Summary
Our ASN multi sports sessions are weekly activities for children and young people aged 7-17 with physical and learning disabilities. The sessions, which run on Saturday mornings at Gracemount Leisure Centre in Edinburgh, give participants the chance to have fun getting active and give their carers a break from their caring role.
What ASN Multi-Sports did
This year we supported disabled children and young people and their carers through ASN Multi-Sports.
We delivered sessions for one age group at a time, with primary school aged children one week and secondary school aged young people the next. We continued to offer taster sessions when places became available to ensure that we were a good fit for each other.
We offered a wide range of activities, some tried and tested and some new for this year. These included playing in the swimming pool, new age kurling, martial arts, soft archery, athletics, dodgeball, badminton, parachute games, boccia, mini golf, bouncy castle, trampolining, rhythmic gymnastics, modified circuits in the sports hall, and adapted ball sports e.g. playing volleyball with a beach ball to create a lighter and easier target. We also delivered non-sports activities with an element of physical activity, such as making paper airplanes, scavenger hunts and making balloon rockets.
We successfully trailed taking some of our older participants to Gracemount Leisure Centre’s gym in small groups and introducing them to the gym equipment. As the feedback has been positive, with young people telling us they have enjoyed trying something new and their carers telling us that their children came home expressing interest in using the gym more often, this is something that we are planning to continue.
The sessions enabled carers to take a break from their caring role. They chose to do a range of activities while their children were at sessions, including enjoying free use of Gracemount Leisure Centre’s gym, having a free tea or coffee in our café, going for a walk or run, errands that are easier to do alone, reading, and spending quality time with other family members.
What Edinburgh Leisure has learned
This year we trialled taking some of our older participants to Gracemount Leisure Centre’s gym in small groups and supporting them to use our gym equipment. This was in response to requests from young people and their carers that it was something they would like the opportunity to try.
The feedback was positive, with young people telling us they enjoyed trying something new and their carers telling us that their children came home expressing interest in using the gym more often. We learned that many of the young people were able to achieve more in the gym than perhaps they or their carers had expected, which significantly contributed to their enjoyment and satisfaction levels.
Due to the success of the trial period, we are making the gym sessions a permanent feature of our ASN multi-sports programme. We are working with the Gym Supervisors on the possibility of some of the young people gaining gym accreditation and offering those who are accredited a free young adult full fitness membership. This will enable them to use the gym independently outside of ASN multi-sports with the support of their carer, meaning they can get active more regularly and they have something they enjoy that they can continue doing when they become too old for ASN multi-sports.
Learning that many of the young people were able to achieve more when encouraged and supported in the right ways led us to give some of our older participants the opportunity to volunteer with our boccia coaching programme. This offered those who were preparing to leave the ASN Multi Sports sessions something enjoyable to move on to, as well as a chance to gain work experience.
Finally, we learned from feedback that some of the children found the transition from the primary school aged sessions to the secondary school aged sessions challenging. We have put a number of measures in place to aid a smoother transition, including better communications with carers and introductory sessions prior to starting.
How Edinburgh Leisure has benefitted from the funding
Covid-19, the energy crisis and the cost of living crisis have placed a huge financial strain on Edinburgh Leisure over the last few years. Due to these financial challenges, activities like our ASN multi-sports sessions are at risk of closure without external funding. The generous funding we have received from Better Breaks has enabled us to continue an important service for families with disabled children who need our support.
Having support from Better Breaks over the last few years has enabled us to build on our successes, create a consistent service and make a meaningful difference to local families’ lives.
Project Outcomes
Outcome
20 disabled children and young people will have had the opportunity to have fun getting active.
Results
Yes, ASN multi-sports supported 20 children and young people to get active.
Case study
9-year-old Archie lives in South Edinburgh with his parents, Rachael and David, and two older sisters. He has Down’s Syndrome and goes to his local mainstream primary school.
They are an active family – Rachael runs and goes to the gym, Archie’s sisters attend sports coaching and they like to play sports together. Archie had seen his older sisters attend sports coaching and wanted to join them but the family struggled to find suitable opportunities in the local area.
