A North East community interest company focused on overcoming the barriers and social exclusion faced by disabled people has sealed a £125,000 funding award.
South Tyneside-based Tailored Leisure Company (TLC), which helps disabled people access fitness and leisure activities, has won a number of awards for its work and mission to develop accessible projects across the region, with partners including SAFCs Foundation of Light, Sunderland City Council and Headway.
Now its commitment to accessibility has led to the securing a £125,000 funding award from the National Lottery Community Fund for a two-year project.
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TLC developed its Sit to be Fit concept in lockdown, and has since grown the initial Sit to be Fit classes into a large-scale community engagement project, supporting participants to access tailored fitness support. The funding will help the organisation to roll out the project across the community, allowing the team to deliver more seated exercise and other wellbeing activities to people with disabilities and long-term conditions throughout the East region.
Tara Johnson, director of TLC who set up the company due to her own experiences of living with cerebral palsy, said: “Following the success of Sit to Be Fit at home which we launched via zoom during lockdown, we are delighted with the growth and interest in the project which allows us to further roll out this programme into the community thanks to the funding from the National Lottery Community Fund.
“Collaboration is at the heart of everything we do, and we have developed some fantastic links with key partners including SAFCs Foundation of Light, Sunderland City Council and Headway. These partnerships and our track-record has been a key ingredient to TLC successfully achieving the funding bid, we are all so excited about the funding and the further growth it will bring to TLC. We love what we do, and we are determined to promote social inclusion and access to bespoke leisure and fitness activities, so that everyone can enjoy life without compromise.
“The project and the sessions really do see results and have a huge impact on the wellbeing and the mental health of our participants who’ve seen a detrimental decline on their fitness levels over the years, people are still suffering from the effect of lockdown which heightened their sense of isolation, lack of motivation and access to fitness, community engagement is key to support the most vulnerable.
“This ground-breaking lottery funding from the National Lottery Community Fund will further elevate our work in the community, allowing us to support so many more beneficiaries. This really is a momentous moment for TLC.”
The community fitness programmes run alongside a continuing funding drive to raise £1.5m for the development of an accessible short break holiday and leisure complex, to be called the Butterfly of the North. The first stage of moves to create an accessible short break and leisure service came to fruition in 2022 when TLC collaborated with holiday company Haven. The collaboration led to the launch of an accessible short break service for families at Berwick Holiday Park, Northumberland.
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