Richard Brickley OBE MBE has been recognised with the UK Coaching Lifetime Achievement Award for his outstanding service to participants with disabilities enjoying and benefitting from the physical, social and psychological opportunities provided by physical activity and sport.   Richard has truly provided a lifetime of service to physical activity and sport coaching for participants with disabilities.

Achievement over a sustained period with a number of athletes

He is a true believer that coaching can transform the lives of people with disabilities and that coaches craft their skills, knowledge and expertise within their Governing Bodies. Hence to support coaches working with participants with disabilities, inclusion needs to be embedded in all aspects of all coach education and development.

For over 40 years Richard has tirelessly devoted himself to ensure people with disabilities have the opportunity to benefit in sport and physical activity regardless of their age, stage and ability.  He is passionate and unwavering in his desire to ensure the physical, psychological and social benefits of physical activity and sport are available for people with a disability.  He has been committed and motivated and feels privileged in developing sport through coaching for people with disabilities at a local, national and international level and is arguably the leading authority in disability sport in the UK.

He has inspired so many to take up sport and reach their full potential, and he has been there to sustain their interest.

Passionate and committed to the world of disability sport, his influence spans every facet of disability sport from coaching to classifying, from events to strategy and policy. His input into disability sport cannot be overstated – his drive and ambition for sporting opportunities has touched the lives of thousands of athletes, enriching their lives physically and socially. His planning and preparation are exceptional and he has worked long hours to ensure that everything runs smoothly and that the maximum number of athletes reaps the rewards of involvement. He is a perfectionist, always making time for anybody who has an interest in seeking his advice on any issue. For years he has been the father figure within Scottish Disability Sport and so many of the current coaches, athletes, and volunteers have flourished under his guidance and stewardship.

Richard has been at seven Paralympic Games, Stoke Mandeville and New York in 1984, and Seoul in 1988 as an athletics coach for the team. At a local level Richard has been instrumental in so many young people and adults embarking on the fun and enjoyment sport has to bring, as well as being a major contributor to the development of many of the Scottish Paralympians most recently Derek Rae and Owen Miller (gold medallist) amongst others who performed with success in the Paralympics Tokyo 2020. Whilst not coaching either athlete per se he was instrumental in ensuring a coach was found to meet the needs of the two athletes.

Dedication to person-centred coaching throughout the coach’s career

Richard was a key contributor to the development of the Activity Inclusion Model which is a cornerstone of Inclusive Coaching in Scotland and is being adopted at a UK level through SDS’s sister organisations.  The Activity Inclusion Model provides a simple overview of inclusion in its many forms, with the most important concept being the participant at the centre of inclusion for sport for people with a disability.

  Activity inclusion Model video

In his practice, Richard always puts the participant at the centre of his thinking and coaching.

Wider impact the coach has had on their participants and their communities

Richard was possibly never happier than coaching participants with disabilities but also recognised the wider impact he could have through the development of inclusive coaching across physical activity and sport.  Therefore, he has been vital in creating learning across sports to make coaches more confident and competent in the inclusion of participants with disabilities.

Richard has been a visionary leader and a great ambassador for the disability sports movement and coaching. His passion for Coaching, Education and Training was acknowledged when he was asked to become the inaugural chair of the UK Coaching, Learning and Leadership Group, which was formed in 2007. The group was established to advise the UK Coaching Framework on disability sport and the inclusion of children, athletes and players with a physical, sensory or learning disability.  For the first time in coaching history, such a group had been formed to demonstrate the influence coaching, training and education could have on future generations and support a changing a culture of inclusion.  Richard with his usual flair accepted the challenge and produced policy papers and implemented positive projects and programmes within coaching over the next three years at a UK level.  (The group still exists to this day in an updated format).  He only stood down as chair of the UK group in order to set up a similar organisation in relation to Scotland.

The impact of the groups has been to corral leading experts in coaching and disability to set the vision for coaching and learning within Scotland and contributing the SDS dimension to key documents.  Richard has been relentless in establishing a learning environment which is inclusive of people with a disability which is not just a shared philosophy but also put into practice.

Examples of innovative practice

Each new challenge excites Richard to develop solutions which will truly support children, young people and athletes to become involved in sport.  He has been a major contributor to the development of cutting edge courses with sport specific governing bodies where he is working with SGBs to promote inclusion through sport and embed the golden thread of disability through qualifications and continuous professional development opportunities.

