Project SEARCH aims to prepare young job-seekers with additional support needs, aged between 16-29, for full-time, competitive employment.

Working hours are Monday to Friday, 9am-4pm from August to June. The young people take part in three work experience placemenets and gain a nationally recognised qualification.

Final application deadline: Monday 12 June 2017 at midday.

Apply online on City of Edinburgh Council’s website. Any questions? Contact 0131 529 3139 or project.search@edinburgh.gov.uk.

ClimbScotland will be running a climbing festival on the 17^th June at Edinburgh International Climbing Arena, which will include Paraclimbing elements including free come and try sessions!

We are keen to get the word out to as many people as possible about this event.

All the info on the event can be viewed on our website: http://www.climbscotland.net/what%60s-happening/what%60s-on/climbscotland-festival-2017.

 

Competing in his third Virgin Money London Mini Marathon, Callum Sloan from Dunfermline recorded 00:21:25 in the under 14 boys wheelchair race. Coach Pamela Robson reckons this was a personal best time by over three minutes. Just reward for the many hours of training on the track and on the roads in the past year.

The young Queen Anne HS pupil trains at Pitreavie as part of the Disability Sport Fife weekly programme of run, push, jump and throws sessions, attended by athletes of all levels of ability with a disability. Distance training practice is held on the roads, parks and proms in Fife for the teenage T53 wheelchair athete.

Callum was in London with members of his family and coach Pamela. As well as being a personal best time this year, Callum recorded his highest age group finishing position of 5^th. Another very special performance by a very talented Fife athlete. Well done Callum and congratulations.

Richard Brickley MBE
President, Disability Sport Fife

Orianne Slater, a 15 year old disability gymnast with COAG (City of Aberdeen Gymnastics Club), is back and what a month this has been…!!! She competed at the 2017 Scottish Artistic Championships on March 4th-5th (Bells Sport Centre in Perth) and at the 2017 Gymnastics British Championships on March 24th-26th (Echo Arena in Liverpool).

Orianne competed in the Disability category in a Masters style event, where Junior and Senior gymnasts of the

same gender compete against each other (some of the competitors were over 20 yrs old).

Having suffered knee and hip pains related to her condition (Perthes’ disease) for the past 2 months, she hadn’t been able to practice her routines as much as usual and her performance was consequently affected. However, her performance was strong and her achievements on individual apparatus were of a good standard!

Results:

• At the Scottish Championships, Orianne retained her 2016 titles of Champion on Floor and Vault, and got Silver on Asymmetric Bars, and Bronze on Balance Beam.
• At the British Championships, Orianne again retained her 2016 title of Champion on Asymmetric Bars and added Silver on Floor, and Bronze on Vault.

Orianne’s parents especially wish to thank to her coach, Lorna Presly, for being so flexible in adapting training, routines and expectations.

Scottish Disability Sport (SDS) in partnership with scottishathletics held their annual National Sportshall Athletics Event at Grangemouth Sports Complex on Thursday 2^nd March. Teams competed from all over Scotland at this event which is specifically designed as an entry level competition to introduce participants to the sport of athletics in an indoor sports hall environment. All the activities are adapted, accessible versions of athletic activities and allow participants with a disability the opportunity to make their first moves into further athletics involvement.

The teams represented on the day were:

• Dumfries & Galloway
• Fife
• Forth Valley
• Lothian
• Perth & Kinross
• Renfrewshire
• South Lanarkshire

Congratulations to the Forth Valley team for a fine performance in winning the trophy, beating last year’s champions Fife into second place by only one point which reversed the finishing positions of 2016, with Dumfries & Galloway finishing third in their highest placing for a number of years.

To encourage all youngsters with a disability to try out athletics in a safe and dynamic environment this event continues to be provided at no cost to the teams and SDS and scottishathletics remain determined to ensure youngsters with a disability are able to access inclusive athletics with many active sessions and clubs throughout the SDS branches and regions.

Finally, a big thanks to all our volunteers who ensured the event was a success. Students from West Lothian College – who had all received training from SDS and scottishathletics prior to the event – were joined by athletes from Forth Valley Flyers in encouraging the youngsters to some brilliant individual and collective performances.

Photo: Forth Valley celebrate their win.

Series 3 of the 2017 East Cross Country Series was held at the Beveridge Park in Kirkcaldy. The event was organised by Disability Sport Fife (DSF) and Fife AC on behalf of Scottish Disability Sport and Scottish Athletics. Fife AC provided the officials and Kirkcaldy HS a team of Sports Leaders to assist with the running of the event. Kirkcaldy Rugby Club provided access to their pavilion.

Over 90 Fife athletes with additional support needs registered along with 20 from Lothian and 1 from Perth. The schools from Fife involved were Rosslyn, Levenmouth Academy, Madras College, Bell Baxter HS, Balwearie HS, Lochgelly HS and Woodmill HS. The schools from Lothian were Cedarbank, Pilrig Park and Redhall School. Kilgraston represented the Perth area. Fife AC members were the only club athletes who took part.

