Activity Alliance and Quest announce release of new Leisure Standard
From the 1 September 2022, Activity Alliance and Quest are pleased to announce the release of a new Tackling Inequalities in Leisure Standard. The release is to coincide with the launch of the new Quest Assessments which have been Sport England’s Continuous Improvement Tool for over 20 years.
The new Tackling Inequalities in Leisure Standard will replace the existing Inclusive Fitness Initiative and has been co-written between Activity Alliance and Quest. The aim is to help leisure operators provide more inclusive and accessible physical activity opportunities for people from a range of inequality groups. The Standard can be completed as part of a full Quest Plus Assessment, or as an independent standalone award.
Sarah Maxwell, Head of External Accreditations at Right Directions, which manages Quest on behalf of Sport England, explains:
“The standard will combine Quest Tackling Inequality and Accessible Facilities modules together. It aims to support leisure operators to provide more inclusive and accessible physical activity opportunities for people from different Inequality groups, whilst providing a review of the accessibility of the facility design and operational procedures for different user groups.”
The new Tackling Inequalities in Leisure Standard will complement the ongoing work of Activity Alliance in its aim to improve the way organisations think and act upon disabled people’s experiences. And to support facilities to include more disabled people in sport and activity.
Ray Ashley, Director of Partnerships, said:
“Since July 2017, Activity Alliance and Quest have been working together to ensure more leisure centres have access to useful information, training and to increase their own marketing potential.
“In this time, we have seen positive improvement with more leisure centres working hard to become more welcoming and accessible environments for disabled people. Providing truly inclusive opportunities is important now more than ever. Our recent Annual Survey shows that many disabled people feel forgotten in the recovery from the pandemic. The new Tackling Inequalities in Leisure Standard sees inclusion fully embedded in Quest, which will crucially enable leisure centres to think about inclusion in a more holistic way. Barriers to being active have existed for disabled people for far too long. Through the new modules, we can continue in supporting the sector to break down those barriers through offering our experience, learning, and resources.”
For more information about the new Standard or other services please contact Quest via email: Quest@rightdirections.co.uk, telephone 01582 840 078, or visit www.questaward.org.
