Tayside Schools Sportshall Athletics Festival 2019 for pupils with a physical, sensory or learning disability

Perth & Kinross Disability Sport hosted this event on 31st January 2019 at the Academy of Sport & Wellbeing, Perth College UHI, in partnership with Perth Strathtay Harriers, Perth College UHI, Scottish Disability Sport, Dundee Leisure and Culture and AngusAlive Sport and Leisure.

130 pupils from schools across Angus, Dundee and Perth & Kinross made this event a huge success with fun and enjoyment top of the agenda for the entire day.

30 Perth College sports development students were on hand to help guide and support the pupils through each activity and their caring and encouraging approach made this a day to remember for all.

Sportshall Athletics is an indoor programme of adapted athletics activities which is fully inclusive. Events include Speed bounce, Javelin, Shuttle runs, Target throw, Standing Long Jump, Hi-stepper, Seated chest push and with additional relays at the end.

10 athletes from each Tayside region will be now be selected to attend the Scottish Disability Sport Sportshall Athletics Festival on 7th March 2019 at Grangemouth Sports Complex.

Please contact Graeme.doig@scottishdisabilitysport.com for more details.

On Wednesday 23rd Jan 2019, North Ayrshire Active Schools hosted a second ASN festival for all schools across North Ayrshire, which took place at The Portal in Irvine. Nine primaries with over 50 pupils from P1-7 attended in the morning session and five secondaries with over 30 S1-6 pupils were in attendance in the afternoon.

We worked in partnership with Ayrshire College classes – HND Sports Coaching with Development of Sport. The college pupils received a planning workshop from Lauren Fletcher, Active Schools Coordinator and delivered each sport station. Two spectacular sport leaders, Sean & Ben from North Ayrshire helped out on the day and were an inspiration to all pupils, they helped run the boccia station which was super fun! One of our North Ayrshire Sports Academy Students, Abigail helped out at the Basketball station and was a role model to all pupils!

To make the festival a huge success we worked in partnership with KA Leisure, sporting pathways, Scottish Disability Sport and Ayrshire Sportsability. It was also great to have the support from Rosie a Paediatric Physiotherapist within Rainbow House, Irvine.

All schools had very positive feedback:

• “My favourite was the boccia and badminton, can we go next year?”
• “Things are adapted to meet all needs, nice to meet other people with similar needs, great to see
  pupils enjoying themselves.”
• “The children have been able to experience success at their own level and partake in activities
  appropriate to their level, they have really enjoyed today.”
• “It was so well organised.”

It was great to receive the support and feedback from all schools involved and we are looking forward to planning more events for 2019.

Tayside Schools Sportshall Athletics Festival 2019 for pupils with a physical, sensory or learning disability

This event is being hosted by Perth & Kinross Disability Sport on 31^st January 2019, 10.15am – 2pm at the Academy of Sport & Wellbeing, Perth College UHI, in partnership with Perth Strathtay Harriers, Perth College UHI, Scottish Disability Sport, Dundee Leisure and Culture and AngusAlive Sport and Leisure.

Sportshall Athletics is an indoor programme of adapted athletics activities which is fully inclusive. Events include Speed bounce, Javelin, Shuttle runs, Target throw, Standing Long Jump, Hi-stepper, Seated chest push and with additional relays at the end.

We have 160 pupils registered from all over Tayside and from this, 10 athletes from each Tayside region will be selected to attend the Scottish Disability Sport Sportshall Athletics Festival on 7^th March 2019 at Grangemouth Sports Complex.

Please contact Graeme.doig@scottishdisabilitysport.com for more details.

Our annual Para Sport Festival is on the horizon for 2019, welcoming young people from across the Tayside with a physical, visual or hearing impairment and providing them with an opportunity to try a range of para sports, delivered by some of the best clubs and coaches across the country.  This year’s festival is scheduled for Wednesday 6th March at Dundee and Angus College, Gardyne Campus, Dundee, DD5 1NY.

This is a fantastic opportunity for primary and secondary aged young people to experience some of the sports that are successfully showcased at the Paralympic Games.  The activities selected reflect the strong club structure in the region and will aim to support the transition from the event to more regular sporting activity with one or more of the session’s being delivered. Several Scottish Governing Bodies of Sport (SGB’s) have also expressed a real interest in supporting the event over the years and this further highlights the amount of partnership work involved.

