YOUNG people with disabilities in Radstock could soon benefit from an expanded sensory sports programme, thanks to new funding secured by inclusive sports charity Nova Sports.

Nova Sports works across Bath, Bristol, Somerset and Wiltshire to deliver specialist coaching to people with disabilities, for whom chances to take part in physical activity are often limited.

The not-for-profit, founded in 2017, works with schools and community groups to participate in sports including wheelchair basketball, powerchair football, boccia, rugby and skiing. In its work with schools, it spends at least a term coaching children, while giving teachers the skills to continue delivering inclusive PE sessions going forward.

Its Sensory Sport programme offers a range of opportunities to children with profound disabilities including skiing in the mountains, playing tennis at Wimbledon and to the beach for volleyball and snorkeling – all from their classroom.

Having run the Sensory Sport programme with a small number of schools, Nova has secured much needed funding from law firm Slater and Gordon, which will allow it to work with more specialist schools across the South West.

Jenny Johnson, CEO of Nova Sports, said: “Physical activity is so important for both the physical and mental health of children, but for those with complex disabilities, it can be hard to access. In schools children often have such individual needs that providing tailored sport can be a very difficult thing to achieve.”

Heather Moore at Slater and Gordon added: “Jenny and her team at Nova are creating vital and indeed life-changing opportunities for young people with disabilities to be involved in sport. The physical and sensory activities Nova provide are unique and engages children in ways that they may otherwise not experience.”

Nova Sports runs inclusive sports sessions at Writhlington Leisure Centre in Radstock, with opportunities for local schools and families to get involved by visiting novasportsandco.co.uk