Croydon SEND Festival a Stupendous Success!

Following its amazing success last year, last month, Access Sport hosted their second annual Multi-Sport SEND Festival at New Addington Leisure and Community Centre in Croydon.

Delivered in partnership with Croydon Council’s RAP Disability Sports Programme and Better UK, the event brought 94 enthusiastic young people and their families together for a day filled with inclusive sport and community connection.

 

Local community sports clubs and partners came together, each offering accessible taster sessions which were thoughtfully adapted to meet individual needs. Families had the chance to try a wide range of activities, including:

· Football with Palace for Life Foundation

· Dance with SLiDE

· Tennis with Norbury Park Lawn Tennis Club

· Laser shooting with British Shooting

· Trampolining and Boccia with RAP Disability Sports Programme

· BETTER Fitness Challenge Corner with GLL

· First Aid Demonstrations with St John’s Ambulance

SeakAid were also at the event, kindly offering free sports kit to all participants.

Throughout the day, the centre was full of energy as the participants explored new sports and connected with local, inclusive clubs. To celebrate their achievements, every participant was given a medal to recognise their enthusiasm and willingness to try something new.

The festival would not have been possible without the community partners and volunteers, including a brilliant team from Fieldfisher who engaged participants and helped the community clubs to deliver inclusive activity.

 

Colin Coughtrey, GLL's National Community Engagement Manager, said, “We were delighted to once again support and host Access Sport’s multi-sport festival at New Addington Leisure and Community Centre.

"It was wonderful to see the centre’s spaces filled with energy, activity, and enjoyment throughout the day. We hope everyone who attended had a fantastic experience trying the wide range of inclusive sessions delivered by community partners and our team.

"Together with Access Sport and Croydon Council, we remain committed to creating opportunities that help more disabled young people and families get active, build confidence, and feel part of their local community.”

Executive Mayor of Croydon, Jason Perry, said: “It is wonderful to see so many of our local young people taking part in this year’s RAP Programme. The Multi-Sport SEND Festival offers a fantastic chance for children to explore a variety of sports in a welcoming, supportive setting, and it’s clear they all had a brilliant time. I am grateful to our partners, Access Sport and GLL, whose continued support helps make this event such a success and gives Croydon’s young people these valuable opportunities.”

Noah Tilling, Development Manager at Access Sport, shared, “Access Sport really enjoyed delivering the 2026 Croydon SEND Multisport Festival in partnership with Croydon Council and the RAP Programme. This was our second year delivering the festival and it was great to see so many families enjoying themselves, trying new activities, and learning about the range of inclusive sports and activities available to them locally.”

Please follow this link for video footage - Croydon SEND Festival