14 June 2025

Cerebra’s new tag belts help sensory-impaired kids take part in touch rugby

A children's touch rugby team will take part in a match unveiling an innovative new tool to help those with sensory impairments take part in the sport.

The seven-a-side rugby match will take place during half time at Leeds Rhinos’ home clash with Wolves at AMT Headingley Rugby Stadium on Saturday, June 14, and has been organised as part of Cerebra’s Relay Your Way. Cerebra, the national UK charity dedicated to supporting children who have a neurological condition, created Relay Your Way to promote inclusivity in sports and ensure that no child is left on the sidelines. Over 33 days the relay baton is journeying through towns and cities in Scotland, England and Wales, bringing together thousands of people in a celebration of accessibility, adventure and inclusion.

The tag rugby equipment was designed by the Cerebra Innovation Centre and features alerts to prompt children when they have been ‘tackled’. Prompts include vibrations and light displays that provide additional sensory indicators that a tackle has taken place.

Ava Dean, from Wetherby, West Yorkshire, has signed up to be part of the rugby team who will demonstrate the new equipment for the first time. Nine-year-old Ava is on the pathway for a dual assessment for autism and ADHD. She is an enthusiastic participant in sport, enjoying swimming lessons from a young age.

Ava’s mum Nicola said: “Ava is a strong-willed child who is very creative. She can struggle with sensory overload and she can have difficulties with everyday things like getting ready or different social situations. She really wants to be doing what everyone else is doing but struggles sometimes.

“When I told Ava about the rugby she was really excited. She told me she’s tried normal tag rugby at school so she’s quite giddy about that!”

The tag belt system was designed by the Cerebra Innovation Centre which builds innovative, bespoke products to help disabled children discover and engage with the world around them. The centre creates hundreds of items every year free of charge every year, working with parents, carers and professionals to come up with fun solutions centred to the specific needs of the child.

Gerallt Devonald, product designer at the Cerebra Innovation Centre who developed the equipment, said: “By integrating vibration, light, and sound outputs when a player is tagged, we hope to open up rugby to an even broader audience—including individuals with additional sensory needs.

“Team sport offers so many benefits: from physical wellbeing and social connection to confidence and communication skills. Making rugby more inclusive means more people can experience those positive impacts.”

Jess Camburn-Rahmani, CEO at Cerebra, said: “Sport should be equally accessible to everyone, so it’s an honour to be able to showcase the inspiring work of Cerebra’s Innovation Centre in breaking down existing barriers to participation for some young touch rugby players.

“Relay Your Way will be making its way through England and Wales until July 6th where participants will cross the finish line at the Parallel Windsor Festival of Inclusivity. Whether you take part, cheer from the sidelines, or donate, you’ll be helping to create a world where all young people are fully included, supported, and celebrated.”

-- ENDS --

EDITOR NOTES

CONTACT

Press Contact: Marcus Hughes, marcus@wearecowshed.co.uk 07462902964
Press Images: Available from Google Drive here
Images: Credit: Cerebra, unless stated otherwise.

KEY DATES

Start date: Tuesday 3rd June 2025, Glasgow
End date: Sunday 6th July 2025, Windsors Great Park

KEY FACTS

Duration: 33 days
Distance: 2,500km
Number of stages: 301
Adaptive sports: Frame running, cycling, skateboarding, paddleboarding, surfing, sensory tag-rugby, sailing, kayaking
* Paralympic GB Equal Play Campaign

WEBSITE: www.relayyourway.org

SOCIAL MEDIA: Instagram @CerebraCharity | Facebook @CerebraCharity

#RelayYourWay

ABOUT CEREBRA

Cerebra is a national UK charity dedicated to supporting children who have a neurological condition in overcoming daily challenges.
The Cerebra Innovation Centre (CIC) designs and builds innovative, bespoke products to help disabled children discover and engage with the world around them. We believe that no challenge is insurmountable, and extraordinary change requires extraordinary action. CIC’s designs aim to reduce some of the social stigma attached to disabilities by making functional and beautiful products for our amazing young people.

WHAT IS RELAY YOUR WAY?

A 2500km relay across Britain (June 3rd - July 6th 2025) championing the 1.5 million young people in the UK with disabilities and their right to sport and play
Launching in Glasgow, the relay will travel through most major cities in Britain – including Edinburgh, Newcastle, Leeds, Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham, Swansea, Cardiff, Bristol, Portsmouth and London - before finishing at the Parallel Windsor Festival of Inclusivity at Windsor Great Park
301 stages featuring a host of different accessible and inclusive ways of moving the baton ● Cerebra has partnered with Panathlon to bring this event to life, an incredible charity who last year supported 65,000 young people with Special Educational Needs to participate in sporting competitions
Partnerships with 150+ disability, educational, sporting and governmental organisations, including Transport for London, British Triathlon SENSE, Disability Sport Scotland, Disability Sport Wales ● Multi-award winning relay event organisers - The World Relay Ltd. - have volunteered their expertise to help make Relay Your Way possible. Since 2013, over 200k participants have covered 42,000km in relays raising over £1.9 million for good causes.

MEDIA ENGAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Stories from families and young people who have received support from Cerebra
Opportunities to speak with our incredible ambassadors including triple Paralympic medallist Liz Johnson, actress Cara Jayne and disability activist Georgia Vine
21 magical ‘My Way Moments’ at iconic venues showcasing ground breaking and life changing adaptive designs from the Cerebra Innovation Centre
Visits to SEND and mainstream schools, directly involving more than 9,000 students
Visits to a wide range of sporting, cultural and community venues, events and projects featuring young people with disabilities, including Ibrox, Lords, London Aquatic Centre and Windsor Great Park

RELAY LOCATIONS AND DATES

Tuesday June 3rd: Glasgow
Wednesday June 4th: Glasgow to Edinburgh (via Grangemouth)
Thursday June 5th: Edinburgh
Friday June 6th: Edinburgh to Berwick-upon-Tweed
Saturday June 7th: Berwick-upon-Tweed to Newcastle
Sunday June 8th: Newcastle to Middlesbrough
Monday June 9th: Middlesbrough to Scarborough
Tuesday June 10th: Scarborough to Bridlington
Wednesday June 11th: Bridlington to Rotherham
Thursday June 12th: Sheffield (Rest Day)
Friday June 13th: Sheffield to Leeds
Saturday June 14th: Leeds to Manchester
Sunday June 15th: Manchester
Monday June 16th: Manchester to Wigan
Tuesday June 17th: Wigan to Liverpool
Wednesday June 18th: Liverpool to Birmingham
Thursday June 19th: Birmingham to Coventry
Friday June 20th: Coventry
Saturday June 21st: Coventry to Hereford
Sunday June 22nd: Hereford to Swansea
Monday June 23rd: Swansea to Cardiff
Tuesday June 24th: Cardiff (Rest Day)
Wednesday June 25th: Cardiff
Thursday June 26th: Cardiff to Bristol
Friday June 27th: Bristol
Saturday June 28th: Bristol
Sunday June 29th: Bristol to Winchester
Monday June 30th: Winchester to Portsmouth
Tuesday July 1st: Portsmouth to Brighton
Wednesday July 2nd: Brighton to London
Thursday July 3rd: London
Friday July 4th: London
Saturday July 5th: London
Sunday July 6th: London to Windsor