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UEL rolls out sports wheelchairs to five Olympic host boroughs

Thursday 19 May 2011

The University of East London is providing five Olympic host boroughs with 40 sports wheelchairs to help local communities get fit and active in the run up to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

UEL has secured National Lottery funding of £40,000 from the Transformers grants programme to provide 40 sports wheelchairs and sports sessions to the boroughs of Greenwich, Hackney, Newham, Waltham Forest and Tower Hamlets, as part of the Chairs in the Community project. The wheelchairs will be available for people to take part in wheelchair sports, such as badminton, tennis and basketball, at council-run sports centres and local community venues.

Transformers is a small grants programme managed by the East London Business Alliance (ELBA) and funded by the Olympic Lottery Distributor, which is making grants available from September 2010 to December 2012. Transformers is targeted at communities in five of the Olympic host boroughs and will fund projects for up to two years. Grants are available for between £10,000 and £20,000 per annum.

At a special event in Hackney Downs yesterday, Team GB Paralympic basketball player, Helen Turner, officially launched the scheme with young people from Stormont House School and Berger Primary School. The event culminated in an end to end game of wheelchair basketball in which Helen, Councillor Jonathan McShane from Hackney Council and Stormont House pupils took on the mighty Hackney Sparrows Wheelchair Basketball Club. Representatives from ELBA and Newham All Star Sports Academy also turned up to lend their support.

David Cosford, Director of Sport at UEL, said: “With the London 2012 Games on the horizon, now is the perfect time for people to start getting fit and active. I’d like to say a big thank you to the Olympic Lottery Distributor and ELBA for making this possible and to Hackney Council for organising this fantastic event.

“While many people will think this scheme is geared towards people with physical disabilities, it is important to stress that these sports wheelchair are there for everyone to use and should be viewed the same way as any other piece of sporting equipment - such as a rowing machine or exercise bike. This is ultimately about getting people involved in team activities and ensuring the provision of sports on a local level is inclusive to all.”

Helen Turner, Team GB Paralympic basketball player, said: "This project is extremely important in developing an infrastructure that will support many young people to participate in sport and also help develop the next generation of paralympians. Being able to experience sporting activities, such as wheelchair basketball, can be such a confidence booster to children as any sporting activity does to all children. It also benefits their health and social skills, but above all, playing sport is fun."

20 sports wheelchairs have been delivered to the boroughs of Newham, Hackney and Waltham Forest and Greenwich and Tower Hamlets will receive their allocation next year.

Notes to Editors

The University of East London (UEL) is a global learning community with over 28,000 students from over 120 countries world-wide. Our vision is to achieve recognition, both nationally and internationally, as a successful and inclusive regional university proud of its diversity, committed to new modes of learning which focus on students and enhance their employability, and renowned for our contribution to social, cultural and economic development, especially through our research and scholarship. We have a strong track-record in widening participation and working with industry.

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