Examples of programmes or legacies

He was an instrumental part of building the Introduction to Inclusive Practice eLearning Model, supporting many workshops to move on line through virtual classrooms and developing materials for a blended learning approach.  Richard was always willing to share and enable learning so others could benefit.

Scottish Swimmers head to Swansea   

The National Aquatics Centre in Swansea is the venue hosting the British Para Swimming Winter National Meet. 23 of Scotland’s top swimmers will travel to Wales go head-to-head with their rivals from the other home nations on Saturday 11 and Sunday 12 December.  

Although the event isn’t a qualifying event, all competitors will be looking to roll out their top performances as all swims will be on world ranking times so may ultimately contribute to Commonwealth Games Invitation.  

The Scottish Team has a wide range of experienced swimmers.  Bjorn Aaen (Hamilton Baths) and Jake Woods (City of Glasgow) will make their debut in the British event and will look to learn from Paralympians Scott Quin and Abby Kane. SDS would like to wish all swimmers, coaches and support staff listed below the best of events.  

If you or anyone you know is living with a disability and would like to get involved in swimming, please contact Scottish Disability Sport by telephone on 0131 317 1130 or alternatively email admin@scottishdisabilitysport.com

Swimmers	Club	Branch
Bjorn Aaen	Hamilton Baths ASC	NA
Dylan Bleakely	East Lothian Swim Team	Lothian Disability Sport
Oliver Carter	University of Stirling	Disability Sport Fife
Jason Cobb	Bucksburn ASC	Grampian Disability Sport
Sam Downie	East Lothian Swim Team	Lothian Disability Sport
Cameron Hemphill	Carnegie ASC	Disability Sport Fife
Louis Lawlor	City of Glasgow ASC	Glasgow Disability Sport
Jack Milne	Dundee City Aquatics ASC	Dundee City Disability Sport
Scott Quin	Edinburgh University	Lothian Disability Sport
Gavin Roberts	City of Glasgow ASC	NA
Matthew Scott	Bridge Of Don ASC	Grampian Disability Sport
Logan Smith	Motherwell & Wishaw ASC	NA
Jake Woods	City of Glasgow ASC	NA
Merryn Binnie	Swim IT	Lothian Disability Sport
Natalis Chociaj	Aberdeen Dolphins	Grampian Disability Sport
Tegan Davidson	Huntly ASC	Grampian Disability Sport
Emma Imrie	South Ayrshire ASC	Ayrshire Sportsability
Abby Kane	University of Stirling	Ayrshire Sportsability
Amy Macfarlane	Motherwell & Wishaw ASC	Glasgow Disability Sport
Katie Pake	Carnegie ASC	Disability Sport Fife
Laura Pilkington	FIRST	Lothian Disability Sport
Toni Shaw	University of Stirling	Grampian Disability Sport
Cerys Venters	Scott Carnegie ASC	Disability Sport Fife

 

Coaches 

Janice Millar, Motherwell & Wishaw ASC 

Lisa Houston, University of Aberdeen Performance 

David Smith, Aberdeen Dolphins 

Support Staff 

Ann Marie MacFarlane, Motherwell & Wishaw ASC 

One of the most respected figures in Scottish sport receives an MBE at Windsor Castle.

Bob Dick from Cupar is one of the most respected figures in Scottish sport. His wife Ann was with him at Windsor Castle this week to receive an MBE from HRH Princess Anne. They joined the family in the evening for a meal. It was in Bob’s words “a very special day”.

As well as being an international bowler himself, Bob Dick has offered years of voluntary service to Bowls Scotland. For the past two decades Bob fully committed to the development of Para bowls in Scotland. Over and above national and international commitments Bob is a committed Duffus Park bowling club member and has been an enthusiastic supporter of East Fife Sports Council.

I was introduced to Bob Dick when I moved to Fife in 1975. We met socially through mutual friends. Shortly after I invited Bob to tutor a bowls coaching course for Disability Sport Fife as part of his coaching role with Bowls Scotland. Thereafter we worked together to try and raise the performances of Para bowlers at national and international level. Bob was charged with the responsibility of managing the Scottish Para bowls triple at the Commonwealth Games in Manchester in 2002 and the success of the triple changed Para bowls in Scotland forever.

