Got 10 seconds? In summary:
Climbing is more than just a sport; it builds confidence, resilience and community. However, disabled and neurodivergent individuals often face barriers to participation. We are here to unlock this access to climbing. We currently have over 50 climbing walls and organisations interested in delivering our new climbing scheme. That means 50 places who know of young people who don't have the same access as other people do to our sport.
This is where your help is key. Please donate what you can, and tell everyone you can. We really appreciate it!
Want to know more? Read on...
About NICAS Ascend
NICAS Ascend is a groundbreaking initiative - the UK’s first national climbing award scheme designed for disabled and neurodivergent participants. It provides an inclusive, structured pathway into climbing, ensuring that everyone has the chance to develop skills, gain confidence and be recognised for their achievements.
We are on a mission to break down barriers in sport, creating opportunities for people who have previously been excluded from the benefits of climbing. With your support, we can expand this pioneering scheme to climbing centres across the UK, ensuring that everyone has the chance to climb, progress and be celebrated.
Who are we?
NICAS (National Indoor Climbing Award Schemes) is a registered charity with 16 years of experience providing structured climbing awards across the UK. Our schemes have helped over 200,000 climbers develop their skills and progress in the sport.
Why develop a new award?
NICAS Ascend has been developed with disabled and neurodivergent individuals in mind in partnership with experts, to ensure an accessible and meaningful experience for all.
This project is also backed by our partner Access Sport, who will provide the disability and inclusion training to climbing teams to support an accessible and welcoming environment.
Why are we crowdfunding?
We are crowdfunding to bring NICAS Ascend to life nationwide, ensuring that more disabled climbers have the opportunity to participate in and benefit from this sport.
We need funding to:
✅ Train instructors in disability inclusion to ensure climbing walls are accessible
✅ Create custom resources designed for disabled and neurodivergent climbers
✅ Launch NICAS Ascend in climbing centres across the UK
✅ Provide any required adaptive equipment and support for disabled and neurodivergent climbers
NICAS has already invested over £16,000 of their own charitable funds to develop Ascend this far. We are delighted that Sport England have decided to back us with a further £11,000 - but we have to meet our funding target to trigger that grant.
With over 50 climbing walls already expressing interest, the demand is clear and need your help to make it happen so your pledge today will make a difference.
How we’ll use the money raised
We believe in full transparency, and every pound raised will go directly towards making climbing more inclusive. Our minimum target is £26,000 and if we reach it, we will spend it as follows:
💰 £16,000 – Development of printed logbooks and learning materials for climbers
💰(+£5k) £21,000 – On-site and online training courses for climbing instructors
💰 (+£4k) £26,000 – Equipment support for climbing centres
We want to be able to offer NICAS Ascend in it's first year to 30 climbing walls and give over 500 learners an opportunity to become lifelong happy climbers.
If we exceed our target
Additional funding will allow us to expand NICAS Ascend to even more centres across the UK, ensuring more people can experience the joy of climbing.
We currently have over 50 climbing walls and organisations interested in delivering this scheme. By exceeding our target, we will fund Access Sport to deliver additional on-site coaching workshops nationally to give coaches techniques and confidence in supporting learners with complex needs.
Whilst NICAS Ascend will be pioneering, we know that there is a huge breadth of individual needs for learners who will want to access this scheme - and one size will not fit all. Helping us smash our target will mean everyone can climb higher and we can expand all NICAS programmes to become tailored for more specific needs.
Community impact
NICAS Ascend is not just about climbing – it’s about empowering a community that has historically been excluded from sport.
🏆 First national climbing award for disabled participants
💬 Creates a supportive social environment for participants
📈 Upskills climbing centre staff in accessibility and inclusion
🤝 Fosters community connections between climbers, families and volunteers
This project will transform the landscape of climbing in the UK, setting a new precedent for inclusive sport across the country and pave the way for new climbers which may include, as we approach the LA 2028 Olympics, new paraclimbing athletes.
And finally.......
It's taken nearly 3 years from Sarah's original idea to be launching this Crowdfunder, and we've stood on the shoulders of some giants to get here. We could never have trialled Ascend without the benevolence of Summit Up Climbing Centre in Oldham, or the guidance of Graeme Hill who delivers the well recognised Climbing for All courses. There are others, including Sport England who will match fund your support and without which, this wouldn't be possible.
Now, it's over to you...........
How you can play your part
There are four simple ways to help us reach our target and make this project a reality.
1. Make a pledge. Don’t delay if you’re going to support us because momentum is key to our success!
2. Spread the word. Share our project on your social media (especially using the NICAS page on LinkedIn) and tell the world to get behind us! The more people we reach, the more support we will get.
3. Offer rewards. Get involved if you are a business by donating things we can offer to our supporters. We will give you a shout out!
4. Fundraise for us. If you want to run your own fundraiser – maybe a sponsored activity or similar – use the 'Contact Project' button at the top of our page to let us know. Setting up your own page only takes a few minutes and you won’t need any bank details. Just a fun idea!