UKDS are committed in getting as many deaf/HOH people active and moving as much as possible, that also includes young people.

During lockdown we were already making a positive impact with our selection of online workouts aimed at adults via Deaf Active Online and looked at how this can be applied to young people. This lead to the development of the ‘Activity Pack’ for young deaf children to use at home.

Our partner Access Sport collaborated with UKDS by preparing a brochure full of activities and equipment for these ‘Activity Packs’, such as tennis rackets, foam balls, and skipping ropes. The variety meant that the children could have fun with with these packs both at home with their families, or at a nearby park.

Items provided in these packs were:

• 1 Foam Ball
• 6 Bean Bags
• 6 Mini Cones
• 2 Tennis Racquets
• 2 Tennis Foam Balls
• 1 Skipping Rope

With the ‘Activity Packs’ ready, UK Deaf Sport supplied over 50 of these packs to deaf children in deaf schools such as Blanche Neville and Frank Barnes. The response from the children and families receiving these packs has been overwhelmingly positive, as the lockdowns during this period made it difficult for deaf children to be active, due to being confined to their homes and unable to see their classmates.

The feedback from the children aged aged 7-11 and family about the ‘Activity Packs’ were as follows:

• 30% reported ‘Participants use the packs every day, with a further 30% a few times a week.’
• 70% reported ‘Participants loved the pack and content.’
• 70% reported ‘Participants were very satisfied and the other 30% satisfied with the packs.’

The positive impact in engaging deaf children during this time shows how important it is in encouraging young people being active. The schools involved were great in facilitating this along with the suppliers and funders of these packs, Access Sport and Comic Relief.