LL LIFE
Credit: Liam Starkey
different organisations tackling one vunerable people through sport
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for others
Credit: Liam Starkey
We send them back home as better children
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By WILL RAYMENT fitness hub which focuses on mental as well as physical wellbeing has vowed to stay open to help children over
lockdown. Physical activity is vital for people with disabilities and local communities and has been made even more important during the coronavirus pandemic. The Inclusive Hub, which is an award-winning community interest company (CIC) put on group sessions of non-contact boxing for people of all abilities. Some participants they provide a routine physical activity for have disabilities such as autism, ADHD and Downs Syndrome. Liam Starkey, of The Inclusive Hub, said: “We send them back home as better children.” He also said that it’s not just important for the mental and physical wellbeing of the participants through lockdown. “It’s vital for the local community to their mental wellbeing, physical wellbeing, parents’ respite, and carers’ respite.
“It’s paramount that the likes of our facilities stay open and we don’t do another lockdown because it does affect the local community massively again in terms of mental health.” The sessions that are provided are not just automatic and put on without care, they are specifically tailored to their participants. Liam said: “Certain sessions are tailored around their mental capacity so we don’t just hope that they’re going to enjoy it, we’ll scientifically monitor mental health and physical health before and after each session.” The Inclusive Hub has been providing sessions for mixed ability group since 2016 through their motto, ‘Prevention over cure’. They were founded when Liverpool City Council requested Rotunda ABC to create inclusivity at the gym. The Hub has now grown independently and completely separated from the ABC. The October half term for schools meant that the hub has been getting more participants. They have had to stick to strict regulations and restrictions that the government have put into place. The Inclusive Hub
had around 40 to 45 clients per day through the half term. Mr Starkey told Liverpool Life: “There have been two sessions per day in our new gym, which is the Kirkdale community centre, so we’ve had to stick to the guidelines which is one coach per five children with disabilities. “The children go through all of the regulations, they get their temperature checked, they have to sign in, track and trace and obviously sanitise, have a session for 45 minutes and then they’re fed and then they have a cool down and leave.”
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uring the first lockdown, the hub was able to carry on as they were able to hold socially-distanced sessions outside. Also, they did not have a permanent gym or premises to use at that time so they were forced to do outside activity with limited staff members due to self-isolation. Mr Starkey said: “We had to do outside sessions with a safe social distance with the one coach per five so we had to follow the guidelines
but it was outside. “I think we had about three weeks where we were short of staff.” The staff are a group of volunteers and parents who are fully trained, with DBS checks and autism training. They have partnered and received aid from a number of businesses that have been pivotal throughout the pandemic in keeping the hub alive. Businesses such as Liverpool-based trainer shop and brand Transalpino, Angel Rive UK and Carpenters group. Liam Starkey told Liverpool Life that The Inclusive Hub have been highly appreciative of the help they have received: “We want to make sure that we get the right type of companies, ones that are family-orientated, community-orientated, companies that have a genuine interest in helping people of all ages and abilities. “If they didn’t help us then we would cease to exist so every penny that they have helped us with or supplied us with food or supplied us with clothing has been vital in keeping us open because we are not funded.”
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