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Held annually, Include Summit is a fantastic event that brings together leaders from across the sector to develop actionable steps to create more inclusive environments across sport.

Taking place on 8 and 9 October at the Lee Valley Velopark, this event proved a fantastic opportunity for us to champion our recent Manifesto for Change.  

Launched earlier this year, this manifesto identifies five key areas of change that will facilitate improved access to the benefits of inclusive community sport for disadvantaged and disabled young people.

The manifesto reiterates our belief that community sport has the power to change young lives for the better. It is a clear call to action for all national organisations committed to reducing societal inequalities.

Many of our team attended the conference to highlight the importance of these five areas:

• National Youth Board Chair, Shane McCullough, led the opening session “Youth Voice: What do young people think needs to change?”
• Chief Executive, Helen Rowbotham, facilitated a panel titled "Disability Sport Feature; Is disability inclusion in sport dropping off the priority List?"
• Senior Development Manager, Sarah Jones moderated a discussion around "Neuroinclusive Practice in Sport"
• Inclusive Training Lead, Jayde Ellis and Programme Manager, Sophie Epsley, ran a workshop on "Neuroinclusion in Community Sports"
• Trustee, Mandana Mehran Pour, sat on the “EDI Lessons and Reflection from National Sporting Governing Bodies” panel.

With great expertise in their subjects, each of the team was able to emphasise how, working together with local and national partners, we can drive sustainable systemic change across the sector.

It was fantastic to have such positive conversations and hear the delegates in attendance were aligned with our mission.

A specific highlight from the day was the discussion Helen Rowbotham facilitated. The conversation ranged from Government policy, representation of disabled people in the sport workforce and investment in inclusive disability sport.

The overall consensus was that more collaboration across the sector was needed to address the access barriers facing disabled people when accessing sport. It was encouraging to have the panel's support, including the Activity Alliance and the British Paralympic Association.

Helen Rowbotham, Access Sport CEO said:

“We are so pleased to attend the Include Summit today! With so many organisations and partners here, it’s been terrific to discuss how we can work together to unlock the benefits of inclusive community sport for the next generation of young people. Thank you to Include for inviting us to this inspiring day!”

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