A sporting triumph at the L&Q Living Games
L&Q Living residents enjoyed their first major in-person event since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic at the L&Q Living Games, which took place in September at Mile End Park Leisure Centre and Stadium.
Attended by 75 residents who travelled from across London and the South East, the L&Q Living Games offered a chance for residents to compete in a friendly sports day, following nearly 18 months where large-scale in-person events and activities have been restricted.
The one-day event was organised in partnership with L&Q Foundation - the arm of L&Q which is dedicated to supporting communities through investment and partnerships with local organisations, which marks it’s 10-year anniversary this year - and Sport England, through their Tackling Inequalities Fund. This fund was set up in April 2020 as part of a support package to help encourage sport and physical activity through the coronavirus crisis, and created with £20 million of National Lottery funding.
L&Q successfully applied for funding, which has been used to support residents to participate in a variety of sporting initiatives. As well as the L&Q Living Games, money from the fund has been used towards initiatives including Get Active in the Garden, which encouraged residents to exercise in their gardens. L&Q also partnered with DanceWest to deliver online dance classes for residents, whilst a separate portion of funding was given to residents to purchase their own outdoor sports equipment.
L&Q Living offers dedicated care and support service houses for more than 6,500 people across London and the South East. Their support extends to people with mental health illnesses, learning disabilities, older and young people.
Charlie Culshaw, Director of Care and Support at L&Q said: “It was fantastic to be able to bring together so many of our L&Q Living residents for a brilliant day of sports, after what has been a particularly challenging year and a half.
"The unmistakable level of joy and exuberance on the day was palpable, as residents let off steam, socialised and connected with others, and participated in a range of events; from long jump to discus, foam javelin and walking race.
"Whilst we continued to deliver a large programme of online events during lockdown, and smaller in-person events in specific developments, the L&Q Living Games really demonstrated how important it is to bring people together at large-scale events like this. A huge thank you to the support of Sport England and our colleagues at L&Q Foundation for enabling us to deliver the games.”
To find out more about L&Q Living, visit our Care and support pages.