Category: A News

09/04/2026

Medal Moments from the 2026 National Schools Boccia Championships

On Thursday 26th March, 48 pupils from schools across the country attended the Scottish Disability Sport (SDS) National Schools Boccia Championships, which was supported by Shepherd Chartered Surveyors.

The annual event attracted young people between P5 and S6 with a learning disability or physical disability, all vying for a spot on the podium, with participants travelling as far as Shetland.

SDS’s Boccia Development Officer, Jonathan Kennedy remarked on the day: “It is fantastic to see so many participants coming to compete to be Schools Championships. With 48 participants here, it has made for a very busy and competitive event. There are players from all round Scotland, including Shetland, Borders, Ayrshire and Highlands which means players can meet others from all around the country and put their skills to the test against other regional champions.”

The morning session was filled with pool games which decided who would advance to the knock-out games and medal matches after the lunch break. The morning session provided a lot of action, with just two ends deciding the winner of each game.

Intensity rose in the afternoon session, with finals decided for the three medal categories: learning disability, physical disability and players with an assistive device (ramp).

Kennedy Masamuna (Glasgow) faced off with Bilal Shakoor (Perth and Kinross) in the gold medal game for players with a learning disability. The pair were equally matched after the two ends and so a tiebreaker was needed to decide the medals, with Kennedy taking the win to top the podium.

A tiebreaker also decided the results of the bronze medal game, with Julian Smolinski (Highland) taking the win over Glasgow’s Lucja Kostrzewska.

In the physical disability category, Perth and Kinross’ Emma McManamon just missed out on gold, losing 2-1 to James O’Brien (South Lanarkshire), with Cole Harvey securing the bronze for Highland, with a 3-0 win over Hannah Crookes (Highland).

Gold belonged to Zac Cameron (Forth Valley) in the assistive device (ramps) category, after sealing a 2-0 win over Joe Driffield (Ayrshire). Ibrahim Ismail (Glasgow) and Hareth Al Jaffa (Glasgow) faced off in the bronze medal game. It was a convincing win for Ibrahim, who booked bronze with a lead of 4-0.

Jonathan Kennedy said: “The National Schools event is in its fourth year of being run and is set up to introduce young people to a national competition whilst also allowing for a learning opportunity. A lot of players in this hall today may play a little in school and had a regional qualifier before coming here. Whereas a few participants are regulars and already compete across Scotland in the regional events. So, having an event like this where newer players can come and develop their skills whilst also meeting others who are already competing, is a great opportunity to develop new players to the regional events across Scotland to start developing our players of the future.”

The SDS National Schools Boccia Championships is one of many SDS boccia events supported by Shepherd Chartered Surveyors. Their support plays a significant role in supporting the development of boccia across Scotland.

Ian Fergusson, Senior Partner at Shepherd Chartered Surveyor, said: “Events like the SDS National Schools Boccia Championships are vital in giving young people the chance to compete, connect and show what they can achieve in an inclusive and supportive environment.”

Shepherd Chartered Surveyor will also be supporting the second instalment of the Family Boccia Day in Moray (May), following the great success of the inagural event held earlier this year (Central).

Full results from the National Schools Boccia Championships are available here: National School results 2026.xlsx and the full photo gallery is available below.

If you would like to find out about opportunities to take part in boccia, please contact SDS’s boccia Development Officer by email (jonathan.kennedy@scottishdisabilitysport.com) or phone (0131 317 1130).

08/04/2026

The Power of Resilience and Sport: Mike Thomas’s Story

By William Moncrieff, Communications Officer

35 years ago, Mike Thomas’s world was turned upside down when he was left with life-changing injuries following a skiing accident in Maribel, France. Mike was airlifted to hospital and what followed has been a journey of resilience, strength and hard work.

Mike had an active lifestyle growing up, often taking to the outdoors in search of his next adventure in sports such as cave diving or skiing. After his accident though, he found it hard to find the right sport for him. This was until he tried hand cycling.

He said: “I am paralysed from the waist down. It took a while to get out and about. I went back diving again and it wasn’t quite the same diving in a dry suit when you can’t control your legs. I discovered hand cycling about 25 years ago and it is just the best thing since sliced bread.”

Viewing it as one of the most accessible sports for individuals with a spinal injury, Mike feels like he is constantly benefiting from the inclusive sport.

“It gets you out and about, it’s great exercise, it gets you places you can’t go normally,” Mike commented.

