Targeted approach required for engaging disabled in sport

London Sport

The merger between London Sport and Interactive, announced at the beginning of April, is a significant moment in London Sport’s vision of making London the most physically active city in the world.

Too many disabled people are living inactive lives with the negative outcomes that result. In physical activity and sport in London only 19.3 per cent of disabled adult Londoners regularly take part, compared to 38 per cent of the adult population as a whole.

A more targeted approach to engaging disabled people in physical activity is required to ensure that this population gains all the physical, mental and social benefits that accrue from regular activity. For London Sport to achieve our target, it is imperative that engaging ‘low participation’ groups into active lifestyles is a fundamental part of our strategic efforts. For the wider sector, attracting disabled people to activity is not only the right thing to do but it also makes good business sense - as studies have shown that disabled people are largely keen to do more but remain an under-served population.

Interactive has demonstrated a capacity for supporting the development of equality in physical activity and sport for disabled people in London. As a recognised part of London’s sport sector, the team have delivered extensive activities which have helped change perceptions within the sector and encouraged more disabled people to participate.

By 2020, we want to have helped get 1m Londoners more physically active. It is imperative that those efforts are targeted with disabled people in mind, just as much as non-disabled participants.

Only 19.3 per cent of disabled Londoners take part in regular physical activity/ shutterstock / akarca

Sport and physical activity sector must take mental health issues seriously

Community Programmes Manager,

(sport) at Mind

Successful public health campaigns mean that we all know that regular exercise is good for our physical health. Fewer people know that it can improve our mental wellbeing.

Having a mental health problem can put us at even higher risk of developing serious physical health problem. Those of us with a mental health problem are twice as likely to die from heart disease and four times as likely to die from respiratory disease.

This is why Mind, with support from Sport England and the National Lottery, launched Get Set to Go. It’s an ambitious project running at eight local Minds across England and has been designed with people living with mental health problems.

There is a role for the leisure sector to play. Last summer Mind asked people with mental health problems what would help them participate in sport. Nearly three quarters felt their mental health made taking part too difficult. This shows the sports sector needs to make clubs, gyms and leisure centres more accessible to people with mental health problems so they can benefit from physical activity.

Mind is working with coaches with experience of mental health problems to design a training package for professionals working in the sport and leisure sector.

"The sport sector needs to make clubs and gyms more accessible"