PKDS are searching for a very special runner!  We were successful in our application to be awarded a sought after place in the Virgin Money London Marathon 2017 to help us raise much needed funds.  We support both young people and adults with physical, learning and sensory disabilities to maximise their full potential in sport and fundraising through this prestigious event will ensure we continue to facilitate athletes participating in their sport of choice.

So who are we looking for?  We recognise that a significant amount of our work has a focus on athletes who have congenital disabilities so for this opportunity we are specifically looking for an ex-service man or woman who has had to leave their profession due to an acquired disability.  We believe this opportunity could be pivotal in an individual’s recovery and perhaps give a new purpose to their life.

The main purpose of the awarded charity place is to raise funds for Perth & Kinross Disability Sport but as important, is the impact the training and running in such a tremendous event could have on an individual.  We are completely unaware of what the demand may be for this place but ideally we are looking for our runner to live in Perth & Kinross.  There is only one place we can offer but if demand is high, we can explore new opportunities for others to take part in, whether that be an existing sports opportunity or developing new ones.

Any runner has to be aged 18years at the date of the marathon on 23 April 2017 and must raise their fundraising through PKDS Virgin Money Giving page.  Unfortunately we cannot accept applications from individuals who would require to take part in the wheelchair race – only because we would then have to enter an additional ballot to secure a place and there are no guarantees with this.  We can accept applications from anyone who has a visual impairment as we can apply for them to be allocated a guide.

PKDS aren’t setting down a specific fundraising target until we have chosen our runner and this will be negotiated later as we understand that in the current financial climate, large fundraising targets are not always achievable

PKDS would also like to make an appeal to any local business who feels they could offer additional support to our runner in the run up to or during the weekend of the event e.g. accommodation , travel, kit, personal training, physiotherapy etc.

We can offer training support to our chosen runner – Branch Project Manager Caroline Ness has completed 5 marathons, including the Virgin Money London Marathon twice, and 2 ultramarathons, is a Level 2 Athletics Coach and the Head Coach for Athletics with the Tayside Special Olympics team who are attending the National Summer Games in Sheffield in 2017.

Anyone interested should get in touch with Caroline at carolineness@perthandkinrossdisabilitysport.com

Pamela Mitchell from Dunfermline was the first Disability Sport Fife (DSF) bowler with a learning disability to win a UK title. The occasion was the Special Olympics Summer Games in Brighton in 1986 and mainstream international bowler Tony Alcock remarked on Pamela’s exceptional skills at the time. Pamela excelled in singles and pairs and set a standard that others from Fife have tried to live up to. Pamela has been a prolific winner of Scottish and Fife titles but a recent run of poor health interfered with her bowls plans. With all that behind her Pamela made a return to the DSF bowls team that retained the Inter Area title at Kelvingrove in 2015 and she has not looked back since.

Pamela is a member at Headwell Indoor Bowling Club where she has played her bowls for many years. This weekend past, Pamela played second in the Headwell Ladies Four at the SIBA National Fours. Sadie Philp played lead, Claire Ewing played third and the Skip was Sarah Ewing, Director to IBD visually impaired world champion Maria Spencer from Dunfermline. DSF is fiercely proud of the partnerships it has with inclusive bowling clubs across Fife and Headwell Indoor is a fine example of a club that encourages all sections of the community, including bowlers with disabilities.

On Saturday Team Headwell defeated Cumbernauld 24-14 and on Sunday morning recorded a second victory against Falkirk by 28-9. The final match of the weekend resulted in a narrow quarter final victory over East Fife Indoor by 17-16 in a match that could have gone either way. In this match Team Headwell played a team with three full Scottish internationals, one of whom is scheduled to play in New Zealand this month. Skip Sarah Ewing was exceptionally complimentary about Pamela and how she held her nerve in every tie. Pamela delivered a series of quality bowls at two and helped send Team Headwell to the semi finals in Aberdeen in March to play Fife neighbours Abbeyview.  Pamela and her team mates are only two games away from representing Scotland in the British Isles Championships.