His adventurous spirit soon found him embarking on a cycling challenge from Edinburgh to St Andrews but he hasn’t stopped there. Now aged 66 years old, Mike continues to sign up to the annual Ride to the Sun challenge – a 100-mile cycle route from Carlisle to Crammond. A feat that often takes him nine hours to complete.

Since taking up hand cycling, Mike has hand cycled 110,000 kilometers and he feels that the many physiological benefits have impacted him in his day-to-day life.

He remarked, “One of the most important things you can do with a spinal injury, is keep your weight under control. It makes things like transferring so much easier.”

Furthermore, he said: “It’s good for your health, your mental health, your wellbeing, it’s good socially. It’s a win-win.”

Having witnessed firsthand the many benefits sports and physical activity have, Mike has also become a volunteer. He hopes to show other individuals what inclusive sport can provide.

“I remember back to when I started – life changes when you have a spinal injury, it’s not as good as it was before and some doors shut and others open. You can still get out there and have a really decent life and I would say that hand cycling is a part of that,” Mike said.

Through his volunteering with Spinal Injuries Scotland, Thistle Outdoors and the Adaptive Riders Collective, Mike has been working hard to show people what is possible.

“If you have a spinal cord injury you need your wheelchair for mobility, your standing frame for your health and your hand cycle for your freedom,” he said.

Now sitting on the Board of Trustees with the Adaptive Riders Collective, Mike is extremely proud of the work that is being done by the charity. The charity provides individuals with disabilities the opportunity to try cycling in a friendly, inclusive and accessible environment. Mike reflected o this, saying: “When he [Neil Russel, Founder of Adaptive Riders Collective] asked me to be a Trustee of the charity, I absolutely jumped at the chance, because what he is doing is absolutely fantastic.”

The sense of pride that Mike feels about the work that is being done is heightened whenever he has an opportunity to join the charity on a ride.

He said: “The mental health aspect to hand cycling is immense. They talk about green spaces, what we do with ARC, we are out around the Trossachs, and the views are amazing. You are getting to places you wouldn’t get to normally and it’s just really uplifting.”

If you would be interested in finding out more about the Adaptive Riders Collective, and how you can get involved, you can contact them via their website.

Alternatively, visit the Scottish Disability Sport website to find out about sporting opportunities within your region.

To keep up to date with all things disability sport across Scotland, follow Scottish Disability Sport on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

07/04/2026

Boccia Brings Families Together During Bespoke Family Day

Scottish Disability Sport (SDS) hosted its first ever Family in Boccia Day which proved to be a resounding success, on Saturday 21st February supported by Shepherd Chartered Surveyors.

SDS’s Boccia Development Manager, Jonathan Kennedy, organised the event which aimed to create an opportunity for families to come together, try and play boccia in a non-competitive environment.

Jonathan said, “It is great to see so many young people and their family attend this event. The Family Boccia Days are all about introducing new young people and their family to boccia and enjoying themselves. Letting them experience the sport and signpost them to their local club or session if they want to play more.”

He continued to say: “Today, some of the deliverers are local coaches who have already linked in with the participants and their family about attending their local boccia session which is what this day is all about.”

The Family in Boccia Day allowed for families in central Scotland who had a child under 18 years-old with a physical disability as their main disability, to learn about boccia, practice skills and play some fun games with other families.

For many children with a disability that attend a mainstream school in Scotland, their access to physical education (P.E) is limited. This has so far been the experience for 6-year-old Amber, according to her mum Leanne, who attended the Family in Boccia Day.

“We find it really hard to find activities for her to do that are suitable for her”, said Leanne, who further commented: “In school she gets taken out when her class are doing P.E, when they’re doing gymnastics or other stuff that she’s unable to do, so this upsets her a lot. So having sports that she is able to do is just great.”

The event also provided Amber to socialise with other children with a disability: “Because she is in mainstream (school) it’s really good for her to be around other kids who are in a wheelchair, just like herself. It’s perfect, it’s ideal.”

Amber was an enthusiastic participant throughout the day, with Leanne remarking that: “I think this will be really good for her confidence, to do a sport that she’s also really good at.”

Boccia is a fantastic sport in bringing people together. It is the most inclusive sport that there is and this accessibility aspect did not go unnoticed.

Thomas, father of Ethan, said: “I thought it (Family in Boccia Day) was brilliant because of the accessibility aspect and the ramps because Ethan doesn’t have a lot of mobility, so it’s good for kids of all disabilities. People with mobility issues are able to play so it’s great.”