The festival is a partnership event between Scottish Disability Sport, Leisure and Culture Dundee, AngusAlive, Perth & Kinross Disability Sport and multiple SGBs who work together, along with local club coaches, to offer sessions in badminton, boccia, powerchair football, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair rugby league, tennis, football, bowls and more to the children and young people across Tayside. This year’s event will also be supported by the Celtic FC Foundation and BP Coast to Coast.

Please contact Graeme.doig@scottishdisabilitysport.com for more details and a registration pack.

A promising cyclist new to the Para-Cycling scene is celebrating after an impressive performance at his inaugural competitive event.

Colin Wallace, a teacher from Aberdeen who has only recently gone through classification, took home a commendable 6^th place in the 200m Flying Start event at the 2019 National Track Cycling Championships in Manchester. The event also saw World Records beaten by the cyclists finishing in 1^st and 2^nd place.

Colin, of Aberdeen-based club, Deeside Thistle CC, entered the event just to get a bit of experience and is still undergoing testing with British Cycling after being successful during UK Sport’s ‘Discover Your Gold’ Talent ID event, but has shown great promise by bursting on to the Para-Cycling scene after many years of cycling in mainstream events.

Well done to Colin & thank you to everyone in his Club, at British Cycling and at the velodrome in Glasgow who have helped him over the last few months.

If you, or someone you know, lives with a physical, sensory or intellectual impairment and would like to get more involved in sport, please get in touch with Alison Shaw (Regional Manager for Scottish Disability Sport) on 07828 744 848 or alison.shaw@scottishdisabilitysport.com.

Thursday 24th January Grangemouth Sports Complex kindly hosted the Forth Valley Disability Sport Regional Seniors Boccia Competition. 30 players attended on the day via day services, local adult support agencies and nominations from the local club Right on Target. All competitors had a great day and really enjoyed the event. FVDS would like to take this opportunity to thank all volunteers and partners who supported the event (to allow for smooth delivery), and to the helpers and carers that came along to support the participants on the day.

Many of the entrants have been training for the event via the local/ regional boccia sessions and others by practicing their skills at their centres with their peers. Competitors were able to compete individually and a very high standard of play was demonstrated throughout the event. In some games the winner was not being decided until the final end of the game.

All medal winners were presented with their medals Graham Harvey FVDS Branch Coordinator.

Results

Learning Disability 1
Gold: David Fisher	Silver: William Booth	Bronze: Emma Thomson
Physical Disability
Gold: Charlie Ramsay	Silver: Fraser Dawson	Bronze: Brian Thompson
Wheelchair User
Gold: Paul McIntyre	Silver: Scott McIntyre	Bronze: Callum Glasgow
Assisted Devices
Gold: Jordan Paterson	Silver: Gregor McAdam

What is Boccia?

Boccia is an adapted form of bowling which children and adults with physical, learning and sensory disabilities are able to compete in. It is a recognised disability sport that is played at paralympic level. For more information visit the SDS website https://scottishdisabilitysport.com/about-boccia-2/

If you or anyone you know with a disability in Central Scotland are interested in boccia and would like to attend the The Right on Target Boccia club please telephone Forth Valley Disability Sport on 01786 466486

Additionally to find out more about this event or disability sport in Central Scotland, please contact: Cheryl Lappin (Scottish Disability Sport Regional Development Manager) at cheryl.lappin@scottishdisabilitysport.com / Phone: 07577 830360.

A fantastic level of participation and an abundance of quality playing skills at the latest in the series of Grampian School Football League tournaments has seen Aberdeen Football Club Community Trust open the door of one of its Development Centre to more players than ever before.

Impressed with the standards shown by the players from six secondary schools and three primary schools that took part on the day, Ross McNeil, Community Coach for AFCCT with responsibility for inclusion, has sent an open invite for the Development Centre in Bucksburn (which usually only invites players to train with the squad following trials) to all of those who participated in the event.

It is hoped that the move will help to increase the pool of talent within the current ASN football squad, creating more competitive playing opportunities for youngsters and strengthening the pathway for players with learning disabilities in the region.

Within the invitation, McNeil envisions a positive future for disability football, noting “It would be great to create a really strong Aberdeen ASN team from these tournaments to represent the city.”

During 2019, a series of developments in disability football within Grampian are looking promising including the re-instatement of Power Chair Football in partnership with the SPFA, and the introduction of Frame Football thanks to a partnership between parents involved in Cerebral Palsy Aberdeen and the Scottish FA.

If you, or someone you know, lives with a physical, sensory or intellectual impairment and would like to get more involved in sport, please get in touch with Alison Shaw (Regional Manager for Scottish Disability Sport) on 07828 744 848 or alison.shaw@scottishdisabilitysport.com.

