Sense with members playing tennis, Wallace pictured centre @Sense
National disability charity Sense has been awarded £2.2m by Sport England, allowing its sport and physical activity provision programme to grow to support 5,000 more people in England.
The government aid will also help care staff and sport providers be upskilled and supported to provide accessible and inclusive physical activity sessions for more long-term benefits.
Linda Wallace, 63, who has suffered from ongoing sight loss due to Cerebral Palsy, said she has had to find new ways to enjoy tennis, but the support from Sense has helped her to continue participating.
Louis Wickett-Padgham, head of sport and physical activity at Sense, said that this will strengthen Sense’s influence and lead positive change across sectors for people with complex disabilities.
She added: ‘Tackling inequalities in activity levels is at the heart of Sport England’s Uniting the Movement strategy, and the new partnerships (totalling £6.5m of National Lottery and government funding) have been announced at a particularly challenging time for disabled people. Both the pandemic and cost-of-living crisis is disproportionately affecting disabled people.’