We score a win at the Sports Business Awards!

Community Integrated Care is proud to have been awarded a prestigious accolade at this year’s Sports Business Awards.

Our world-first Inclusive Volunteering Programme, created in partnership with the Rugby League World Cup 2021, has won the ‘Best Sports Community Scheme’ award for our work providing life-changing opportunities to people with learning disabilities, autism, and mental health concerns, through personal development projects inspired by the World Cup.

The Sports Business Awards recognise and reward achievement by the teams behind the scenes that facilitate sporting excellence and endeavours.

Praising the partnership, the judges said:

‘We were blown away by this campaign and its impact through so many different projects.’

‘A wonderful scheme, making a real impact with those with significant need of help.’

We’re proud that our partnership and projects with the Rugby League have been rewarded for their resilience, adaptability and resourcefulness, in particular, over this last year.

With funding and support from Sport England, we’ve given over 300 people the opportunity to discover and fulfil their potential through aspirational experiences, volunteering placements and support.

Our charity’s specialist RLWC2021 Inclusive Volunteering Team have developed projects that are specifically designed to meet the needs, goals and dreams of each individual.

From enabling a 10-year-old aspiring rapper to create a World Cup inspired song with a hitmaker producer, to people with a passion for communications hosting the Betfred Women’s Challenge Cup Final press conference, and even engaging the creative talents of people living with dementia, it is doing volunteering differently.

Director of Partnerships and Communities, John Hughes said:

“The Inclusive Volunteering partnership with the Rugby League World Cup 2021 is changing lives and making a real difference to many communities. By focusing on the talents, passions and dreams that people have, and giving them quality support and exceptional opportunities to realise them, our participants are finding and fulfilling their potential.

We are incredibly proud to be breaking boundaries by creating this world first programme, and hope that this project influences other important events in society. This has only been possible because of the vision and support of both Sport England and the Rugby League World Cup 2021, as well as our partners at the Rugby Football League and Super League, who have fully backed this concept from the outset.

Our congratulations go to every volunteer, as well as their families and support workers, who have achieved such impressive things already. I would also like to thank the Community Integrated Care team that has worked so tirelessly to deliver the best project possible.”

It is hoped that this project will inform the design and delivery of future major events, and inspire new routes for inclusion through sport.