The family were delighted when they found out about ASN Multi-Sports at Gracemount Leisure Centre. The sessions have been nothing short of life-changing for them! Archie immediately loved trying different activities in the sports hall and enjoys football, ball games and table tennis the most. Rachael is so thankful for Leah and all the other coaches, whose kindness and patience with the children create a safe environment for them to get active in.
To begin with, Archie was reluctant to leave the sports hall and move through to the pool area. He was nervous about swimming and worried about things like needing the toilet while in the water. Slowly he began feeling more confident in the pool and, with the support of the coaches who get into the pool with the children, he now enjoys playing in the pool so much that he doesn’t want to leave at the end of the session!
Outcome
Carers of 20 disabled children and young people will have had the opportunity to do things for themselves away from their caring routine.
Results
Carers of 20 disabled children and young people had the opportunity to do things away from their caring role.
Case study
David, aged 8, lives with his single mum Julia, 15-year old sister, and two dogs in Edinburgh and attends his local mainstream primary school.
David has Down’s Syndrome, developmental delays and sensory challenges, which all impact the family day-to-day. He’s verbal, can communicate his needs well and is good at listening but struggles with reading and writing at the level of most children his age. He needs support in all aspects of his life and prior to attending sessions at Gracemount Leisure Centre, Julia hadn't been able to leave him for long periods.
While David is at sessions, Julia tends to use the time to do things that she enjoys. Often she gets active herself – either by going for a run, walking their dogs or taking advantage of free gym use – and then grabbing a coffee in peace and quiet. As a single parent of two, it’s valuable ‘me time’ that she wouldn’t get otherwise.
Outcome
Carers of 20 disabled children and young people will have had the opportunity to take a break from their caring role every second Saturday.
Results
Carers of 20 disabled children and young people had the opportunity to take a break from their caring role every second Saturday.
Case study
11-year-old Freya lives with her parents and 13-year old brother. She has Down’s Syndrome, deafness and autism, which all have a profound impact on the whole family in day-to-day life.
There’s an endless list of tasks when caring for a child with additional support needs, from extra admin to appointments, and everything takes more time. While most 11-year-olds can start to do things for themselves, Freya can’t be left alone and needs support from her parents with all aspects of her life.
A combination of caring for Freya, working, looking after her son and being sleep deprived mean that her mum Anna is constantly knackered. She has gone part time at work because it was impossible for both parents to maintain full time hours while caring for Freya.
While Freya is at sessions, Anna and her husband like to get active themselves. For the parent who drops her off, it’s the perfect amount of time to go for a run or use the gym and then grab a coffee in peace and quiet. For the other parent, it’s a great opportunity to spend quality time with their son. The time they have to themselves on Saturday mornings is so important to them, with exercise helping them to start the weekend well, boosting their mood and making their caring role seem more manageable. If it wasn’t for the sessions at Gracemount, this period of respite would be impossible.
Outcome
15 disabled children and young people (75% of total) will have improved wellbeing
Results
The vast majority of disabled children and young people had improved wellbeing.
Case study
11-year-old Freya lives with her parents and 13-year old brother. She has Down’s Syndrome, deafness and autism, which all have a profound impact on the whole family in day-to-day life.
Children with Down’s Syndrome are at a much higher risk of obesity and Freya is a compulsive eater, so it’s important to mum Anna to help her find activities that she enjoys and wants to continue doing as she grows up. She had previously struggled to find opportunities for her to be active as there’s very limited choice for children with additional support needs and those opportunities that do exist tend to be oversubscribed. The sessions at Gracemount enable Freya to be active in a safe and supportive environment to protect her physical and mental wellbeing.
While Freya struggles to give verbal feedback on the sessions, Anna can interpret from her behaviour they have a positive impact on her mental wellbeing too. They have a visual timetable at home and each time it comes to the picture of Gracemount, she gets excited. Her behaviour on the mornings of sessions is positive – she feels motivated to get ready and is always keen to pick out her clothes and help pack her bag.
Anna could tell that Freya particularly enjoyed karate as she was so animated when she got home and was keen to demonstrate what she’d learned. She knows her older brother does taekwondo and it was great for her to get the chance to try something similar.
Being able to take a break has also had a positive impact on Anna and her husband’s wellbeing. Using the time away from their caring role on Saturday mornings to exercise is a great mood booster!