This funding has strengthened BANG’s ability to support neurodivergent and ASN young people by allowing us to embed a dedicated wellbeing focus across all youth programmes. It helped us bring movement-based wellbeing into spaces where young people already felt safe enough to be themselves.
The funding allowed us to build a new strand of practice within the team rather than add something separate. This has supported our long-term plans to build a more holistic, neuro-affirming wellbeing offer for young people aged 11-24 across the Scottish Borders.
Many of the young people we support experience anxiety, sensory overwhelm, low confidence or find mainstream sports inaccessible. The wellbeing project is helping them to access movement and physical activity in ways that felt safe, low-pressure and genuinely achievable.
Across the Summer Camp, Branching In, Branching Out and Branching Forwards, young people reported feeling, happier and more confident after joining in sessions. The Ways to Be Well framework has helped them to visualise what supports their wellbeing and track this too. Families noticed positive changes too, particularly around feeling included and social confidence.
During the five-week summer camp, around fifty new young people attended, many who don’t access support anywhere else. The wellbeing project contributed to ensuring they had another consistent, compassionate support throughout some of the busiest weeks of the year.
The project increased opportunities for volunteers and staff who wanted to gain more experience in inclusive sports and youth wellbeing. It also created better structures for delivering movement-based activities, which helped volunteers contribute more confidently alongside staff. The project inspired one member of staff to support their local rugby club with embedding the Scottish Rugby’s Moving to Inclusion framework across the club. The project has also adapted during sessions so that one of our volunteers, who has just 8% of their sight, can take part in some of the physical activity sessions.
The project helped us integrate a wellbeing and movement strand across all youth programmes rather than limit it to a single group. This funding also supported the introduction of Ways to Be Well profiles, the co-production of 40 sensory bags with young people and a more consistent approach to supporting regulation and emotional safety across sessions.
It also strengthened our offer to young people aged 16-24 through Branching Forwards by supporting travel training, goal setting and confidence building.
Yes. This project deepened our partnership with the SBC Sports Development Team (formally Live Borders), helping the Youth Wellbeing Worker to plan inclusive sports blocks and offered mentoring. The sensory bag project with Live Borders strengthened connections with Borders Libraries, helping make public spaces more accessible for neurodivergent young people.
The summer camp project was also recognised nationally as a UNCRC Best Practice Case Study, and locally through a nomination at the ClubSport Eildon Annual Awards 2025 for Community Sports Event of the Year, the summer camp has raised awareness of inclusive youth wellbeing work in the Scottish Borders.
The project created a pathway for our youth wellbeing worker to complete the Scottish Disability Sport Young Start Coaching Programme, which supports his own future, and has allowed us to explore the sustainability of inclusive sports within BANG.
The learning from this project will shape how we grow our wellbeing offer in 2026.
The application process was clear and supportive. The flexibility built into the programme allowed us to adapt the project alongside young people’s needs, which was essential for a neuro-inclusive approach. Reporting requirements have been straightforward and focused on meaningful impact.
Further support to continue developing inclusive sports across the Borders would be hugely valuable. This includes access to mentoring, coaching opportunities and specialist training that would allow our wellbeing worker to deliver movement activities in more communities. Continued funding would help us build a sustainable Borders-wide wellbeing and movement programme.
We are incredibly grateful for this funding. It has made a genuine difference to young people who often feel excluded from physical activity and community life. The project has helped young people build confidence, friendships and a sense of belonging and has created foundations we can continue to grow.
