Inclusive Defiant Sports finds a new home in Eastbourne

The Disability-focused inclusive sports not-for-profit Defiant Sports has recently signed on to use part of the Archery Recreation Grounds in Eastbourne as their new ‘Inclusion Hub’.

The organisation thought they hit the jackpot early last year when the local council offered them a sizable chunk of the empty Fort Fun site. However, after a year’s worth of work was put into the site, Defiant Sports was asked to leave. This made things very difficult for the not-for-profit, as the lease on their current site was quickly coming to an end, and with no clear location to move to, only the worst could be imagined.

After getting their community to pitch in and complain to the local authority alongside raising funds to keep them afloat, the tide began to shift back in their favour. They have now signed a 25-year lease for a sports court, an old changing room building and some free space on either side. Defiant Sports is over the moon with their recent acquisition, having made mock-ups for how they intend to use the space and even having run a community action day - a day where the community come to help the team clear up the site in preparation for its renovation - which reduced the cost of renovation by over 75%!

Let's have a look at what exactly they’re planning. The first thing they'll be working on is converting the old changing room into a community area. This will house a reception and social area. Beyond that, they’re looking to create the first fully accessible sports hall in Sussex - including 4 badminton-sized multi-sports courts, a dance studio, a warehouse for equipment storage and offices for their team.

Thanks to a donation from Stage Coach, Defiant Sports will be converting an out-of-service bus into a sensory bus, which will remain on their site as it unfortunately won’t be road-legal. Lastly, they’ll be creating a community garden that their players can help maintain if they so choose.

The full address of their new site is Defiant Sports Inclusion Hub, Archery Recreation Ground, Willoughby Crescent, Eastbourne BN22 8RA.

Find out more about Defiant Sports on their website www.defiantsports.org.uk