Pre Manchester, Scottish Para bowlers, competing for Spinal Injuries Scotland or the Scottish Paraplegic Association, won bowling medals at home and overseas in international events specifically for wheelchair users. Two of those great players, John Robertson and Ivan Prior, teamed up with David Heddle MBE to form the Manchester triple and win gold for Scotland. David Heddle from Fraserburgh was Scotland’s most successful ambulant Para bowler at the time winning a Para bowls medal at the Paralympic Games in Atlanta, the last occasion Para bowls was on the Paralympic Games programme. Bob Dick had a major input to the success of that amazing men’s triple.

As well as being industrious, reliable, and hardworking, Bob is a man of immense integrity, consistency and honesty who understands the principles of inclusive practice. During his years of involvement, Bob has been a champion of the Para bowlers he has always tried to support, develop and inspire. Bob was recognised at the Sportscotland coach and volunteer awards for the immense contribution he has made to bowls over many years.

Bob became heavily involved with Para bowls from 2005 onwards. There was a Scotland/England International every year, and the pattern was quite uniform with each country winning on home soil. Team Scotland bucked the trend in 2010, when they won at Gedling IBC in Nottingham. The Internationals then became Tri-Nations when Wales entered the fray. England have been more successful to date, but at Bob’s final event in 2019 at Glasgow IBC, Scotland and England shared the spoils. England however won the series due to their better record against Wales.

Bob’s first event abroad for Scottish Disability Sport (SDS) was the 2007 International Bowls for the Disabled (IBD) World Championships in Manly, near Sydney, Australia. Scotland’s medal collection in the section for visually impaired bowlers was a singles B1 silver for Ada Meikle, a bronze in B1 mixed pairs for Ada and George Gourlay and a bronze for Alex Soudan, Shirley Ann Harris and Harry Harris in the triples. In the section for physically disabled bowlers there were no medals, but the late James Smith from Elgin & District Indoor Bowling Club came close. The ladies triple missed out on two games because one of the players became unwell.

Bob’s next IBD Championships were in Pretoria, South Africa in 2011 and once again Scotland selected an excellent squad of bowlers and coaches. This paid great dividends, with Team Scotland winning three gold and three bronze medals, equally split between the physically and visually impaired bowlers. In the section for physically impaired bowlers, Kevin Wallace won a gold in the singles and a bronze in the pairs with Michael Simpson from Auchtermuchty and Strathmiglo bowling club. John Hughes added a bronze in the singles. There were two gold medals for visually impaired bowlers Irene Edgar and Robert Conway in pairs and Maria Spencer from Dunfermline and Abbeyview Indoor Bowling Club in B4 ladies singles. On this occasion all the directors for the bowlers with visual impairments were qualified coaches and this made such a difference.

The 2011 performances in South Africa were excellent, but results at the IBD World Championships in New Zealand in 2015 were even better. There were gold medals for Irene Edgar and Maria Spencer in separate singles events and for Harry Harris and Martin Hunter from Burntisland Bowling Club in men’s singles events. Irene and Billy Edgar added a fifth gold medal in the mixed pairs. Equally impressive were the two pairs silver medals. One for Maria Spencer and Harry Harris, and the other for Rosemary Lenton and Michael Simpson, who defied all the odds in winning their medals. Five of the medals went to bowlers with visual impairments and this can be attributed to the evolving skills of the directors/coaches.

The other major competition in Bob’s Para bowls career were the Home Commonwealth Games in Glasgow 2014. In the year leading up to Glasgow 2014, there were two competitions – the Four Home Nations and the Eight Nations, the latter being the more important, because all the Commonwealth Games nations attended. There were particularly good performances from physically disabled triples bowlers with Billy Allan from Cowdenbeath Bowling Club, Michael Simpson and Kevin Wallace winning the event and Gary Clelland, Martin Hunter and Garry Brown finishing in third place. From the two visually impaired teams, Irene Edgar and Robert Conway finished in the bronze medal position.

Although the Para bowls results at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow were considered disappointing in Bob’s opinion, visually impaired bowlers Irene Edgar and Robert Conway won the silver medal, and improved on their position in the Test event.

Bob’s journey as an active Para bowls head coach came to an end at a Three Nations event at Glasgow Indoor in March 2019. On this occasion, Ron McArthur and Bob organised and ran the Tournament, which went like clockwork. This offered the coaches of the physically disabled bowlers the opportunity to manage the squad on a session-by-session basis.