Ethan thoroughly enjoyed the day, commenting: “It was really fun and the social interaction was fun, we had a laugh. It was all good.”

Furthermore, the day proved to provide a welcoming environment for all. Participant Michael was quite anxious ahead of the day but his mum, Mary, said the relaxed setting prevented Michael from feeling overwhelmed and supported him to take part.

Mary said, “When he first walked in he (Michael) liked the atmosphere in the hall – the fact that he could wander about and he wasn’t ‘stuck’ somewhere before it started. Also, the games, they’re just so accessible. Sometimes when he plays things he can’t pick it up quickly and he finds that quite difficult and disheartening. Whereas today, he was able to do it and was scoring points.”

The social aspect of the sport plays a huge part within the boccia community and contributes greatly to player satisfaction and emotional health and wellbeing. Thomas commented on this, saying: Thomas: “The social aspect is really, really good because every kid is having fun and the time just flies by.”

The opportunity for families to connect was appreciated throughout the day.

Amber’s mum said, “It’s good for them (Amber and her sister) to play this sport together because her sister goes to dance and gymnastics and so again, Amber gets upset that she can’t do that and so this is nice that they can do this together.”

Ross, a young boy with cerebral palsy, was joined on the day by his mum and brother. His mum, Fiona, said: “He’s really enjoyed it. It’s something that the boys can do together and that’s great. There isn’t really a lot of things that they can do together and we three always come as a family.”

Next month (May) is set to host the second Family in Boccia Day in Moray, targeting families based in the north of Scotland. If you would like to register for this event, you can do so via the link below.

For more information about how to get involved in boccia in your local community, please contact: Jonathan.Kennedy@scottishdisabilitysport.com or call on: 0131 317 1130.

26/03/2026

Port O’Leith Boxing Club Champions Inclusion

By William Moncrieff, Communications Officer

In Edinburgh, Port O’Leith Boxing Club continue to find new ways of providing boxing sessions to people with a disability.

This includes their recent delivery of boxing classes in British Sign Language (BSL), which was inspired by one of their participants.

“One of our members is deaf and we have had him in the gym for a while,” said Lily Priggs, who works at the boxing club.

“He brought his dad along, who is also deaf, for a ‘bring a friend for free class’ and as coaches we didn’t like that we couldn’t communicate with them.”

Photo of an older man with boxing gloves on, about to punch a boxing bag. He is looking towards the camera and smiling.

Being extremely passionate about making sport inclusive and accessible for all, Lily quickly got the wheels in motion. “I said to the coaches and the staff, let’s do a BSL course and try and engage more deaf people in the gym.”

Following this, members of the boxing club’s staff and coaches decided to do a 16 weeklong course in BSL. This is something that they all loved – not only did it contribute to making the club more inclusive but it also gave themselves a challenge in the process.

Lily said, “We enjoy having a diverse community and the challenge of being creative in adapting boxing drills.”

Lily is already seeing the benefits, enjoying being able to communicate in sign with participants. The club are excited at how this could possibly grow, creating a community within the gym where more participants have the opportunity to learn BSL whilst boxing. Lily said: “The idea is really that we can run our basics course (a course for beginners), and integrate people who are deaf into it. I like the idea that other participants also have the opportunity to pick up some of the signs.”

Getting active and taking part in sport, such as boxing, has a range of benefits from physical, mental, emotional and social.

“When we have done our feedback surveys, we know that people really enjoy mixing,” Lily said.

“In our gym, it’s the intergenerational community within it. The youngest person in the gym is about three months old and the oldest is one of our members with Parkinson’s who is about 80.”

Lily and the rest of the team at Port O’Leith Boxing club run a range of other inclusive programmes, including Punching with Parkinson’s, a class that provides those with Parkinson’s an inclusive opportunity to take part in sport and come together in a community environment.

Lily highly values and enjoys the social aspect that the club provides, saying: “the group dynamic and the relationships we’ve all built, it’s great having the older generation in – bad jokes – but great stories.”

Port O’Leith’s devotion to inclusive practice continues further with their newest addition to the coaching team – an Inclusion Coach for the club.

“The thing is with boxing, if you are creative, you can apply the sport to most people,” Lily said.

To find out all about the opportunities that are available at Port O’leith Boxing Club, email: info@portoleithboxing.co.uk

Alternatively, visit the Scottish Disability Sport website to find out about sporting opportunities within your region.

To keep up to date with all things disability sport across Scotland, follow Scottish Disability Sport on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

25/03/2026

Explore Your Winter Paralympic Sport Potential

Have you been inspired by ParalympicsGB at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Paralympic Games?