Some fantastic partnership working between Moray Active Schools & Sports Development, SDS and Scottish Athletics has seen the local authority offer not one, but two FREE training opportunities for coaches and volunteers aspiring to, or working with, people with physical, sensory and learning disabilities.

Disability Inclusion Training is set to take place on the 16th February (09:30 – 12:30) at Keith Community Centre and is open to coaches, volunteers & teachers from any sport, club or setting. It will give attendees the confidence and tools to be able to adapt their sessions to include everyone and meet the various needs of athletes and players with disabilities.

It is shortly followed by an Inclusive Athletics workshop, which takes place at the Moray College Campus on Monday 11th March (18:00 – 21:00). This workshop is open to coaches and volunteers from all athletics settings (including JogScotland leaders) and will cover a range of topics including communication, supporting inclusion, technical knowledge, the classification system & competition system.

It is hoped that these workshops will increase the number and capacity of mainstream clubs who open their doors to people with disabilities, and that people with disabilities will feel more welcomed & supported in their local clubs.

To book onto the FREE Disability Inclusion Training workshop, visit:

https://www.cognitoforms.com/ScottishDisabilitySport1/UKDisabilityTraining16FebruaryKeith

And to book into the FREE Inclusive Athletics workshop, email sports.development@moray.gov.uk or call 01343 563374.

If you, or someone you know, lives with a physical, sensory or intellectual impairment and would like to get more involved in sport, please get in touch with Alison Shaw (Regional Manager for Scottish Disability Sport) on 07828 744 848 or alison.shaw@scottishdisabilitysport.com.

 

A Keith man is encouraging runners of all abilities to consider training to be guide runners to enable people with sight loss to keep fit and healthy, and to achieve their ambitions.

Bruce Cruickshank, who works for North East Sensory Services, lost his sight in 2010 and got involved in running with the support of his local Jog Scotland group in order to get fitter and try something new.

In addition to the weekly Jog Scotland sessions, Bruce runs a few kilometres two to three times per week with Personal Trainer, Lisa Morrison. However, Bruce is looking to expand his fleet of guide runners to relieve the pressure off Lisa, who has other commitments, and to enable more people in Moray with sight loss to experience the benefits of running.

Guide running is a very straightforward concept: a sighted runner and a runner with sight loss both hold on to a tether and run side-by-side at the same pace. The guide runner communicates with the runner with sight loss about changes in direction, terrain and other details in order to ensure their safety. Training is available for anyone interested in becoming a guide runner and it’s a fantastic way to improve your own fitness whilst enabling a runner with sight loss to do likewise.

Bruce said “I would like to get out running again but due to lack of guide runners in the area I can’t get out possibly as much as I would like. I really enjoy getting out there and covering a few km.”

Lisa added “I got into the London marathon and decided to raise money for Guide Dogs, so I can only give so much time to run with Bruce due to training. So it would be great to see him out and about with more leaders.”

To register your interest in becoming a guide runner, get in touch with Alison Shaw (Regional Manager for Scottish Disability Sport) on 07828 744 848 or alison.shaw@scottishdisabilitysport.com

Scottish Disability Sport is keen to hear from anyone living with a physical, sensory or learning disability who is interested in getting involved in Para Sport. Grampian residents should also contact Alison if they would like more information on opportunities in Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire & Moray.

Since 2010 the West of Scotland Parasport Event has played a vital role in engaging young school age people with a Physical and Visual Impairment in sport and physical activity. 

This year is the tenth anniversary of the highly successful event, which takes place on Friday 8th March at the fantastic Ravenscraig Sports Facility in Motherwell. 

The event is for young people in the P5 -S6 age group and offers a multi-sport experience, which is the starting point for some in participating in sport and starting a life long journey. 

The activities selected reflect the strong sporting structure in the West of Scotland, and the sports are delivered by qualified and highly experienced coaches from Scottish Governing Bodies of Sport and local clubs, aiming to provide opportunities in the local community for the young people in attendance. 

The Celtic FC Foundation ‘Inspiring Sport’ Project has been involved with the event for the last 5 years and we are delighted that their continued support enables the Parasport Events to take place. 

You can:

• Download the application pack here.
• Apply online here.

During the 2016 Parasport Event in Edinburgh, video footage was captured highlighting the aims and potential impact of the event featuring testimonies from young people, parents, club coaches and professional officers.  We hope this footage will prove a useful tool in providing an accurate insight to the event.