EFDS CEO reviews the charity's year in sport and physical activity for disabled people

What a fantastic year it has been for those of us involved in sport and physical activity for disabled people. During 2014, the English Federation of Disability Sport has made new friends through active local and national partnerships, increased fundraising support and released many valuable resources over the last twelve months.

Many of our Members, like the influential National Disability Sport Organisations, have increased their own participation rates, through events and development programmes. We ourselves continue to deliver top participation opportunities through our Disability Sport Events programme and more gyms are now accredited to the Inclusive Fitness Initiative.

Something that stands out over 2014, is the strength of EFDS’s research and insight– key to our efforts to promote more on sport and exercises within disabled people’s lives. With this understanding, providers can learn more on how to deliver attractive opportunities, which tap in to disabled people’s values, motivational drivers and use the right channels to reach more people.

We have had a terrific response to the significant insight we have released this year. None have been more meaningful than to our latest report- Talk to Me.

After our Lifestyle Report was unveiled in 2013. The follow on study- Motivate Me- was released in May this year and its findings challenge providers’ thinking on the opportunities currently offered to disabled people to be active. The report also provides a better understanding of the motivations of disabled people to be active.

Released in October, Talk to Me built on our previous findings to discuss more in-depth matters with disabled and non-disabled people. The result is practical guidelines for sport and fitness providers drawn up with active and inactive disabled people.

As well as the highly successful Inclusive Communications guide unveiled in April, we finished 2014 with a bang- when we released "Being Active" in December. The publication aims to improve the number of disabled people choosing to lead an active lifestyle and provides enough guidance on where to start.

Being Active was produced by and for people with lived experience of disability or health conditions. We teamed up with Disability Rights UK to ensure the guide reaches more disabled people across the country. In the concise, reader-friendly publication, it gives a feel for the endless choices available when thinking about the possibilities.

Our enthusiastic engagement team continue to work across England's regions. Through the engagement development, we are lucky to be working with so many local deliverers, who have worked with us all year round to include more disabled people in their opportunities.

EFDS hopes our work over the last year, whether through research, engagement, communications, Sainsbury's Active Kids for All, events or physical activity, will mean disabled people are offered more appealing opportunities over 2015 and beyond.

It leaves me to say, thank you to all the amazing people who continue to support our work, in making active lives possible. We think 2015 will be even more exciting than 2014, but without all the kind support, the charity would not have enjoyed as much success as we have this year.

Barry Horne, Chief Executive