The Paralympic Potential Programme is the first step in finding out what your future Paralympic sport could be. If you want to find a competitive pathway and unlock the opportunities that sport offers, then now is the time to Explore Your Paralympic Potential – could you #BeTheFuture?

ParalympicsGB are working closely with GB Snowsports, British Curling and British Biathlon Union to offer you the chance to try Skiing, Snowboarding, Wheelchair Curling and Biathlon across three different dates and locations. You will receive expert coaching and input from GB coaches. They will be looking out for talented individuals to support and signpost to appropriate next steps.

Read on to find out more about each sport and which sports you could be classifiable for. With the right commitment and dedication, one day you could represent Great Britain at the
Paralympic Games!

More information available here.

#InspiringThroughInclusion #Paralympics #WinterParalympics

20/03/2026

Mountaineering Scotland Inclusive Climbing Sessions

Would you like to try climbing but don’t know where to start? Are you over 8?

Inclusive climbing sessions are being delivered at Edinburgh International Climbing Arena (EICA) on Saturday 28^th March.

Mountaineering Scotland are happy to offer friendly, supportive climbing sessions delivered by experienced EICA staff designed for individuals who may benefit from a calmer environment, extra time, and personalised encouragement. The Scottish Paraclimbing Club will be in attendance on the day for anyone interested in hearing about how they can become more involved and opportunities to climb on a regular basis.

These sessions are being subsidised through Mountaineering Scotland’s sportscotland investment and offered at a cost of £10pp. Spaces are limited throughout the day, so don’t delay and book today.

For more information and how to book, please see the following link: Mountaineering Scotland Inclusive Climbing Sessions

To keep up to date with all things disability sport across Scotland, follow Scottish Disability Sport on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

18/03/2026

Wheels to Water Returns in 2026

SAVE THE DATE!

Are you aged 10+ with a physical, vision, hearing or learning disability and enjoy adventure?

Wheels to Water returns to Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park this June where you can experience the thrill of getting on the water and adapted cycling in a safe and inclusive environment.

Date/Time: Saturday 13th June 2026, 10am – 3pm

Cost: Free

Venue: Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park, Lochwinnoch

Come and join us with your family and friends where you can try inclusive cycling and a range of watersports! Registration opens soon!

Wheels to Water is a partnership event involving Scottish Disability Sport, Paddle Scotland, Royal Yachting Association Scotland, Scottish Cycling, Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park and a range of Kayak, Sailing and Cycling clubs.

This event is being ran by young people from Scottish Disability Sport’s, Paddle Scotland’s and RYA’s youth panels and is kindly supported by National Lottery’s Young Start fund.

16/03/2026

Women and Girls in Boccia: Rachael Page’s Story

By William Moncrieff, Communications Officer

Rachael Page started playing boccia around 10 years ago, through one of Scottish Disability Sport’s (SDS’s) member branches, Disability Sport – Fife. She started playing boccia as a means to meet new people, play a new sport and experience the benefits that come with getting physically active. Rachael has cerebral palsy which affects all four of her limbs and so boccia provided the ideal opportunity for achieving the above.

It wasn’t long though until Rachael realised that she wanted to play boccia in a competitive environment: “I have wanted to play boccia competitively since I was a wee girl when I was still at high school. I absolutely love my boccia,” she said.

Alongside playing weekly in Glenrothes, Rachael also trains alongside the Tayside regional team. This has resulted in her being coached by some of the best available coaches, such as Darren and Sam Thompson. Rachael remarked on how this has positively impacted her, “They’ve been brilliant, they really have. It’s good as it is showing me loads of things, for example how to throw the balls with different techniques.”

All of Rachael’s hard work and commitment to her craft, came to fruition in early 2026, as she won Senior Sportsperson of the Year at Disability Sport – Fife’s awards ceremony. She reflected on this achievement: “To have been selected for the national Boccia Squad, and to win this award, I’m just over the moon, it’s a great way to start the year.”

One of Rachael’s favorite elements of the game is the social aspect, allowing her to meet and socialise with new groups “I enjoy it and it’s a good way of socialising and making friends with new people,” Rachael said.

The impact of role models is something that Rachael has started to notice recently.

Rachael told SDS that: “My goals are to follow in the footsteps of Kayleigh Brown.”

She believes that Kayleigh is a fantastic ambassador for the sport. “I think Kayleigh is a great role model because she has a great personality and is a great player.”