Earlier this month I reported on the three DSF member athletes who helped Fife AC to a third place finish in a major cross country competition. Pamela Mitchell has similarly contributed to the success of Team Headwell at the SIBA National Fours. This proves conclusively that performance athletes with a disability have the potential to make a very positive contribution to the competition ambitions of mainstream sports clubs. Most importantly however it demonstrates that DSF members are not only valued and appreciated as performance athletes but that Fife has many sports clubs that are inclusive in ethos and practice. Brilliant job Pamela. We shall all be behind you in Aberdeen.

Richard Brickley MBE
President, Disability Sport Fife

Through the partnership project ‘Inspiring Sport’ between the Celtic FC Foundation and Scottish Disability Sport, 55 young people with Physical Disabilities and Visual Impairments enjoyed a day of sport and physical activity at Ravenscraig Sports Facility on Friday 11^th November.

Inspiring Sport aims to enhance the lives of young people and adults with physical, learning and sensory disabilities in the West of Scotland through the medium of sport and physical activity and through various means, encourages participation which is beneficial for a healthy lifestyle and social interaction.

The event was supported by coaches from Scottish Governing Bodies of Sport, scottishathletics, judoscotland, tennisscotland, Scottish Rowing, Scottish Cycling, Table Tennis Scotland and Scottish Boccia, and Celtic Football Club Community Coaches coached the football sessions during the event.

Volunteer coaches from clubs across the West, St Mirren Warriors Wheelchair Basketball Club, Victoria Park City of Glasgow Athletics Club, Drumchapel Table Tennis Club and Movement Park Judo were also assisting on the day.

The event was a great success with all of the young people fully involved in a range of activities which were based on fun and enjoyment and which encourages future participation in sport.

A number of the participants were treated to an inspirational talk delivered by para athletes, Stephen McGuire, BC4 Boccia World Champion and Team GB member and Kayleigh Haggo, Scottish Swimming Squad member.  Stephen and Kayleigh gave a fantastic insight into their journey in sport from starting out and their future ambitions and certainly gave their audience something to aim for in the future.

The event also welcomed Kieran Tierney, first team player for Celtic, who joined the participants in some of the sports, signed t-shirts and took some ‘selfies’ with the excited youngsters.

Thank you to all the coaches and volunteers who gave up their time to support the event, Active Schools East Dunbartonshire and East Renfrewshire for their assistance on the day and Ravenscraig Sports Facility for their cooperation once again.

To find out more about this event or disability sport in the West of Scotland, please contact

Lynn Allison – lynn.allison@scottishdisabilitysport.com / 07974 448580

Lori Ure – lori.ure@scottishdisabiltysport.com / 07806 815591

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Glasgow based Women Warriors Wheelchair Basketball Club received recognition at the Sports Council for Glasgow Annual Sports Awards, as winners of the ‘Disability Achievement Club of the Year’.

Anne-Marie Monaghan, founder of the club, said: “I’m delighted with our Achievement Award and the success of the club.  This award is for everyone involved in Women Warriors, including those on and off the court.  We work as a team and celebrate this success as a team”.

This was not the end of nominations for the club, as head coach and 3 times GB Paralympian, Sarah Baillie, was presented with the well deserved ‘Disability Coach of the Year Award’. “Personally I feel really chuffed with my award, but it is a great reflection of all the dedication put in by everyone in the team,” said Sarah.

The Women Warriors were established 2 years ago, and have grown from strength to strength training on a weekly basis.  With over 20 members attending the club, the Warriors play in both basketballscotland’s wheelchair basketball league, and British Wheelchair Basketball’s Women’s League, which is based in Nottingham.

If you would like to find out more about wheelchair basketball or join a club, please contact Tina Gordon, basketballscotland Wheelchair Basketball Development Officer tina.gordon@basketball-scotland.com.

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