National News

EFDS announces new Honorary President, Chair and trustees

As Honorary President, Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson DBE brings with her a wealth of knowledge as well as decades of experience- from grassroots to elite level. She is an 11 times gold Paralympic medalist and a respected figurehead in sport. “Tanni” as she is better known as has received numerous accolades and awards in recognition of her sporting achievements. Over her career she won a total of 16 Paralympic medals, held over 30 world records, and won the London Marathon six times between 1992 and 2002.

Having acted as Chair herself until this AGM, Grey-Thompson has passed over the baton to her Vice Chair, Charles Reed. He will work alongside an expanded Board of Trustees, made up of other member organisation representatives and business acquaintances.

Charles Reed is a business leader with an impressive track record of inspiring teams to deliver results in the financial services industry. He was formerly Director of Customer Service and Communications for Nationwide Building Society.

It was at Nationwide he became passionately involved with the EFDS’s events programme and was influential in securing the £1million sponsorship deal. He continues to encourage the importance of volunteering and employee engagement in sport. Charles is well respected both as an ambassador and spokesperson, championing customer service and diversity within the workplace.

About his appointment, Charles Reed said:

“I'm delighted that the members of EFDS have elected me to be their Chair at such an exciting and important time in sport. Through the years of my involvement with disability sport I have been inspired by the athletes who take part and by the organisers and volunteers who dedicate so much of their time and energy to supporting them. I feel passionately about equality for disabled people and I believe we have a unique opportunity now, working closely with key partners, to bring about a significant improvement in the overall numbers who benefit from sport and physical activity”.

New board member Gerry Kinsella has over 40 years experience of volunteering and developing sporting opportunities for disabled people. With proven commitment within grassroots sport development, Gerry was a founder member of EFDS and is currently the EFDS North West region Chair.

Janet Williams, Trustee and Director of the Rugby Medical Trust, joins the Board with extensive experience in the sport sector. With a strong background in sports development, Janet brings with her many interesting sporting connections and potential networking opportunities.

They join the existing board members- April Barrett, Ken Black, Mary Butler, Lee Mason, Tracey McCillan, Liz Neale and Steve Town.

Working with strategic partners, EFDS is looking forward to maximising the opportunities over the next year. With 93 per cent of disabled people currently not taking part in regular activity, we hope one of the greatest legacies from 2012 will be increased participation rates. With more freedom of choice, sport will have a real impact on disabled people’s lives.

Will there be a legacy for disability sport after 2012?

On 18 October the All Party Parliamentary Group for Sport joined with the groups on Disability Sport and Spinal Cord Injury to host a discussion about the potential for a long-term legacy for disability sport after London 2012. The meeting was chaired by Paralympic legend Baroness Grey-Thompson, who was joined by Ade Adepitan MBE, Nikki Emerson, Martin McElhatton and Chris Holmes MBE.

The panel were united in their optimism about the prospect of a successful and memorable Games taking place next year. Chris Holmes, a former Paralympic swimmer and currently Director of Paralympic Integration at LOCOG, discussed the preparations in place to ensure that London hosts the “greatest Paralympic Games ever.” Chris described LOCOG’s approach as one which puts the athletes at the heart of every decision that is taken, highlighting the importance of seeing Team GB on the podium. If our Paralympians are successful, he explained, this will have a profound impact on people’s attitudes to disability sport.

While there was much confidence about the UK’s prospects and structures at the elite level of disability sport, however, discussion largely focussed on the barriers to participation at the grassroots level. Nikki Emerson, a wheelchair racer and triathlete, explained that the route into the elite level is far more accessible than at the grassroots – as is evidenced by the fact that only 6% of people with a disability regularly play sport, compared to 16% of the general population. Ade Adepitan MBE – a bronze medallist in Athens and currently a presenter for Channel 4’s Paralympic coverage – highlighted the progress that has been made in recent years, contrasting his experience as a young man (“there was no disability sport in my era”) to the opportunities and pathways that now exist for young athletes.