In 2025, Rachael was successfully classified as a BC2 athlete. This along with her consistent levels of performance has resulted in her being selected to be part of the Scottish National Boccia Squad in 2026. This resulted in her attending a training camp that was hosted in Sportscotland’s National Centre Inverclyde. Rachael really enjoyed her experiences with the squad, and can already see it impacting her positively “It was an amazing experience, I learnt a lot in terms of my posture when throwing the ball.” Said Rachael. Alongwith the training camp providing Rachael with opportunities to develop on the court, Rachael enjoyed having an opportunity to meet other members of the squad, including her role model Kayleigh Brown “I got the chance to eventually meet Kayleigh, and we got the chance to play each other in our drills. She is amazing, and to see how she plays, obviously I have a long way to go, but it just shows where I could end up.” Rachel explained.

Along with having her own role models, Rachael feels strongly about the importance of female role models to inspire the next generation of women and girls, commenting: “I think it’s important to have more female role models in boccia because there aren’t many females that compete in boccia and I think that it would be great to see more females play competitively in boccia as well.”

Rachael has learnt first-hand how boccia can help people to overcome barriers “You can never say no to anyone from boccia. It’s amazing what people can do, it really is.”

Rachael has become extremely grateful for all of her experiences; from training weekly and regionally to taking part in events and making friends.

“A lot of these things are things I didn’t think I would do and I am really grateful for the opportunities that I have had.”

If you like the sound of some of the experiences that Rachael has had, and you would be interested in trying out boccia, contact SDS’s Boccia Development Officer on: jonathan.kennedy@scottishdisabilitysport.com to find out what opportunities there are to take part in the sport as a player, volunteer, coach or official.

To keep up to date with all things disability sport across Scotland, follow Scottish Disability Sport on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

09/03/2026

Fiona Muirhead Inspiring the Next Generation of Boccia Players

By William Moncrieff, Communications Officer

What a journey it has been for Fiona Muirhead in boccia, starting the sport as a hobby and now being a mainstay in both Scotland’s and Boccia UK’s boccia squads.

The 43-year-old started playing the sport in 2018. Little did she know at the time that she would go on to pick up a handful of podium finishes on the international stage, on her way to becoming one of Scotland’s many brilliant female role models.

Over the past eight years, Fiona has been showcasing her abilities in boccia and in the process, she has made herself a household name on the Scottish boccia circuit. This has resulted in Fiona becoming one of Scotland’s most visible female role models in sport.

She said: “There aren’t many women, we are still very much a minority in the sport. We were at Scottish camp last weekend, and it was really nice for all of the new women to see myself and Kayleigh Brown, it’s nice to see the way that things could go.”

Fiona is also very proud of her journey in the sport, coming into it later in life. This is a further reason why she thinks she is a good role model for aspiring athletes.

“I think also, I came in quite late in life, I am the eldest in both squads, so it is nice to say to the other females that you can start later”, Fiona said.

One of the most recent additions to the Scottish Boccia Squad is Rachael Page. Being able to look up and see Fiona competing has been hugely inspirational and helpful for Rachael

“Fiona has been amazing, she is so kind. If there are things that we are not to sure of, we can go to people like her and get some help. Being part of the squad is great. They are all such a lovely bunch”, said Rachael.

Before becoming one of Scotland’s brightest shining lights on the boccia circuit, Fiona started her boccia journey at the sessions in Hamilton. She reflected on this, saying: “Initially, playing was just a social thing. I had no ambitions; I didn’t really appreciate where it could go.”

“It’s been very exciting. It’s been quite sudden. I started it as a hobby and then I progressed through the Scottish talent squad,” she said.

Throughout her journey in school, Fiona was not always involved in sport and physical activity, due to her school not delivering inclusive physical education classes – an issue which still remains throughout schools in Scotland.

This resulted in Fiona seeking opportunities to take part in sport and physical activity later in life, looking to gain many of the attached health benefits.

Fiona commented on how it has benefited her, saying: “I have Muscular Dystrophy, so it not only helped to stabilise it but it has also helped me through allowing me to exercise.”

As Fiona has developed in the sport, she has found herself further benefiting from increased physical activity. A further factor in this, is due to Fiona’s involvement in the UK’s World Class Programme, and the support that she has had access to.

“I have been able to access physio and strength and conditioning, and it really has impacted how well I can be, compared to before when I wasn’t training,” Fiona commented.

