to offer the best possible experience for participants. We want to thank Sport England and Toyota GB for their generous support during these incredibly challenging times for the sector.
“We know disabled people are still far less likely to take part in physical activity that is why we relaunched Parasport in 2019. We want to ensure everybody has the opportunity to experience the wide range of benefits associated with becoming more active whether it be physical and mental wellbeing, friendship, or the joy of learning something new.”
Parasport.org.uk has more than 3,000 activities listed to help disabled people find inclusive opportunities in their local area and also promotes virtual classes and home workout videos people can use while activity providers are closed due to Covid-19 restrictions.
