Disability football coaching sessions

Residents at Lady Dane Farmhouse are kicking off the new year by taking part in a 12-week pilot football coaching scheme thanks to a recent grant from Kent Sport.

The care home in Faversham was recently awarded a grant of £1,185 to work with local sports coaching organisation, Inclusive Sport, to deliver football coaching sessions for people with disabilities.

The grant has also helped to buy some equipment such as goals, footballs, goalkeeping gloves, training vests and cones.

Registered Home Manager, Leanne Anslow, said: “There is a real passion for football in our home among our clients so we’re really excited to get going on the sessions. We’re so thankful to Kent Sport for the grant money and for Inclusive Sport for working with us to deliver the coaching. This project is about tackling inequalities, encouraging our residents to be active and ultimately giving them all the same opportunities that someone without disabilities would have.”

The 12-week pilot will end in March and if successful, Strode Park Foundation will look to seek further funding to make it a more longer-term project for the residents.

Andrea Murphy, Kent Sport’s Active Partnership Manager said: “We are delighted to support this project to enable residents to take part in regular physical activity. We are excited to see the benefits this has, both in terms of physical and mental well-being. The Pandemic has had a negative impact on physical activity levels, people with a disability being more adversely affected. Thanks to support from Sport England and Kent County Council we are able to work with partners and local communities to help address barriers to participation and offer opportunities where they are most needed.”