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Rochdale students enjoy Sainsbury’s Inclusive Community Training workshop

Earlier this month, 20 students from Hopwood Hall College in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, attended a Sainsbury’s Active Kids for All Inclusive Community Training workshop lead by Graham Herstell from Ballzone UK.

The workshop is designed to improve the skills and confidence of those who support disabled people to be more active, and is a creative, informal and informative development opportunity.

Prior to undertaking Sainsbury’s Active Kids for All Inclusive Community Training, Hopwood tutors said their pupils’ knowledge and confidence of delivering sport and physical activity sessions to disabled people was low.

The training would help them to learn how to adapt their sessions to help suit individuals with a variety of needs.

Rachel Peers, Workforce Officer at GreaterSport, told the English Federation of Disability Sport (EFDS):

“We as an organisation value this training as we aim to change lives through sport and physical activity, making it accessible for all.

“From my point of view it’s all about upskilling those who feel they have no, or limited, confidence when it comes delivering sport or physical activity to people with disabilities.”

The three hours of practical training, supplemented by online resources, was described as "a very good course, with great tutors and well-prepared" by past participants.

On completion of the October workshop, Hopwood’s students said that they now felt more confident and had learned how to adapt a session to make it more inclusive, to suit the needs of every individual’s impairment.

One student said:

“I have learned a whole new range of skills which I am looking forward to putting into practice.”

Graham Herstell, the sports coach UK tutor on the day, added:

“The students approached the workshop with open and inquisitive minds. This attitude gave rise to some excellent examples of the application of inclusive delivery.

“The students engaged well and understood why this type of training would be important for future careers in supporting people with disabilities.”

Sainsbury’s Inclusive Community Training recently passed a significant milestone with over 2,500 individuals having benefited from the initiative.

Rachel Peers from GreaterSport concluded:

“We would like to see a range of community organisations such as care homes, get involved with this training as it will provide them with ideas and skills to introduce physical activities to those within a non-sporting environment.”

For further information, please contact EFDS, email AK4A@efds.co.uk or telephone 01509 227751. Find us on Twitter @Eng_Dis_Sport, Facebook and LinkedIn.