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Sainsbury’s Inclusive Community Training: “I enjoyed the interaction'

Community group volunteers, physiotherapists and others met yesterday (Monday 16 November) to participate in a fun, informative and stimulating session of Sainsbury’s Inclusive Community Training.

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

The Sainsbury’s Inclusive Community Training, part of the Active Kids for All scheme, took place at Sportspark, at the University of East Anglia in Norwich.

Ellen Vanlint, Sports Development Officer – Inclusion, Volunteering & Rural at Active Norfolk who organised the workshop, told EFDS:

“'We never have a problem filling our Sainsbury’s Inclusive Community Training workshops. The training is a brilliant introduction or refresher course for supporting individuals to introduce sport and physical activity to disabled people. 

“The learning from the training can be used in many different situations. We have had a variety of people attend the courses including workers from care homes, volunteers, scouts, YMCA members as well as some parents.”

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 November workshop, participants said that they now felt more confident and had learned how to adapt activities to make them more inclusive and to suit the needs of every individual.

Peter Cornwell, a community group volunteer who enjoyed the session, said:

“I want to try and develop disability cycling opportunities in Norfolk, and I wanted to increase my knowledge and ability to help different groups participate in activities.

“I most enjoyed the practical activities that put the theory into practice.”

Another participant, community physiotherapist Hannah Brooks, added:

“Sainsbury’s Inclusive Community Training fits into, and is relevant to, a lot of different areas of my life, both personally and professionally.

“I wanted to gain knowledge on how to include everyone in activities and get some new creative ideas.

“I enjoyed the interaction and the practical aspects, and discussions were all relevant to so many scenarios. The workbooks we used were great and the way the tutor broke down the learning of different areas was excellent.

“I will now be able to alter my language accordingly when giving instructions and be more creative when thinking about activities. I will also feel more confident to not need to ‘change my plans’ because there might be a disabled person in the group.”

Sainsbury’s Inclusive Community Training is delivered through the English Federation of Disability Sport (EFDS) and sports coach UK. Sandra King, the sports coach UK tutor on the day, added:

“As a tutor, I enjoy sharing inclusive practice and helping participants to develop their knowledge and confidence in working with disabled people.

“The training is very practical - I think it’s the best way for participants to learn.

“As a society we need to recognise that disabled people can and should be involved in sport, and the lessons learned by undertaking Sainsbury’s Inclusive Community Training work outside of sport as well as within.”

Sainsbury’s Inclusive Community Training recently passed a significant milestone with over 2,800 individuals having benefited from the initiative. Why not consider continuing the momentum and working to create a lasting legacy for disabled people?

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.