A Rotherhithe sports club, which has served over 1000 children with special educational needs over nearly two decades, may be forced to close in March after the manager said he ‘missed’ the date to apply for funding.
Glyn Davies, who is in charge of delivering sport in SEN schools across the borough, said he set up the Saturday Club seventeen years ago after he saw a ‘real need’ for it.
“Hardly anyone was working with the kids with profound needs,” he told us. “So I set up the club with some of the school sports funding and then every year after that, Southwark Council has funded it.”
Every Saturday during term time, there are four 90-minute sessions where members with SEN get one-to-one support to engage in sports and interact with other young people.
Over the years, Glyn said they have worked with over 1000 families and the sessions are free, with families having to pay just £25 for an annual membership.
However, this could all change next March, when their funding will be cut off after Glyn said he missed the date to reapply.
“I got my dates mixed up and missed the cut-off date,” he explained. “It was just a simple mistake.”
“I managed to get an extension until next March – but [the council] won’t entertain me putting a bid in now.”
Without the funding, which would have kept them going for another three years, Glyn said he would be forced to close the club.
“We currently have 80 members who come every week,” he continued. “What’s going to happen to all of them if we close?”
Syed Alam, whose son – 8-year-old Marzuq – has been attending the club for the last few years, said his child has made ’significant improvements’ since joining.
Neil Coyle, MP for Bermondsey and Old Southwark has contacted the council about the issue. In a statement, he told us: “The club is an amazing resource for local families and the young people who seem to love it. There seems to be a fragile ecosystem keeping it afloat but it must not be capsized by the council’s ill-considered approach. It’s too valuable to do many local people to see it lost and the council must work with the club, me and others to work out how best to ensure it can keep helping so many disadvantaged young people and their families.”