Disability sport in schools was discussed at length, and the panel agreed that far more progress must be made in schools to ensure integration between disabled children and their classmates. It was suggested that teachers need further knowledge and support to provide appropriate sporting opportunities and to overcome some of the associated practical and logistical challenges that can arise. Chris Holmes referred to an example of an Inspire Mark programme in Northern Ireland which allowed all children to try disability sport, regardless of their ability, and also suggested that Members of Parliament encourage their local schools to register for the Get Set education programme.

The panel then considered how the structures of sport might be improved to ensure a long-term legacy from 2012. Martin McElhatton, Chief Executive of WheelPower and a former Paralympian, called for greater partnership between the many and various stakeholders, addressing a problem that Ade described as a “lack of interconnectivity” across the sector. Martin suggested that the current funding streams for disability sport might yet be utilised in a more effective way, and that more consideration should be given to the role of disability sport within the health and education agendas.

NCIL, RADAR and Disability Alliance members approve merger

Three of the country’s leading disability organisations have agreed to merge within months.

Members of the National Centre for Independent Living (NCIL), RADAR and Disability Alliance (DA) backed the merger at separate annual general meetings held over the last fortnight.

The new charity – Disability Rights UK – will be a disabled people’s organisation (DPO), will be led by a disabled person, and will be run and controlled by disabled people, with disabled people making up at least three-quarters of its board members.

The final approval for the merger came this afternoon at NCIL’s annual general meeting (agm) in south London, with 11 votes in favour and just one abstention.

DA’s members had voted unanimously in favour at their agm, while just one RADAR member voted against the plans.

Mike Smith, NCIL’s chair, assured his members that achieving “meaningful” independent living for disabled people would be one of the new organisation’s four core “tenets”.

Disability Rights UK will also focus on promoting disabled people’s leadership and control, breaking the link between disability and poverty, and campaigning for disability equality and human rights.

The new organisation will be based in RADAR’s current central London headquarters, which are to undergo a major refit, and is likely to begin work on 1 January 2012, although an official launch is not likely until the spring.

Smith said NCIL had been facing an “uncertain financial future”, while members had a “greater chance of achieving our objectives because of the greater size and scale” of the new organisation, which would ensure that the independent living movement “thrives and not just survives”.

Sue Bott, NCIL’s director, said the merger would create a “powerful and a stronger voice” and would allow NCIL to move away from its current “over-reliance on government funds”.

Liz Sayce, the chief executive of RADAR, will lead the new organisation, with Bott its director of development, leading on areas such as co-production, working with DPOs, independent living, and developing leaders within the disability movement.

Disabled individuals and DPOs will be able to become voting members, while “ally” organisations that are not run by disabled people will be able to join, but will not have voting rights.

Click here for full story

North East Run First Ever Visually Impaired Tennis Tournament

The North East Visually Impaired Tennis Club (NEVITC) recently held its first ever tennis competition for their players, local tennis coaches and volunteers.

There were 16 players who competed against each other, with the aim to have fun, fundraise and increase the awareness of the new Club for Visually Impaired tennis players. The visually impaired players competed against sighted players who were provided specially made glasses by Jon Bramley from V.I.N.E, which is a registered charity that supports blind and partially sighted people in the Northeast of England and Cumbria.

The event was a huge success and highlights the tremendous work by Wendy Glasper and Adele Waterfall-Brown who are the Secretary and Chair for the newly formed tennis club respectively. Since last October they have already set up a tennis club, tennis coaching and now competitions for the North East and the feedback from the players has been outstanding.

Teresa Usher who has been attending the coaching at Sunderland Tennis Centre and competed in the competition expressed,

“I have been loving the tennis coaching and the competition was amazing. Since I have started playing tennis I have felt so much fitter and have met some brilliant people! Its great.”

Adele Waterfall-Brown also highlighted her delight following the first competition,

“We all did really well. Thank you to everyone for helping us raise the money for our club. There has been such a positive response from all visually impaired players and this gives us the drive to carry on”.

To find your nearest place to play tennis visit www.lta.org.uk/playtennis

Click here to return to the newsletter