Bob believes a head coach cannot develop and organise top class bowling without considerable back-up. During Bob’s time in Para bowls Scottish Disability Sport developed a strong team of coaches and directors, some of whom enjoyed dual roles. Bob is indebted to the team of coaches, directors and significant others who worked with him during his very successful and happy years in Para bowls. Nineteen years helping to develop Para bowls was never on Bob’s mind at the outset, but we are so glad he stuck with our movement and helped to change attitudes, promote inclusive practice, and raise standards in Para bowls throughout Scotland.

Bob Dick MBE has worked tirelessly throughout his life to develop bowls and more recently Para bowls. Congratulations on your recent honour – so richly deserved.

Scottish Disability Sport (SDS) has today announced a partnership with independent charity SportsAid Scotland to re-launch the SDS Athlete Academy, a multi-sport support structure for talented para-athletes.

The academy aims to supplement the continued development of the most promising and talented para-athletes at a pivotal stage in their athlete journey.

Many of the athletes are targeting the Paralympic Games and Commonwealth Games and SportsAid Scotland have been assisted in their support through The Robertson Trust.

Each athlete will receive a funding allocation, whilst also receiving key elements of performance education to support their progression into high performance sport.

SDS work closely with the sportscotland Institute of Sport and other external partners to develop a programme of workshops and training opportunities to best prepare the athletes for when they progress to a UK Sport funded programme or equivalent.

The programme is open to Scottish Governing Body (SGB) or National Governing Body (NGB) athletes with the potential to succeed at national and International level.

Athletes are selected based on strict criteria relating to performance levels, attitude to training and commitment to their sport. Each athlete must be eligible to compete for Scotland and the selection criteria is aligned with that of SportsAid Scotland.

The 2021-2022 intake includes 27 athletes across 12 sports.

Gary Fraser, SDS Performance Manager, commented:

“It is an exciting time to be involved in performance disability sport, and the standard of athlete that has been selected for the SDS Athlete Academy indicates a promising future for Scottish para-athletes competing on the international stage. Athletes at this stage of the performance pathway require more support, whether it be financial or educational, and we are delighted to be able to offer the programme again with the support of SportsAid Scotland and our other key partners.”

Roddy Mackenzie, SportsAid Scotland Chief Executive, said:

“We are more than happy to support such an invaluable project. Athletes have found it increasingly difficult training in isolation during the pandemic and we feel this is a way of bringing them together and giving them a collective identity.”

 Gemma Lumsdaine, GBWR Pathway Athlete, said:

“Being part of the SDS Athlete Academy is such a privilege, I am really excited to be part of a group of athletes who are all striving towards their goals. I think the fact that there is such a wide range of experience and sports within the academy will really help us to learn from each other and also support each other as we progress. The academy will provide us with expertise and education which is extremely valuable to me and will enable me to be the best athlete I can be.“

For further information, please visit https://scottishdisabilitysport.com/sds-athlete-academy/

On Saturday 20th November the inaugural SDS Highland Parasport Festival was held at Dingwall Leisure Centre (High Life Highland) for young people with physical and sensory disabilities.

In what was a hugely successful first Highland Festival, the young people tried out a variety of exciting and in many cases completely new sports in an inclusive and welcoming environment. All participants were wonderfully supported by the brilliant High Life Highland team during the day as they made their way through the busy events programme.

Throughout the day the youngsters tried swimming, badminton, boccia, wheelchair basketball, athletics and kayaking which were all met with smiles on faces. A parent of one of the participants told SDS that it was “the best day out we’ve had in ages”.

We were also delighted to welcome Maree Todd MSP along to support the event, where she got involved in the activities and spoke with participants. She even had time to join in some wheelchair basketball before taking on SDS CEO Gavin MacLeod and High Life Highland CEO Steve Walsh in a mini boccia match during the lunch break.

Maree Todd MSP said:

“I was delighted to attend the inaugural Highland Parasport Festival and was pleased that the day was a great success with all the participants enjoying themselves trying out new sports.

It was a great pleasure seeing the young people active in learning and with smiles on faces, ably supported by SDS and High Life Highland staff.

Sport should be for everyone, and by creating welcoming and inclusive environments like this we can get more people with disabilities participating in sport and enjoying the huge benefits that it brings.”

High Life Highland’s Head of Sports Development Mags Duncan said:

“This was a great first festival for youngsters with a physical, visual or hearing impairment and was very well received by all those who attended.

“With such positive feedback, we’re planning regular sessions and intend to have further festivals in other areas of the Highlands such as Caithness and Skye.

“We want to ensure as many people as possible will get the opportunity to take part in a range of different sports and activities.”

