Nissan and Sported Inspire Young People to Get More Active
By Sported | 9 May 2025
Nissan’s partnership with Sported through the Nissan Possibilities Project is continuing to inspire and encourage under-represented groups to take part in sports activities in their local community. The Possibilities Project was set up in 2021 as a long-term CSR initiative to support members of the disability and LGBTQ+ communities at a grassroots level, supporting and encouraging them to benefit from participation in sport. The initiative builds on the company’s wider commitments to promote inclusion.
Through the programme with Nissan, the Sported network helps create better participation opportunities for young people with disabilities. Sported provides coaches and volunteers with the knowledge, guidance and funding required to break down the multiple barriers to participation.
Sported has been supporting clubs in the North East of England close to Nissan’s Sunderland manufacturing plant and, with expert guidance from three-time Paralympic gold medallist Stephen Miller’s charity Smile Through Sport, a specialist session to help young disabled people get more active is now taking place in Sunderland every week.
One of the clubs in the Sported network is ‘Weights and Cakes’, a community interest company (CIC) whose objective is to offer a different and more inclusive way for people to enjoy weight training who may not feel comfortable in a mainstream gym environment. Founded in 2020, its core mission is to increase social inclusion, improve fitness and general wellbeing, as well as improve the self-confidence of those they engage with.
Weights and Cakes aims to inspire individuals to achieve their full potential to enable them to live a more connected and healthier lifestyle through training at its safe and inclusive space in Sunderland. Volunteers from Nissan’s manufacturing plant have recently designed murals and decorated the gym’s sensory room, making it even more welcoming for young people with disabilities.
In 2025, Nissan and Sported are continuing their work in the North East, including by helping five young disabled people aged 18-25 from the Sunderland and Tyne and Wear to embark on a leadership journey. The Young Influencer Programme is designed to develop the future leaders of community sport by helping disabled people from local sports groups to improve their leadership skills, build confidence, and help them reach their goals. The participants will benefit from access to a leadership programme plus a grant for educational coaching or to facilitate attendance at programme sessions.
Sported’s Disability Lead, Gemma Lumsdaine, said: “Supporting disabled people to take part in sport is incredibly important to us at Sported. We know that sport and physical activity can have a wide range of health and wellbeing benefits, however we also understand the challenges that disabled people can face in accessing facilities and sessions.
“Working with Nissan, we’re helping to break down barriers and provide opportunities for young disabled people to take part in activities today and become the leaders of tomorrow. By giving them the experience and skills to take on positions of responsibility, the Possibilities Project will help increase opportunities for disabled people to take part in sport and physical activity.”
Fiona Mackay, Marketing Director at Nissan GB, said: “We’re delighted to be continuing to work with Sported UK to help more people with disabilities have access to sport and the support they need to live active lives. The work the Weights and Cakes club is doing to support young people in the North East is vital and we’re delighted that employees from our Nissan Sunderland plant have been able to get involved through their volunteering programme. This is a great example of how the Nissan Possibilities Project is working with our charity partners to bring communities together and improve lives.”