Impact Report 2025-26

This year's impact

Building a movement for change

On International Day of Disabled People (IDDP) we proudly launched a new, free, supporter scheme as part of our We All Belong campaign. Through the scheme we’re aiming to build an alliance of supporters who share our vision and are committed to making sports and activities inclusive for every disabled person.

Organisations and individuals can sign up, adding their voice to national movement for change, and also receive a range of great benefits from Activity Alliance. One benefit is free access to an introductory webinar, helping supporters feel confident, informed, and ready to engage disabled people in sport and physical activity.

The launch was a great success with over 100 people signing up to the supporter scheme on the first day. By 31 March 2026, over 450 people had signed up, and the alliance of supporters continues to grow.

Building the insight that powers better outcomes

As leading experts, we continue to collect evidence and listen to disabled people’s experiences to show the real barriers, like inaccessible places, attitudes, and lack of support. We also support organisations at local and national levels to interpret their findings, strengthen research methods, and collaborate so together we achieve greater, more lasting impact. We use what we learn to push for change, influence policy, and create solutions so disabled people are involved meaningfully.
Our big research projects this year included:

• A Game of Inequality: The Reality of Sporting Dreams for Young Disabled People.
• Play, Move, Belong: Active futures for young disabled people.
• Secondary analysis of five years of data from our Annual Disability and Activity Survey.
• The role of healthcare professionals.

Driving change through policy

One year on from the publication of our manifesto, we remain committed to driving meaningful change so that disabled people can take part in sports and activities on an equal basis. Over the past year we have continued to engage with policy makers, take part in sector working groups and contribute evidence to national debates. We have taken our three manifesto asks into parliamentary and public forums.

We have engaged in removing systemic barriers across health, education, transport and access to outdoor spaces so that more disabled people can be happier, healthier and more included in their communities. It included a meeting with Minister for Sport, Stephanie Peacock, to raise our concerns about the barriers to participation and the policy changes required.

Impactful programmes

The Include to Improve programme, led by Activity Alliance and Sport for Confidence, funded by Sport England continues to work towards creating more opportunities for disabled people to take part, volunteer and work in sports and activities.

In April it launched a Strategic Partner Network bringing together many organisations from different sectors united by a desire to strengthen their commitment to inclusion. The network is working to create sustainable, inclusive solutions that empower and engage disabled people. The network’s first face-to-face meeting took part in July. The programme also launched the Lived Experience Network (LEN), providing a safe space for disabled people to share their views of taking part and working in the sport and physical activity sector to help shape programme delivery.

The team worked with their Lived Experience Network to create a series of resources. We received this amazing feedback from one of the group on the work so far, showing how important it is to involve everyone.

Building communities with Get Out Get Active

Get Our Get Active (GOGA), our pioneering programme to get disabled and non-disabled people active together through fun and inclusive ways, continues to bring disabled and non-disabled people together through its legacy and new innovation funding.

Throughout this year we shared many stories of the impact of GOGA on people and communities. It’s reconnected people who have felt isolated, improved people’s physical and mental wellbeing, helped people to understand and enjoy different cultures, and given many people a purpose and sense of belonging.

One year of our Learning Hub

In September we celebrated one year of our Learning Hub – a dedicated platform for providing high-quality training and resources to support inclusive sport and activity. Each course is accredited by CIMSPA, the professional development body for the UK’s sport and physical activity sector, ensuring they meet the knowledge and skill standards expected across the workforce. Activity Alliance is also proud to have achieved CIMSPA’s ‘Enhancing’ quality assurance status, recognising the Learning Hub as a provider of the highest quality education provision.

Inclusive Activity Programme

In May, our Inclusive Activity Programme (IAP) launched a new CIMSPA accredited workshop specially designed to ensure children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) are included within PE and school sport. During the year, more than 220 learners attended an IAP workshop and almost 280 learners attended an IAP Schools workshop.