The shortest distance event on the programme was 500 metres and Mathew Graham (Redhall), Joy Hutchison (Levenmouth Academy), Shay Dowie (Madras Coll) Eilidia Lennox (Bell Baxter HS) and Jack Wilson (Balwearie HS) were the section winners.

Winners of the 1K girls races were Freya Howgate (Kilgraston), Sophie Coughlin S1(Bell Baxter HS), Jenna Richardson S2 (Madras College), Mari Davidson S2 (Levenmouth Academy), Megan Wilson S3 (Woodmill HS), Chloe Hutchison S4/S5/S6 (Madras College) Fiona Knowles S4/S5/S6 (Madras College), and Kerry Kotlewski S4/S5/S6 (Bell Baxter HS). Sophie Coghlin from Bell Baxter HS recored the fastest girls 1K time of the day – 7.46.

Over 40 boys lined up for the 1 K races. Winners of the boys races were Stephen Davies S1 (Lochgelly HS), Edwin Barron S2 (Woodmill HS), Connor Brown S3 (Woodmill HS), Nathan Lee S3 (Madras College, Dylon McKay S3 (Levenmouth Academy) and Kyle McGrandles S4/S5/S6 (Cedarbank. Dylon McKay from Levenmouth Academy ran the fastest 1k time of the day – 5.47.

17 athletes entered for 2K races and there were six individual sections. The race winners were Hanna Stewart S1/S2 (Madras College), Abbie Steggles S4/S5/S6 (Dunfermline HS), Louise Harley S4/S5/S6 (Lochgelly HS), Leo Henry S1/S2/S3 (Levenmouth Academy), Steven Stone S4/S5/S6 (Pilrig Park) and Ryan Spearman (Fife AC). Abbie Steggles from Dunfermline HS was the fastest girl in a time of 11.51 and Steven Stone from Pilrig Park was the fastest boy over 2K in 8.04.

There was a small entry in the 3K races with the Scottish Champion Owen Miller from Fife AC recording the fastest overall time in winning the senior men’s race – 8.34. The other race winners were Allan Wilson S2 from Levenmouth Academy and Richard Allan S4/S5/S6 also from Levenmouth Academy.

Well done to all the participants who head to Peffermill in Edinburgh for the final race in the East Cross Country Series next month. Thanks again to Steve Doig, Melville Scobie, Frank McLaren and all the other Fife AC officials who played such a major part in the event.

Photo: Madras College

Richard Brickley MBE – President Disability Sport Fife

There is no doubt that Sammi Kinghorn can reflect on many fine performances in 2016 which saw her compete in her first Paralympics and more recently, win a title in her home patch of the Scottish Borders amongst other successes.

The 10km Scottish Championships for Wheelchair Racing took place in Jedburgh in October and there was a fine performance by Paralympian, Sammi Kinghorn.

The Borders athlete took four minutes off her personal best to complete the course in 22.00 minutes and set a new Scottish Record and British Best for the 10K distance.

In fact, Sammi’s performance is the best by Scot – male or female – for Wheelchair 10K. Congratulations to Sammi, her family and her coach Ian Mirfin MBE.

With weather conditions fine, 11 racers from all over the UK competed and there were 10 personal bests recorded alongside the strong performance by Sammi.

Sammi’s fellow ParalympicsGB teammate Simon Lawson won the Men’s race in 20.27 with Mark Telford the first Scot home in 22.03. Promising Dumfries & Galloway racer Sean Frame was fifth in 24.35 (2^nd Scot) and the West of Scotland youngster Kyle Brotherton was seventh in a commendable 28.36 (third Scot).

Kinghorn won by two seconds from Jade Jones in a thrilling finish with Yasmin Somers in third.

The race has been renamed in honour of its founder, Jed Renilson, who sadly passed away last year and thanks to representatives from the Scottish Borders Disability Sport Group and the organising committee for their efforts in maintaining the high level of competition that Jed had ensured in his tenure.

Derek Rae from Kirkcaldy and Fife Athletic Club had to pull out of the marathon at the Paralympic Games in Rio because of the weather conditions on the day of the event. Derek started strongly but was overwhelmed by the extreme conditions in Rio and had to withdraw at 18.5 miles. It was important that he raced as soon as he returned home and this is exactly what he has done.

Derek was rewarded with a 10 second personal best time of 71.46 and an overall finishing position of 27th in the Bank of Scotland Great Scottish half marathon in Glasgow. The sense of relief and achievement was there for all to see as he crossed the line and checked his watch.

Derek plans to take a short break now and then sit down with coach Ron Morrison to plan a strategy that will help him secure selection for the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games and any other Team GB selections in the intervening years.

Following the half marathon Derek headed with wife Susan to the Scottish Disability Sport Branch Conference in Stirling where he spent 30 minutes telling the assembled delegates about his recent amazing journey as a high performance athlete. Following a major road traffic accident in 2010 and a Brachial plexus injury, Derek picked himself up and committed totally to road racing with Anster Haddies Running Club and then Fife Athletic Club and Disability Sport Fife.

Derek stressed in his presentation the importance of family and friends and of course the enormous support he has received from the sporting community in Fife and Scottish and British Athletics and the Scottish Institute of Sport.

Richard Brickley MBE
President, Disability Sport Fife