Access Sport Oxfordshire

Helping Oxfordshire's children and young people in greatest need to thrive through the power of sport

In Oxfordshire, 1 in 2 children are not getting enough activity to protect their health and well-being, 1 in 5 children are experiencing significant mental health difficulties and only 35% of disabled children feel confident taking part in sport. We know that COVID-19, followed by the cost of living crisis has made existing inequalities far worse.

Sport has the power to change lives. It's never been more important to help Oxfordshire's youngest generations to access sports and protect their health, well-being and life chances.

Access Sport Oxfordshire is an inclusive sports programme for children and young people in the county. We are proud to work together with Access Sport to break down barriers for young people and make sure that they can enjoy the benefits of trying new sports and living an active life. Since launching Access Sport Oxfordshire in 2022, we have worked with partners to deliver hundreds of sports sessions, provided an extensive training programme to sports clubs and community organisations, enabled young people to become sports leaders and helped Oxfordshire clubs to become more inclusive through training and equipment.

We are extremely grateful to the many donors and supporters who give so generously to our inclusive sports programme for young people. Particular thanks go to Mark Beard, Richard Venables, Radley College, Oxford Property Festival, Nationwide, Gladstone Software and Sanghera Foundation for making this vital work possible, and to Access Sport for their ongoing partnership and support.

Sunrae Dance

Sunrae Dance offers inclusive dance lessons to enable all people, including wheelchair users, to participate in dance. They support families in the rural areas of West Oxfordshire and Witney, and Access Sport Oxfordshire has supported them with funding for additional sessions which families on low income can attend. Access Sport Oxfordshire also supported Sunrae Dance to obtain funding for equipment and costumes for their dancers to take part in the West Oxfordshire Inclusive Dance Festival.

Lila's Story

Sunrae Dance purchased specialist dance shoes for Lila which she could use with the splints that support her to stand. This has meant she's been able to dance using her frame, giving her a greater range of movement, rather than participating from her wheelchair. At the dance festival, Lila could be fully included and dance alongside the rest of the dancers!

We will support clubs and community organisations to help them become more inclusive and open their doors to everyone, no matter their ability or background, as well as establishing new inclusive sports programmes across the county.

Our key priorities will be:

• Sporting opportunities for children and young people with a disability.
• Sports initiatives in the most disadvantaged areas of our County
• Training and development of coaches and leaders from our target audiences and communities.

As always, we will be working with a wide range of partners, sports clubs and community organisations to increase inclusive sporting opportunities for children and young people and create lasting change. If you would like to get involved, please get in touch with Hayley Sanders, Access Sport Oxfordshire Manager who would be delighted to start a conversation.

You can reach Hayley at HayleySanders@activeoxfordshire.org.

If you would like to support Access Sport Oxfordshire with a donation, helping us to reach more young people like Natalie, this would be very gratefully received. You can donate via the link below:

Cover image: The Plastic Goldfish Company