Sported is one of the two charity partners for Nissan GB’s Nissan Possibilities Project, the company’s CSR initiative to create more opportunities for under-represented communities in the Tyne & Wear region.
Nissan GB and its employees directly support selected groups within the Sported network of community clubs to create better participation opportunities for young people with disabilities.
Our community groups support ensure greater access to facilities and qualified coaching for disability sport.
Additionally, in partnership with the Richard Whitehead Foundation and Nissan GB, we are a number of young people who have received funding for the provision of running prosthetics.
In 2024, the programme transformed over 50 clubs by offering specialist support that has widened the opportunities available and alleviated several barriers to participation.
With expert guidance from three-time Paralympic gold medallist Stephen Miller’s charity, Smile Through Sport, a session is now taking place in Sunderland every week that is giving young people increased pathways to being active.
We enabled 13 group leaders from six groups to receive inclusion training from Smile Through Sport, followed by one-to-one support from a Volunteer Consultant and our Disability Lead to implement actions. Seven grants were also given to fund equipment, coach education, and additional sessions and delivery.
Meanwhile, across the Tyne & Wear region, support from the car manufacturer – which has a long-standing programme supporting under-represented groups – has also delivered bespoke equipment and an accessible minibus. In tandem, Sported has developed a bespoke programme for coaches on disability inclusion, which has given club leaders and volunteers the confidence to create to more meaningful activity in their communities.
Radio 1 DJ Adele Roberts, a Diversity & Inclusion Ambassador, ran the 2024 Great North Run to support the programme. Adele is a proud advocate for the LGBTQ+ community, and in 2020 won the award for Broadcaster of the Year at the British LGBT Awards. She is also a keen runner and has completed the London Marathon twice, as well as being a regular presenter for the BBC on the London Marathon coverage.
“I love the Sported project. I think it is fundamental. I saw a state saying that 1 in 4 children with a disability feel empowered to get into sport, which means 3 in 4 don’t. These projects can help and show how movement is essential to their conditions. Plus make you feel you can do anything.”
– Radio and TV presenter Adele Roberts