Netball Super League | Pulse become Elite Sport in the Community Award winners at London Sport Awards

The Vitality Netball Superleague (VNSL) club were recognised for the ‘incredible impact and outstanding contribution to physical activity and sport in London’ over the last 18 months.

Aiming to empower women and girls, London Pulse’s community work includes community camps, a multi-sport programme which develops young athletes, an “Educate, Train & Inspire” programme to provide over 400 young Pulse pathway athletes with skills outside of sport and the Metro Blind Sport Partnership – the first specific provision of netball for VI athletes in the world.

The club also ran Metropolitan Police Day, a netball experience day with youth engagement officers of the Met because there are far fewer sport diversion opportunities for young women from disadvantaged backgrounds. This was a great way to provide positive female role models.

Performance Pathway Manager Rowena Scott-Fairclough is one of those involved in running the classes, which take place at Score Leisure Centre in Leyton. She says the nomination is ideal recognition for the hard work that’s gone into running the sessions.

“It’s a massive accomplishment for us as a franchise and for myself as well, for all the hard work that goes on in terms of providing the opportunity for these visually impaired projects,” she said.

“It means that the work that we’re doing and where we want to expand within the community is actually being acknowledged. We want to provide netball for everybody and being visually impaired and those with disabilities, we want them to enjoy the game that we enjoy as well.

“With any sort of disability and impairment, it’s making sure that you are still valued and that you are still part of a community. Sport and exercise are relevant for everybody and there needs to be more opportunities for people out there who suffer with these impairments.

“I think we’ve seen throughout lockdown that by not having opportunities, it can play a massive part on people’s mental health and physical wellbeing. Not having those opportunities can be detrimental to anybody’s health.

“By opening doors and showing that you can be part of something, you can still be in a performance environment or a social environment.

“It needs to be something for everybody. Netball is enjoyed by both men and women, boys and girls and the fact that we’re able to do this is tremendous.”

The London Sport Awards, in its sixth edition, once again, recognised and celebrated the efforts of volunteers, physical activity projects and sports organisations who have helped so many people in the capital over the last 18 months, not just with their physical health but their mental and social wellbeing too.

Ten winners presented with Awards at the ceremony at London’s Guildhall on Monday 6 December and was hosted by Olympian and broadcaster Jeanette Kwakye MBE.

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