Inclusion 2028

Inclusion 2028, a new Department for Education funded programme to improve access to PE and school sports for SEND children, was announced in May. It is delivered by a consortium of the Youth Sport Trust, ParalympicsGB, Swim England, Activity Alliance and nasen and supported by the Association for PE and Sport for Confidence.

Backed by an initial £300,000 for the first year, the Inclusion 2028 programme works with a network of 50 Leading Inclusion Schools to provide expert training to teachers to help them create and deliver inclusive lessons that meet the diverse needs of all pupils - including those with physical, sensory, cognitive, communication or social and emotional needs.

Championing change alongside others

Our strategic partnerships team is the driving force behind much of our work with the sport and leisure sector. They deliver a significant number of partner workshops, regional meetings, and national and county level forums to build partnerships, create networks and share our inclusion expertise.

National Governing Bodies (NGBs) and the National Disability Sport Physical Activity Network

In July, our partnerships team hosted the first joint meeting of NGBs and National Disability Sports Charities, creating a platform to share learning, challenges, insight as well as an opportunity to network.

Hosted at the home of British Cycling, guest speakers from both groups shared best practice and learnings from their respective disability specific programmes, research and projects.

Changing lives through memorable and inclusive events

We were delighted to host our annual British Junior Para Swimming Championships and National Junior Para Athletics Championships again this year. We also hosted a record number of inclusive webinars, and our event’s expertise supported the London and Manchester marathons again.

British Junior Para Swimming Championships

The British Junior Para Swimming Championships took place in June. More than 100 young disabled 10 to 18-year-olds took part in the event that has been running for more than 20 years.

For young para swimmer Rose, stepping onto poolside at an Activity Alliance swimming championship for the first time marked the beginning of a transformative journey – one that has reshaped her confidence, aspirations and sense of belonging in sport.

National Junior Para Athletics Championships

The National Junior Para Athletics Championships took place in July with more than 100 young disabled athletes from across the UK competing. The event has a rich history in not only finding future athletics stars, but providing an inclusive environment for those just starting out their athletics journey. Athletes from across England, Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland to compete in more than 60 races and 20 field events.

Freddie and Penny are a young brother and sister whose journey into para athletics has reshaped not only their sporting ambitions but also their sense of identity and belonging. Their family first discovered the Activity Alliance Junior Para Athletics Championships while exploring para athletics pathways, searching for opportunities for both children.

London and Manchester Marathons

Our events team also support high quality events, that involve disabled people, advising on welfare, entry information, venues, workforce, accessibility and classification systems. In April this year they supported both the London and Manchester marathons.
All of the wheelchair athletes competing in the Manchester Half Marathon this year were once young athletes taking part in our very own National Junior Para Athletics Championships.

Building our supporter community

In February we launched our calendar of online events exclusively for supporters with a webinar exploring young disabled people’s experiences using the latest insight from our recently published Play, move, belong report. The event was well attended, with more than 160 supporters logging on to join us.

Our next supporter-only event was held in March and attended by nearly 90 supporters. It focused on creating accessible places and spaces using our popular Access for All guide. We were joined by Jean Hewitt, Accessibility and Inclusion specialist, Buro Happold who co-produced the guide. She hosted a panel discussion with partners to discuss their experiences of using the guide to make their places and spaces more accessible.

We are excited to host many more supporter-only online events in the new year.

Resources that power progress
Access for All

Our newly updated Access for All guide was published in June, designed to support local activity providers make their activities and venues more accessible for disabled people, with some small low-cost changes.

We worked with accessibility and inclusion specialist Jean Hewitt at Buro Happold alongside a range of expert organisations to update the document. The updated guidance now includes advice for activities in community venues, green and blue spaces, such as parks and lakes. That is as well as low-cost practical examples of how to ensure activities taking place in traditional places, like sports halls and sports clubs are accessible.