SDS would like to thank High Life Highland for providing the venue and support from the HLH team throughout the event.

The 2021 SWCA National Pairs was played over the weekend at Kinross curling rink. Fifteen pairs of wheelchair curlers competed in a round robin format to determine the ‘High’ road and ‘Low’ road play offs on Sunday afternoon.

In the High road final Paralympians Gregor Ewan & Jim Gault (pictured) from Elgin came out on top and retained their title as SWCA National Pairs Champions. The final was a close match with Stewart Pimblett and new curler Karen Aspey from the Northern Ice Club taking the match to the wire.

The Low road final was also a very keenly contested contest with the pair of David Hogg & Martin Sutherland coming out on top against Alan & Alison Hopkins.

Our thanks go to Kinross Curling for all their help making the competition run smoothly, grateful thanks to the ice staff, umpires Harry & Michelle Brodie and all the catering staff as well as our fantastic army of volunteers who we just cannot do without.

All being well our next tournament is the SWCA British Open at The Peak, Stirling, 28th February to the 2nd March, just a few days before the 2022 Winter Paralympics in Beijing, exciting times ahead.

Anyone interested in finding out more about club wheelchair curling in Scotland please see our website: https://www.scottishwheelchaircurling.com/

SWCA National Pairs 2021

Saturday 27th & Sunday 28th November

The SWCA are delighted to be holding their National Pairs this weekend at Kinross Curling Rink. The competition will be the first national wheelchair curling competition to be held in Scotland in almost 2 years and we are very much looking forward to seeing many of our members take to the ice and compete again.

15 pairs will play a round robin format starting Saturday morning with the semi finals and final scheduled for Sunday afternoon. It’s sure to be a great weekend of wheelchair curling with players from all over the country entered including former Paralympic medalists and defending champions Jim Gault & Gregor Ewan and his fellow current GB squad members Norma Woods & Stewart Pimblett (both pictured).

All are welcome, why not come along and watch some great curling?

Anyone interested in finding out more about club wheelchair curling in Scotland please have a look at our website where you will information on wheelchair curling clubs and competitions in your area

https://www.scottishwheelchaircurling.com/

Snowsport Scotland are offering para snowboard skills sessions at the indoor snow slope in Glasgow this December, aimed at people who can already snowboard but are looking to broaden their skills. They also offer an opportunity to meet other snowboarders.

The Progression Sessions are open to any snowboarders with a disability or additional support needs looking to develop their skills and push their riding to the next level.

During the sessions we’ll work on ensuring the fundamentals are honed so you have a good platform to work from as we explore how to ride different parts of the mountain.

Jumps, boxes, bumps, piste performance are all on the menu as we try and have as much fun on our snowboards as possible.

Min Standard: Can link turns effectively on heel and toe edge, control speed and use uplift safely (button lift).

Min age: 16 years old

Tickets: £24 per person (Discounted*), £27 per person (Full Price*) equipment hire not included

If you want to find out if this event is suitable for you or just ask some more questions about it please email: alastair@snowsportscotland.org

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/para-snowboard-progression-session-tickets-198898820727?aff=ebdssbdestsearch

https://www.instagram.com/p/CWOeSVIoJ0n/?utm_medium=copy_link

We are delighted to share details for the first Scottish Disability Sport Highland Parasport Festival 2021!

Date: Saturday 20th November 2021

Time: 10.00am – 4.30pm (9.30am arrival and registration)

Venue: Dingwall Leisure Centre, Tulloch Avenue, Dingwall IV15 9LH

This Parasport Festival is designed to introduce pupils with a physical, visual or hearing impairment, aged P1-S6 to try new and exciting sports. It has been identified that these groups are significantly under-represented when it comes to participating in weekly sport or physical activity.

This is the first parasport festival running in Highland so we are excited to welcome you to the event! Please watch our ‘Get Involved’ video which highlights the aims and impact of the event featuring testimonies from young people, parents, club coaches and professional officers.

The festival is a partnership event between Scottish Disability Sport, High Life Highland, Highland Disability Sport and Scottish Governing Bodies of Sport along with local club coaches and volunteers to offer sessions in swimming, badminton, boccia, basketball, kayaking and athletics.

Booking information

Online application form is available here.

If you have any questions or would like to find out more about the event or disability sport in Highland, please contact:

Kirsty Ewen – SDS Regional Development Manager for Highland and Orkney – kirsty.ewen@scottishdisabilitysport.com / Phone: 07792057153.