Central Parasport Festival 2018

Tuesday 23^rd October saw the success of the 2018 Central Parasport Festival, with children and young people with physical, visual and hearing impairments taking part in the event held at Grangemouth Sports Complex.

Pupils from P1 – S6 in mainstream schools travelled from across Central Scotland to take part in a variety of sports such as boccia, badminton, tennis, swimming, athletics, football, cycling, basketball and archery, all delivered by local sports clubs, national coaches and GB athletes.

The event was a great triumph, kindly hosted by Falkirk Community Trust and supported by the Celtic FC Foundation and BP Coast to Coast, it offered new and exciting sports on the day. Strong partnerships from Forth Valley Disability Sport, Active Stirling and Clackmannanshire Council supported the identification of pupils attending this year’s event.

We were delighted to welcome esteemed VIP representatives from local Councils, Trusts and sportscotland, the Provost Tina Murphy from Clackmannanshire and the CEO from the Celtic FC Foundation Tony Hamilton who features in the video below.

An Inclusion workshop was delivered in the afternoon by SDS staff to inform parents, PE teachers and Active Schools Coordinators and give additional insight into subjects such as classification and disability pathways in Central Scotland.

Inspirational speeches closed the event from young Scottish Swimmer Rosie Sheridan from Dunblane High school, who was identified four years ago at her first Central Parasport festival. She inspired her peers by sharing her sporting journey. Also Fiona Christie, Paralympic WH2 badminton player, enthused our attendees with her motivational words and showcasing her great talent.

Cheryl Lappin (SDS Regional Development Manager for Central Scotland) said: “The event was a fantastic success and a worthwhile experience for not only many pupils engaging in sports they may never have tried before, but also their parents and teachers alike. The message is certainly getting out there that the pathway from participation to performance for athletes with a disability is in place within Central, from a local level to an international level. Most of all, it has been great to see so many pupils with a physical and sensory disability in mainstream schools engage in sports, have fun, and potentially move up the pathway.”

A special thank you to the Celtic FC Foundation and BP Coast to Coast for supporting this year’s event, as well as hosts Falkirk Community Trust, Forth Valley Disability Sport, Active Stirling, Clackmannanshire Council, Scottish Athletics, Scottish Swimming, Scottish Cycling, Badminton Scotland, basketballscotland, Scottish Archery, Tennis Scotland, Forth Valley Flyers, Falkirk Football Foundation, Stenhousemuir FC, Bannockburn Bowmen Archery Club, Denny High School senior pupils, Barclays volunteers, sportscotland and the Grangemouth Sports Complex staff for their support.