16th July 2025
Bolton Cares teamed up with the Bolton Arena last week to host an inclusive and accessible Festival of Sport for people it supports.
We welcomed 72 participants to the action-packed day of activities, which included football matches, a penalty shootout, dodgeball, bike machines and wheelchair races. There were even some staff versus service user games for some added fun on the day too, including egg and spoon and relay races.
Guest appearances from some famous Bolton faces made the day extra exciting. Lofty the Lion, the much-loved Bolton Wanderers Football Club mascot, came along to cheer on all the participants and the Mayor of Bolton was there to handout medals and special prizes at the end of the day.
Representatives from Talking Football, a program hosted at Bolton Arena that uses football to connect men and support their mental wellbeing, showed their support too.
The event was the brainchild of Service Manager for Supported Living, Ben Dacre, and Life Opportunities Community Team Leader, Gemma Clark. The two have seen first-hand the physical and mental benefits that sport and exercise can provide for the people they support, and so reached out to Bolton Arena to facilitate a sports day that individuals of all ages and abilities were able to take part in.
Ben Dacre commented: “Sport is about more than just building a healthy and active lifestyle. For a lot of the people we support, it’s also a way to try new activities, push themselves out of their comfort zones, make new friends and reconnect with their local communities.
“People with additional needs should have just as much access to sports as any other person, and we can’t thank Bolton Arena enough for their help in ensuring this is the case for people supported by Bolton Cares. We’ve been attending Wheels For All, the gym, sauna and multi-sports evenings with our Community Hub for over a year and have worked hard to open the offer out to supported people from every service within our portfolio.
“Everyone who took part had an incredible time and I think it’s safe to say we’ve inspired more people to engage in regular exercise and sporting activities. Thank you again to Bolton Arena – we’re already looking forward to the next Festival of Sport!”
Stuart Kay, Head of Sport & Communities at Bolton Arena, said: “Being asked to host and run the first-ever Bolton Cares Festival of Sport was truly an honour. I’m sure next year will be even bigger. After 12 months of integrating a group from Bolton Cares into a weekly activity programme, it felt like a natural next step to bring more people together – to play, connect, and enjoy sporting activities they might not normally engage with.”
Bolton Arena is a Community Sports Village that offers far more than just Tennis, Gymnastics, Football, and Fitness. The Arena delivers a wide range of inclusive programmes – everything from Parkinson’s Walking Football to Wheels for All cycling sessions. In addition, it supports a strong focus on health and wellbeing through various community-driven initiatives, support groups, and wellness activities for people of all ages and abilities.
Click here to learn more about Bolton Cares.
Find more information about Bolton Arena here.