Fiona has been heavily impacted by the psychological and physiological benefits of boccia. Since her first international tournament in 2022, Fiona has found herself having many life changing experiences through competing.

Fiona said: “I hadn’t done a lot of traveling without my family before, and I was now going to places I wouldn’t have expected. I went to Canada, Brazil, Croatia. It was really nice, and doing it with international athletes, it was really a dream come true.”

A further reason why Fiona has been making herself a role model for any up-and-coming athletes, is due to the BC4 classified athlete’s success whilst competing on the international stage. In terms of podium finishes, 2023 was by far Fiona’s most successful year, winning BC4 Pairs at the Montreal World Cup, followed by a silver in the BC4 Pairs at the 2023 European Para Championships in Rotterdam.

Fiona then went one better, taking gold at the Heraklion Challenger event in Crete.

These podiums are something that Fiona looks back on with a huge amount of pride, saying, “A real highlight would be those podium finishes. Being on the podium and hearing the British national anthem alongside Stephen (McGuire).”

If you are interested in trying out boccia, contact Scottish Disability Sport’s (SDS) Boccia Development Officer on: jonathan.kennedy@scottishdisabilitysport.com

To keep up to date with all things disability sport across Scotland, follow Scottish Disability Sport on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

26/02/2026

National Boccia Training Camp 2026 Recap

Largs played host to the National Boccia Training Camp, which was held earlier this month (13th to 15th February) at sportscotland National Sports Training Centre Inverclyde.

Attending the camp were seven national players plus one development player from Scotland, as well as five players and a couple coaches from Disability Sport Norther Ireland (DSNI).

The camp kicked off on the Friday with a ‘connections and culture’ workshop. This allowed for the new squad members to hear from the more experienced players about the impact and involvement of being in the squad, followed by the opportunity to discuss player’s aspirations.

This was followed by a two-hour long skills session with DSNI.

The Saturday was a jampacked day of training from 9am to 6pm, divided into a morning and afternoon session. Players were separated into small groups of mixed classifications and squads. This allowed players to learn from each other, share insights and tips and gain an understanding of the different skills required per player.

Each group also had access to a selection of coaches from both Scottish Disability Sport (SDS) and DSNI.

Scottish squad member, Fiona Muirhead, commented on the day saying: “Having coaches and athletes from Northern Ireland has provided a good opportunity to play against new players, particularly those we don’t play often, it was also good to engage with new coaches and different coaching styles. It just gives us a bit more variety and an opportunity to push ourselves more.”

After the intense day of training on Saturday, the evening’s entertainment involved a quiz and music bingo – it was quite the social affair!

Sunday provided players with the opportunity to put their learning from Saturday to the test, with games played from 9am to 12noon in proper matchday format.

SDS’ Boccia Development Officer, Jonathan Kennedy, regarded the camp a big success. He said, “It was fantastic to have a joint camp with players and coaches from DSNI.

“I feel the camp is invaluable to everyone who attended as everyone can share their knowledge and experience and as a result support player and coach development.

“This joint camp, which has been done for a few years now, allowed for close partnership working between both SDS and DSNI. The set up supports players across the national squad pathway through to those on the world class programme and I believe it is a unique set up that we have with both countries playing a part in shaping the camp.”

He continued to say: “It was also great to see young up and coming development players attending with their coaches to work with the other coaches and players both in gaining information but sharing their knowledge and experience. ”

Fiona added to this, saying: “The Scottish Camp always has such a lovely atmosphere. It was really exciting to see the new faces, particularly the new female faces joining the group.”

Reflecting on the weekend, Scottish and Boccia UK Performance coach, Claire Morrison, said: “It is always great to get our Scottish Squad players together for an intensive couple of days training and matchplay.

“Having the opportunity to work alongside our friends from Northern Ireland also brings a different dimension and variety to our work. It is a really important way to start the season both technically and from a connectivity perspective.

“There is a great mix of experience and youth in the group of players and I love to see how they work together and support each other to learn and have fun in this environment.”

Photo of a young man in his wheelchair with red and blue boccia balls. He is wearing a green Northern Ireland boccia training kit.

If you would like to find out more about boccia and how you can get involved as a player, official, volunteer, coach, education practitioner, please get in contact with SDS’ boccia development manager at: jonathan.kennedy@sottishdisabilitysport.co.uk or call: 0131 317 1130

To find out how you can get involved in disability sport throughout your area as a participant, coach, official or volunteer, contact your Regional Development Manager.

To keep up to date with all things disability sport across Scotland, follow Scottish Disability Sport on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.