Approximately 160,000 people have cerebral palsy (CP) in the UK. Research shows more needs to be done to break down barriers to sport and activity for people with cerebral palsy. Physical activity has been found to have positive effects on mental and emotional wellbeing as well as improving posture, strength and movement.
We caught up with CP Sport’s head of marketing and communications Sandy Drummond to find out more about the charity, and their vital work.
When and why was Cerebral Palsy Sport set up?
This year CP Sport is actually celebrating its 20th year, becoming an independent charity in 2001. Around that time British athletes with cerebral palsy were becoming successful on the international stage, which created interest in disability sport. CP Sport was a founding member of the British Paralympic Association, and the charity quickly grew into a recognised national disability sport organisation providing opportunities for people with cerebral palsy.
Popular sports have always included athletics, bowls, football and swimming, and over time adapted sports such as table cricket, frame football and frame running have developed so that even more people can get involved.
How has CP Sport adapted activity to support people during the pandemic?
When our usual events were cancelled in March 2020, we were all too aware that the social aspect many of our service users rely on would be missed. The mental and wellbeing aspects of taking part in sports are as important as the physical benefits and our community still wanted to feel connected. As a result, we set up online social cafes in partnership with CP Teens UK and Scope to provide opportunities to chat about anything from feelings to sports and hobbies. Our ambassadors, including Stephen Miller MBE, dialled-in to share their stories, show medals and answer questions, which was a positive boost in difficult and daunting times.
The cafes emphasised the importance of being active and gave us a chance to listen to experiences of people with cerebral palsy and their suggestions to break down barriers to taking part in sport. Café members even spent time helping us to develop our new logo and branding.
Since March 2020 we’ve also kick-started our:
- Membership hub
- Online events booking
- Equipment rental service, in partnership with Quest
- Virtual Challenge Series with LimbPower
- Virtual Awards Ceremony.
It’s been an exciting year and we’ve learnt to adapt in challenging times but we can’t wait to return to face-to-face events - our first is the National Athletics Championships on 18 September.
How are you improving your services for people with cerebral palsy?
We’re proud to have launched a new website and rebrand this month. Throughout the pandemic we’ve increased the delivery of our online events and services so a digital update was needed to reflect and support this. We have a range of abilities to consider so it was essential the website met all visitors’ needs.
Our new visual identity is modern and vibrant, using colours developed with accessibility in mind. Green is recognised as the colour of cerebral palsy awareness, and it features heavily. We wanted our brand identity to make people feel as happy as when they take part in physical activity.
We’ve heard about your new Club Finder, how does that work?
Our online Club Finder enables people with cerebral palsy to connect with a local club and find a sport to suit them. We work closely with clubs, national governing bodies, and active partnerships nationwide to ensure all the clubs in our directory support people with cerebral palsy and bring the community together. We now have over 500 clubs listed and counting.
Search for inclusive clubs near you.
What are your future plans for CP Sport?
Although it’s been challenging, the past 18 months have provided us with a unique opportunity to take a step back and listen to what our community needs. Our strategy moving forward has three pillars:
- Supporting people with cerebral palsy to be active, through events, partnerships and training
- Building a community of people with cerebral palsy, volunteers and professionals to break down barriers
- Enhancing the sector through collaborations and campaigning to raise awareness and influence change.
As we start to look forward, we pledge to continue listening and working tirelessly so that everyone with cerebral palsy is able to access and enjoy being physically active, no matter what their abilities are.
We’re proud to partner CP Sport and to be sponsoring their Online Cafes, to ensure people get the support they need after a cerebral palsy diagnosis.
Further reading
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