Bicton Rounders Club celebrate award win

An East Devon based rounders club has claimed silver at Sport England’s Sportivate Project of the Year Awards. Bicton College Rounders took the prize in recognition of its work to help more young people with impairments play rounders. The award was presented in London this week by Minister for Sport, Tracey Crouch MP and Paralympic superstar Dame Sarah Storey.

Delivered in conjunction with Active Devon and LED Lesiure, Bicton College Rounders works with students from FE Colleges in the area. Combining fun with learning, young people are taught the basics of the game while also getting a chance to make and develop new friendships.  Ensuring that the project caters for every level, a variety of ways to play rounders is offered such as walking, skipping, and slip and slide. Many players choose to become local ambassadors for the project and are also offered the chance to lead sessions.

Bicton College Rounders is one of many Sportivate projects in England. The project gives young people who weren’t playing sport previously the chance to discover a new activity by offering six to eight weeks of intensive coaching. Once the coaching sessions have finished, the young people are matched up with a local club or venue where they can continue to play.

Since its launch, more than 780,000 young people have attended Sportivate sessions, with over 650,000 completing their coaching sessions. Sportivate is being delivered by a network of 44 county sports partnerships, who work with local clubs and providers, to deliver these National Lottery funded sessions.

Active Devon's Chief Executive, Matt Evans, said: “The Bicton College rounder’s Sportivate project is a fantastic example of what can be achieved when key local partner organisations work together. In this case Bicton College, LED Leisure and Active Devon worked together on a project which has had a profound impact on the participants with benefits ranging from increased leadership skills to overall improvement in physical and mental wellbeing. By sustaining the activity, those with newly developed leadership skills can give something back and inspire the next generation.”

Director for Community Sport at Sport England, Mike Diaper, said: “Bicton College Rounders is a glowing testament to the power of sport, enabling students to learn new skills and generate a new found confidence that comes with mastering a challenge. I hope the recognition they have received today will not only encourage the club to continue its amazing work, but also mean the young people will continue playing rounders.”

Minister for Sport, Tracey Crouch said: "These awards are a fantastic acknowledgement of the huge contribution our young people and community groups have made to the success of Sportivate.

“The inspirational winners are doing amazing things across a range of sports and it is right that we celebrate their wonderful achievements."