UK Breakin’ WSA Membership Testimonial
Rachel Pedley, Director of UK Breakin’, has revealed how vital the Welsh Sports Association has been in supporting the growth of her organisation in the past couple of years. Speaking to the WSA, Rachel said:
We joined because we’re new to all the processes as a National Governing Body and we’re looking to get sporting recognition, so the outstanding guidance that WSA offer for the sports sector was what attracted us to signing up.
The WSA has definitely allowed UK Breakin’ to move towards our aim of achieving sporting accreditation.
Rachel went on to describe some of the challenges UK Breakin’ have faced and how membership has assisted in overcoming those:
We’ve had so many barriers and hurdles, but the WSA are actually removing those, aiding us in making our organisation safer and more accessible for all, importantly including disabled people from low social-economic backgrounds.
We previously faced challenges with getting all our policy documentation sorted. Given the fact that I’ve got dyslexia, epilepsy and left frontal lobe damage while our Welsh-based leader Jamie has dyslexia and ADHD, all those policy documents would have been impossible for either of us to create without the aid of the WSA. And, without the support for those documents, we would not have been able to move forward as quickly as we have.
So, the opportunity for disability access, in terms of the ability to have a disability-led organisation, is huge because it doesn’t happen in other sectors.
UK Breakin’ have been able to make use of other resources to help in the realisation of their mission:
Our experience with the DBS checking service has also been good, because it’s removed another barrier. Because Breaking is going to the Olympics in 2024, this is all quite new to us, and despite not having had a system in place before, we’ve been able to get everybody we’ve needed to through that process smoothly courtesy of the digital system.
The link with Watkin Davies has also ensured that safeguarding, and safety in general, has become so much better. Because of the partner offer, we’ve now got someone who understands the insurance needed for sporting organisations.
And, as is the case for so many members, the WSA’s support throughout the COVID-19 Pandemic has come in very handy:
During the COVID-19 Pandemic, the updates on the regulations were invaluable because we instantly knew what we could and couldn’t do as a result of the guidance being delivered through video meetings. Again, from a disability standpoint, this was really vital for us as it meant we could actually thoroughly understand them.
It’s quite difficult having the disabilities that I have because I’ll be sent information, and most people will be able to look at it and fully understand it, but I always end up having to double- and triple-check things; everyone at the WSA has always been very supportive of that. I don’t hesitate in asking questions if I need to – there’ll always be someone supportive ready to answer it.
Rachel concluded by summarising her feelings towards the WSA:
I’d definitely recommend the WSA. Where we’ve found barriers in other sporting contexts, the WSA have not had those; it feels like they’re trying to make sport accessible for all. We’ve been really grateful for the support we’ve been able to get as members, so thank you.
For more information about the benefits of WSA membership, click here.
To find out how to become a member, click here.
