The Guernsey Mobility, Let’s Go (GMLG) project is a weekly initiative based in Guernsey that aims to provide sporting activities to participants of any age and ability, with a focus of connecting children and disabled people. In 2024, the initiative received the Commonwealth Sport Game Changers Grant, enabling the implementation of multiple community engagement projects focused on inclusion. GMLG has worked closely with the Guernsey Sport Commission to do so, promoting sports such as boccia and floor kurling.

Recently, GMLG has been honoured at the Guernsey Sports Commission Awards 2024, proudly receiving the Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson Trophy for para-sport athletes with physical impairments. The team, comprising Mel Edwards, Andy Lemee, Alex Adamson, Lee Vaudin, and Tom Clough, earned the award as part of Guernsey’s success at the inaugural virtual boccia inter-insular. This unique sporting event brought teams from Guernsey and Jersey together for a virtual boccia tournament, enabling participants to compete from their own island without the need for travel. By showcasing accessibility and inclusion, it set an exciting precedent for future inclusive sporting events.

What is the Game Changers Grant Programme?

Commonwealth Sports Game Changers is a grant initiative designed to empower the 74 Commonwealth Games Associations (CGAs) across the globe to drive local social change through sport. By bridging divides and empowering communities, this programme fosters impactful projects that create meaningful change across the Commonwealth.

Game Changers in Action

Using the Game Changers Grant, GMLG delivered a range of inclusive sports activities throughout 2024:

  • Youth Development: Weekly sessions engaged Year 5 pupils with disabled individuals, encouraging empathy and addressing loneliness and social exclusion through activities such as boccia, floor kurling, chair basketball, and table skittles.
  • Mini-Paralympic Event: In September, GMLG hosted a mini-Paralympics, bringing together participants of all abilities in a celebration of inclusive sport.
  • Virtual Boccia Competition: The inter-island virtual tournament between Guernsey and Jersey.

Impact and the Road Ahead

The programme has made a real difference to participants and the wider community, creating a sense of belonging, boosting confidence, and encouraging a better understanding of disability and inclusion.

By bringing together adults with mobility challenges and able-bodied children, it has created opportunities for teamwork, problem-solving, and shared experiences. The children played a key role in building inclusive teams, showing how sport can break down barriers and bring people together.

Supported by the Commonwealth Sport Game Changers Grant, Guernsey Mobility, Let’s Go is proving what is possible when inclusion is at the heart of sport. 

Take a look at their successful event here: https://fb.watch/x65d1AEP8r/