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The Durham Area Disability Leisure Group (DADLG) was founded in 1996 and has
developed from a volunteer-run group to a successful charity, running a wide
range of leisure, sporting and social opportunities for children and young
people with disabilities and their families in County Durham. Based in Chester-le-Street
and working in conjunction with Durham Education in the Community and Chester-le-St
District Council, the group provide many weekday events including: trampolining,
football and cycling. At weekends activities on offer include horse riding,
squash, kayaking, and swimming, as well as 'Taster Sessions' and short courses
in archery, fencing and sign language. In addition to this they arrange social
events and family fun days.
These activities allow children with learning, sensory, physical and multiple
disabilities to mix, enjoying sports and recreational activities together.
Importantly the group provides disabled children with the opportunity to experience
greater independence, gain confidence and self-esteem, whilst also creating
a supportive environment for parents to meet and socialise. DADLG has approximately
150 members between the ages of 5 to 25 and have up to 3,000 people accessing
their countywide cycle project ‘CycleAbility’. The group focuses
on providing a fully inclusive service to all family members. Every member
is given the opportunity to be involved in all aspects of the organisation
from planning through to development and evaluation.
County
Durham Foundation has supported DADLG since 1999. We have given DADLG numerous
grants including £7,000 to sustain and further develop the range of
projects offered by the group as well as funding, which contributed towards
the cost of producing a promotional video/CD ROM showing a positive image
of disability.
DADLG find that many families who have a child with a disability often exclude themselves from physical activities. Similarly a national survey conducted by Sports England revealed lower levels of participation in sport among the young disabled compared with the rest of the community. This money provided DADLG with the resources to produce a promotional video/CD ROM to showcase their extensive leisure, sporting and social programme in an attempt to overcome barriers to participation and promote a positive image of disability.
Lesley Moore, one of the parents, explains: ‘The group is excellent for both parents and children alike. It enables us and other parents of disabled children to help each other and we often meet outside of the group’s activity days.’
Another parent described the group as ‘One big, happy family’, and again mentioned the importance of the support the group offers to both parents and children.
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