Money for old bags!
The Down’s Syndrome Association has been awarded £15,000 by Tesco as part of their Bags of Help Centenary scheme. The supermarket takes the money paid for plastic bags in stores and puts it into grants that benefit local communities. The money will go towards new sporting sessions from the DSActive team.
“We are thrilled to be chosen as one of the recipients of the Tesco Centenary Award. This grant will allow us to support over 170 people with Down’s syndrome to be more active and to play sport. We will be able to launch new sessions and run more festivals specifically tailored for people with Down’s syndrome. A huge thank you to everyone who voted for us to enable more people with Down’s syndrome to have the opportunities to be involved in sport.”
Alex Rawle, DSActive Project Manager
DSActive is a bespoke sports programme for people who have Down’s syndrome, run by the Down’s Syndrome Association. It works with professional and amateur sporting clubs to run Down’s syndrome specific sporting sessions including: football, tennis, rugby, cricket and running/walking clubs.
The money will allow the DSActive team to launch new sessions in areas of North London. The funding will cover the start-up costs as well as supporting the clubs to increase participation in existing sessions. They will also be running festivals in the North London area as their research shows that people with Down’s syndrome often miss out on the opportunity to participate in sporting competitions. DSActive research also shows that since joining a DSActive session, participants improve their physical, mental and social health, and over 90% said they improved their communication skills.
Find out more about DSActive and what they have on offer.