Organisational wellbeing

Activity Alliance’s people are central to our success. A major milestone this year was achieving Disability Confident Leader status, showing our ongoing commitment to creating inclusive workplaces where disabled people and people with long-term health conditions can thrive. Staff say they feel fulfilled by purposeful work that creates meaningful change for disabled people, citing impact, shared values and the authenticity with which those values are lived day to day as central sources of pride. This deep connection to mission, rather than just role or reward, is a hallmark of Activity Alliance’s culture.

Our diversity profile

We use the social model of disability in our approach to all work. However, we know that some definitions used for protected characteristics can challenge this model, in particular the disability definition. The social model emphasises that it is society and barriers created by society that disable people, not a person’s impairment or condition.

We recognise this difference in our diversity profile by presenting two figures for disability. Figure one presents the percentage of people with an impairment and/or long-term health condition. Figure two presents the percentage of people with a physical or mental impairment that has a ‘substantial’ and ‘long-term’ negative effect on everyday life. Figure two aligns closely to the definition of disability under the Equality Act 2010.

These are the findings from November 2025 Board and staff equal opportunities survey conducted among employees and Board members:

• People with an impairment, long-term health condition or illness - Staff 31% Board 58% (Staff 36% Board 63% in 2024).
• People with a physical or mental impairment that has a 'substantial' and 'long-term' negative effect on their ability to do normal daily activites - Staff 55% (of 31% who said they have an impairment, health condition or illness), Board 71% (of 58% who said they have an impairment, health condition or illness) (Staff 50% Board 60% in 2024) 
• Female - Staff 63% Board 67% (Staff 58% Board 88% in 2024) 
• Lesbian, gay, bisexual - Staff 12% Board 8% (Staff 6% Board 0% in 2024)
• From an ethnically diverse background - Staff 12% Board 8% (Staff 15% Board 0% in 2024)
• Age (largest group) - Staff 35–44 (43%) Board 45–54 (50%) (Staff 25-34 (39%) 35–44 (39%) Board 35-44 (38%) in 2024)
• Religion and belief - Staff 43% Board 33% (Staff 42% Board 38% in 2024)

Financial wellbeing and fundraising

Activity Alliance’s total income for the financial year 2025-26 amounted to £2,961,591. Sport England investment continues to be one of the charity’s largest funding contributions and we are proud to be considered one of their system partners. Their financial backing means we can deliver programmes and services that help others to embed good practice and change attitudes towards disabled people in sport and activity.

Sport England also continued to provide significant funding contributions for Get Out Get Active (GOGA) programme delivery. We received £6,211 from a legacy, which will help us greatly towards achieving our charity objectives. Our fundraising events included support from generous people taking part in the London Marathon and other community activities.

This year we continued to develop our income generation activities to ensure our future is secure. The focus on our income generation strategy allows us to grow ideas and will lead us to work with different funders in the future.
A full breakdown of Activity Alliance's income and expenditure for the year end 31 March 2026 is available in the financial review section of this report.

The charity’s unrestricted fundraising activities are undertaken by our own expert team, with guidance from the senior management team and Board of Trustees. The charity is a member of the Fundraising Regulator and abides by the Fundraising Code of Practice which covers various aspects of fundraising. Activity Alliance is understanding and compassionate towards its supporters and will never exploit vulnerabilities. No complaints have been received by the charity directly about its fundraising activities during this year.

Annual Report 2025-26 alternative formats

Here you will find a summary of our annual impact highlights for the year 2025-26 in various alternative formats. 

Building belonging - our impact in 2025-2026

A 12 page PDF summary of our Annual Report focusing on the main highlights and impact numbers from 2025-26.

Building Belonging Activity Alliance Annual Report summary 25-26

British Sign Language translation 

This video provides a summary of our annual impact highlights in British Sign Language. It also features captions and an audio voiceover. 

Watch British Sign Language summary of Activity Alliance Annual Trustees' Report 2025-26

Easy read summary 

We have also provided our annual impact summary in easy read format. Easy Read uses pictures to support the meaning of text and give the essential details without a lot of background information.

View Annual Trustee's Report 2025-26 easy read summary