"Partnerships like this one, pool our resources and allow us to make the maximum impact on young people through inclusive offers."

Access Sport is delighted to announce a new partnership with NICAS (National Indoor Climbing Award Schemes) to positively impact the lives of disabled young people through community climbing and bouldering.

This partnership aligns our work to train, equip and support community clubs with NICAS’s vision for a more accessible award scheme, NICAS Ascend, to create more inclusive climbing opportunities for disabled young people.

We have worked with climbing and bouldering venues since 2019 to make the sport more inclusive for disabled young people. Through our Changing Sports climbing programme, we provide hands-on support so venues can launch new pan-disability inclusive sessions, where they previously didn’t exist.

NICAS Ascend is the country’s first national sports award scheme designed for – and tried and tested with – disabled and neurodivergent climbers. It’s the brainchild of our Senior Development Manager, Sarah Jones, a climbing coach with a background in inclusive disability sport. Sarah was inspired by her brother Zac to look into how to adapt climbing opportunities for young people with complex needs.

This unique and much-needed collaboration will focus on:

• Delivering our Disability Inclusion training and NICAS Ascend scheme training to coaches at climbing and bouldering centres
• Upskilling coaches and club volunteers to deliver inclusive sessions that support learners to engage with and make progress on the NICAS Ascend scheme
• Supporting climbing and bouldering centres and venues across the UK to build and deliver sustainable inclusive climbing opportunities
• Encouraging climbing clubs to join the Inclusive Club Network - a national network of community sport clubs, working to transform the lives of disadvantaged and disabled young people across the UK.

Helen Rowbotham, Chief Executive, said:

“The national climbing space is ready to impact disabled young people’s lives. Partnerships like this one, pool our resources and allow us to make the maximum impact on young people through inclusive offers. We are so excited to officially announce our partnership with NICAS and look forward to achieving some of our ambitious shared goals.”

Nicholas Parkin, Managing Director at NICAS, said:

“We want climbing to be a sport where everyone is welcome and has the same opportunities to create a lifetime of happy climbing experiences. Access Sport is a natural partner for us in making this vision a reality through their extensive experience in delivering grassroots programmes.

Support is still needed to launch NICAS Ascend nationally. Today NICAS have launched a crowdfunding campaign so that everyone can come together and be part of the ascent for thousands of learners facing barriers to inclusion. Follow @NICASclimbing on any social media platform to be the first to support this amazing programme.

Join the ascent!
Support NICAS’s campaign by donating today and following @NICASclimbing on social media to spread the word.

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Interested in learning more about how your club or organisation can engage with our Changing Sports Climbing or NICAS’s Ascend project?
Please use the link below to register your interest.

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NICAS is an educational charity based in the UK that provides structured award schemes for climbers with the aim of providing a pathway from indoor climbing to life-long participation in climbing and mountaineering. 

Their schemes offer a progressive pathway for climbers to develop technical skills, safety awareness, and confidence with progress recorded in logbooks and celebrated at all stages. By emphasising safety standards, skills development, and recognition of progression for our learners, and supporting coaches at accredited centres to deliver engaging sessions, NICAS cultivates a vibrant and supportive atmosphere where climbers can thrive in their sport, while also promoting a culture of safety and fun.