The Institute of Sport and Recreation Management (ISRM) in partnership with Global Gear Drive and Universities Sporting Partnership is collecting the UK's spare and unused sport equipment to send to Africa.

 

In January 2006 the equipment will be sent to Zambia to provide local communities with the chance to benefit from the power of sport.

 

Developed to support ventures such as "Go Sisters", the biggest female sports movement in Zambia and "Sport in Action Zambia," the initiative focuses on the positive impact sport can have in communities blighted by poverty, AIDS and unemployment.

 

Sport has helped develop skills such as teamwork and leadership, and at the same time has brought communities together reducing violence and promoting a healthy lifestyle. Universities including Bath, Durham, Loughborough, Northumbria, Stirling, Cardiff and the University of Wales form the "Universities Sporting Partnership."

 

The partnership is training student sport leaders who will be deployed in Lusaka, Zambia as part of a Sport in Action HIV / Aids education program. Working in joint teams of six the student leaders will organize and run a wide range of sporting activities using the donated equipment and resources from local authority sport centers.

 

The Global Gear Drive, a program of the National Alliance For Youth Sports, collects new and used youth sports equipment from recreation agencies, companies and individuals that it distributes to children in need around the world.

 

"I am delighted to be involved in such a great project. This is a chance for sports centers, gyms, schools & colleges all over the UK to contribute to a valuable cause," said Ian Wakefield, business development manager, ISRM. "It is easy to forget the simple benefits and rewards that sport can give us. Items that we may normally throw away or leave in the back of a cupboard can be put to great use on the other side of the world."

 

The ISRM would like donations of any used or surplus sports equipment. The project is specifically looking for equipment for team sports such as football, netball, volleyball, basketball and baseball.

 

In January 2006 the ISRM will travel around the UK collecting equipment from donors before filling a 20 ft container that will be shipped to Africa. If you would like to donate equipment or feel you can assist financially, please contact project manager Ian Wakefield at 01509 226 488 or i.wakefield@isrm.co.uk