Includability Charity Partners Panathlon won the ‘Sport for Social Change’ award at the Sports Journalists’ Association’s British Sports Awards.
The Sport for Social Change award is supported by the Sport for Development Coalition, it recognises the amazing work of organisations across the UK that are using sport and/or physical activity to create a positive impact on local communities and individuals in need.
This is the third time Panathlon was on the shortlist for the award and was third time lucky. They pipped five other community sport organisations – Access Sport, Good Gym, Greenhouse Sports, Levelling the Playing Field and Alive and Kicking – to earn the vote of the panel of journalists from Sky Sports and the Press Association to pick up the prestigious trophy.
Previous winners of the SJA Sport for Social Change Award include the London Marathon in 2021 and footballer, Marcus Rashford in 2020.
Ashley Iceton, CEO of Panathlon, was elated as he collected the prize at the ceremony and said: “We are hugely thankful to the panel for choosing us as winners of this award.
“Last academic year saw us set a new record of over 50,000 children with disabilities and special needs taking part in our competitions across England and Wales. In 2022/23, we are on course to give even more children opportunities to take part in competitive sport that they are so often otherwise denied.”
The award comes on the back of a record-breaking November for the special needs charity with over 7,100 competitors and 1,300 young leaders involved in just 22 school days. That was an average of over 6 events delivered every day in November. The success of Penathlon has been skyrocketing post-pandemic as they enjoyed a record-breaking year for participation in the 2021/22 school year.
The Sports Journalists’ Association British Sports Awards is an annual gala occasion in which members of the SJA – more than 700 of the country’s leading sports writers, editors, photographers and broadcasters –vote for the Sportsman, Sportswoman and Team of the Year in the longest-established awards of their kind in Britain.
The Awards took place at The Brewery in London and recognised the best of British sporting achievement this year. Winners included Beth Mead, Eilish McColgan, Kevin Sinfield, Baroness Sue Campbell, the England T20 cricket team and England’s wheelchair rugby league team.
Panathlon is a national charity which has been operating for over 25 years, giving young people with disabilities and special educational needs every year the opportunity to take part in competitive sport.
Includability has been supporting Panathlon since we launched in June 2021. We donate 1% of our annual revenue to this amazing charity focussed on equity and inclusion.
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