And finally....

 

 

npower Disability Sports Awards nominations 2009

The npower Disability Sports Awards 2009 is planned for Thursday 2^nd April 2009 at the Aston Villa Football Stadium, Birmingham. 

It is through these awards that you have an opportunity to acknowledge the achievements of  individuals, teams or organisation involved with sports for disabled people, in your area. The TOP 3 short listed nominations, in each category, will be invited to attend the prestigious Awards Evening and have the opportunity to meet the 25 West Midlands Paralympic athletes who were part of the successful GB team that competed in Beijing.

 

We want to encourage you to make as many entries as you believe to be worthy. Please note that there are 11 categories this year, an increase on previous. If you need any guidance completing the form please do not hesitate to contact the EFDS office. You can photocopy the nomination form as many times as you require. An electronic PDF file can also be sent to you on request.

 

Please feel free to photocopy forms as appropriate and/or circulate copies to other partners. Completed nomination forms should be returned to the EFDS West Midlands office no later than Friday February 6^th 2009.

 

For further information and to view the Nomination Forms for the npower Disability Sports Awards please click here. 

 

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Winners of the IFI Awards 2008 On Wednesday 10th December 2008 the first annual IFI Awards sponsored by Cybex was hosted at the ICC, Birmingham. The evening was a great success and celebrated the fantastic work of IFI accredited facilities across the country.

Chris Holmes MBE, Britain’s most successful Paralympic swimmer, hosted the evening, with Michael McGrath as the after dinner speaker who gave an inspirational insight into his experiences as a polar adventurer being the only disabled person to have reached both the North and South Poles. Michael also presented one of the winners with their award as one of the first IFI Inspirations. IFI Inspirations is a new project that was launched during the IFI Awards, with all 8-award presenters been the first to commit to the scheme.

 

IFI Inspirations is a collaboration of individuals who support and endorse the work of the initiative. All of these people have a story to tell and are role models to motivate other disabled people into physical activity; the IFI would like to thank the first 8 Inspirations for presenting an award at the event and for their continual support.

 

Although there can only be one winner on the night, the IFI were delighted with the response they received, being overwhelmed by the number of nominations and the exceptionally high standard of work that has been carried out by IFI accredited facilities. Bernard Atha, Chairman EFDS Operating Company, reiterated this during the evening and looked at the IFI achievements to date and the future of the initiative.

 

Sue Catton, IFI National Director, 

“The IFI Awards are a clear signal of the momentum that the IFI has gathered and just what it now means to the industry to be regarded as inclusive.  The industry has made staggering steps to progress from where the IFI started in 1998, yet it is important not to rest on our laurels.  This year’s winners will need to raise their game even further to replicate their success next year. 

 

The winning facilities:

 

Innovation in Inclusive Marketing (Sponsored by Power Plate International)

Aspire National Training Centre (Stanmore, Middlesex)

  

Building Outstanding Partnerships (Sponsored by Precor)

Riverside Ice and Leisure Centre (Chelmsford, Essex)

 

Creating Inclusive Environments (Sponsored by HUR)

Pent Valley Leisure Centre (Folkestone, Kent)

 

Engaging Volunteers (Sponsored by YMCA Fit)

Aspire National Training Centre (Stanmore, Middlesex)

Individual Commitment to Inclusive Fitness (Sponsored by Proactive London and Wellbeing South East)

Anne Meachem (Pendle Leisure Trust)

 

Developing Sport for All (Sponsored by The Physical Activity Network- West Midlands)

The Pemberton Centre (Rushden, Northamptonshire)

Demonstrating Corporate Commitment (Sponsored by West Midlands Travelwise)

DC Leisure

 
IFI Award of Outstanding Achievement (Sponsored by MLS Ltd)

Pent Valley Leisure Centre (Folkestone, Kent)

 

The event itself brought together accredited facilities, fitness equipment suppliers and key industry representatives who all play a significant role in the development of inclusive fitness opportunities. The IFI would like to thank everyone involved with the event, with an extended thank you to Cybex the event sponsor, without who the event would not have been possible. The night was truly inspirational and makes looking ahead to 2009 extremely exciting.

 

For more information contact:

Michelle Dent
Regional Inclusive Activator (West Midlands)
Inclusive Fitness Initiative
T: 0114 2572060 (add prefix 18001 for Typetalk)
M: 07984 110358
E: michelle@inclusivefitness.org

 

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Up to £450,000 of Community Spaces cash up for grabs until January 2009

Community Spaces is a £50m grants programme that provides funding to community groups across England to improve or create green open spaces. The programme is funded through the Big Lottery Fund's Changing Spaces initiative and is managed by Groundwork UK.

Although the majority of Community Spaces funding will go towards small and medium sized grants (under £350,000), the programme is also offering a limited number of large and flagship grants of up to £450,000. Grants of between £50,000 - £450,000 are only open for one round of application; deadlines have been set for January 2009 and are now fast approaching.

There will only be four large grants (£50,000 - £100,00) and one flagship grant (£100,001 - £450,000) awarded in each English region. This means the application process will be highly competitive.

If you are aware of a community group in your area that would benefit from a large or flagship sized grant and are able to get freehold or leasehold ownership of the land on which they want to carry out a project - then please encourage them to apply. To ensure applicants have sufficient time to put together an application before the deadline it is important that community groups begin to develop their applications as soon as possible.

 

How can I apply?

More detailed information about applying can be found on the Community Spaces website www.community-spaces.org.uk

 

Applicants should read all eligibility criteria and guidance notes before completing the application form.

Alternatively you can contact the advice Line on 0845 3 671 671 for more information.