AN ORGANISATION set up to make sport more accessible has vowed to continue its mission after helping more than 300 children in Bromsgrove, Redditch, Birmingham and Worcester become more active.
Unity Sport Club – a not-for profit Community Interest Company (CIC) based in Bromsgrove – wants to ensure that, by addressing unequal distribution of resources and opportunities, sport and physical activity is affordable, safe, enjoyable and welcoming to all.
It has also qualified more than 15 young leader coaches since its launch in October.
Unity wants to provide a variety of programmes to meet the needs of all members, regardless of their age or ability.
The focus is on community and providing opportunities for all members to thrive, both in sports and in life.
Unity believes in giving back to the community and offering educational opportunities to future coaches.
It is the organisation’s vision to create immersive and engaging learning environments, accessible to all and it is collaborating with existing community sports clubs to help them thrive and grow.
On Sunday, at South Bromsgrove High’s 3G pitch, Unity hosted a thank-you event for two local charities and local businesses which had supported the ‘Comm – Unity’ project.
Among them were the Harry Bennett Foundation (HB9) and Libby Mae’s Little Angels -– two Bromsgrove-based charities which support children at their core and with Unity Sport Club.
They were joined by local businesses, including Sherwood Barbers, Bennetts of Bromsgrove, Bromsgrove Van Hire, Moodus Photography and Bromsgrove District Council Commercial Waste which provided bins for the fun ‘bin challenge’, and many more local businesses.
Unity Sport was launched with a post-Covid mission to get more children involved in sport to help combat mental health, deprivation and increase inclusion, putting people at the centre of support.
Shocking statistics show, of 2022, 30 per cent of young people were living in poverty, 67 per cent believed the pandemic would have long-term negative impacts on their mental health and, by the age of 17, 64 per cent of girls have stopped participating in sport – Unity wants to change all that.
To achieve its goals, Unity needs to fundraise.
Bromsgrove District Council chairman, Coun Sam Ammar, attended Sunday’s event when £500 was also raised by parents and children.
HB9 kindly donated funds to purchase kit an equipment for more than 70 children and 15 young leader coaches to start their journey and LMLA donated a van to carry equipment safely for the sessions.
Darren Hateley and Aaron Powell, directors of Unity Sport Club, said: “We are proud of what we have achieved in such a short space of time and we wanted to give something back to both of the charities that have supported us.
“We are proud to work with Andy and Yvette Bennett at Harry Bennett Foundation and Richard and Charlotte Sharratt at LMLA and without their donations and support, we wouldn’t be able to achieve what we have to date.
“The mission doesn’t stop and extra funding, sponsorship and investment is essential to continue the journey.”
