A Summer of Accessible Activities

Ladybug Lodge in Coventry provide accessible activities, events and recreational opportunities to children and young people with special educational needs. They applied to our community change fund with the plan of purchasing wheelchair accessible equipment to better include the 23 young wheelchair users that they support.

The used their funding to purchase equipment such as lowered basketball nets, boccia kits and throwing games.

Ladybug Lodge told us:

“Our project was a huge success, thanks to the funding from Whizz Kidz! Across the summer holiday period we welcomed over 300 families to our provision across the 6 weeks and many children and young people experience new opportunities, not only with their family but with peers who have a variety of abilities!

A young boy who attends our session, regularly attends his local wheelchair basketball club and has a huge love for basketball. He was amazed to attend an activity session and see there was a lowered basketball hoop which he could access with his wheelchair, but his sister could join in too! It only took a few minutes of the playing, and soon children and young people with a range of needs joined in!

It was especially important to us that children with PMLD (profound, multiple learning disabilities) had access to an active game which was accessible to them. The introduction of the boccia kit allowed children to join in with an activity they usually only access at school. Many families had never seen boccia be played before, with some never even hearing of it! To bring this opportunity to families was incredible!

Our project was project was incredibly successful and highlighted how important accessible sporting activities and games are to children and young people with a variety of access needs!”