How Symbol-Friendly Everyone Active Winchester makes fitness fun and inclusive with Widgit Symbols

About three years ago, I attended a meeting with the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board (ICB), with lots of leisure operators also in the room. We were there to talk about neurodiversity and inclusion, and how to improve the experience for individuals in leisure settings. Speaking with parents and carers, I was saddened to hear how unsupported they felt. Portsmouth Council were also attending and mentioned the Widgit Communication Boards found in their parks. This got me thinking how we might integrate something similar within our own centre, and how it could help break down barriers for any individual with communication challenges.

We already had a good basis for providing SEND sessions at the Winchester site, so Widgit felt like the perfect fit. We were offered a licence to use through the ICB, and started to explore what was possible. We didn’t realise quite how bespoke the resources could be, and so worked closely with Widgit to design the specific symbols needed for our facility. Working with Educational Specialist Becca was a real learning curve, both for us and for Widgit, as we are one of the first leisure centres to use Widgit! There’s more to Communication Boards than meets the eye, and it was a great opportunity to bounce ideas and refine the symbols to be fully bespoke to our centre.

Working with Widgit exceeded our expectations. It was a straightforward process from our perspective, and they really understood the importance of getting every symbol just right, down to the colour of our lifeguard uniforms! Little details and nuances, like illustrating the right kind of racket for badminton, were all taken into consideration. While they may seem small, these symbols represent the facilities and activities we are proud to offer, so it was important to get this right.

Because of the number of schools already using Widgit in their classrooms, it’s instantly being recognised as a familiar language. Children who come here to swim, for example, are already benefitting from consistent symbolised communication across our site.

A conversation that stood out for me was with two parents near the sports hall. Their children weren’t with them, but they were so delighted to see the board displayed as they explained one of them was non-verbal. That was a real goosebumps moment for me.

We have such a wide variety of people come through our doors that I feel everyone will benefit. The automatic thought is perhaps these boards cater specifically to autistic or non-verbal individuals, but the wider application of Widgit has the potential to reach so many others. We run a dementia café for example, so our elderly visitors will be able to use it. Individuals with English as an additional language (EAL) can also benefit, as symbols create a more welcoming environment thanks to information being processed much faster. Ultimately, our purpose is to work together to transform the wellbeing of communities, and by creating a more welcoming and accessible environment, we can support and encourage more people to get (and stay) active.

Sometimes, the biggest challenge in becoming more active is taking that first step, and introducing symbols at our site has certainly helped us to create a more welcoming and accessible fitness environment. There was some uncertainty around us using the boards in the correct way, but Becca reassured us that simply using the symbols to emphasise key points would make such a difference. There’s lots of work to be done, but having the boards available to our visitors is a really great start.

Having symbolised communication available really complements all the brilliant work Rebecca is already doing. We just want to welcome as many people as possible, and it’s such a positive addition to the inclusive programme already on offer.

It’s a rewarding feeling to be leading the way as a Symbol-Friendly leisure centre, and we really hope to pave the way forward for others in the sector. We were recently delighted to win Regional Public Centre of the Year at the ukactive Awards (our version of the Oscars!) for our commitment to excellence and innovation in promoting physical activity and wellbeing, and one of the standout points was our use of communication boards. The fact that this is already being recognised on a national scale is a real win for us.

We would highly recommend Widgit to other organisations. We live in a digital age, and while it’s good to promote resources online, having something tangible means our visitors can access this support straightaway. It would be easy just to signpost someone to our website, so we’re very proud to have the boards displayed at various points around the centre for everyone to enjoy, from the moment they step through our doors.

We’d give Widgit a 10/10! As a starting point, we both felt it needed to be a physical board, and not just a digital solution. Like the playground boards in Portsmouth, we encourage visitors to interact with them in the same way, pointing to the boards and communicating with the symbols. We’re excited to see what the future holds as we continue to strengthen our inclusive offering, and we’re so pleased that Widgit plays an important part in that!