Forth Valley Flyers Athletics Club in partnership with Central AC, Forth Valley Disability Sport, Scottish Athletics, Scottish Disability Sport and Clackmannanshire Council hosted an athletics taster session at Lornshill Academy on Sunday 26th September 2021.

Qualified coaches and volunteers led 15 participants through a range of athletics disciplines including runs, jumps and throws.

The session was specially designed for children, young people and adults with physical, sensory and learning difficulties and gave a brief insight into the many events that you can participate in the sport of athletics. “This event brought individuals from the local area together to chat and have fun in a sport and activity that they enjoy. It was a great day and nice to see everyone interacting together and making new friends” – Graham Harvey, Branch Coordinator.

If you would like further information on disability sport classes or clubs which take place in your area please contact:

• Cheryl Lappin (SDS RDM CENTRAL) on cheryl.lappin@scottishdisabilitysport.com, or
• Forth Valley Disability Sport on info@fvds.org.uk or 01786 466486.

Please visit the FVDS website at fvds.org.uk and social media platforms Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for ongoing information.

Lothian Disability Sport work closely with Haddington Bowling Club to offer a taster session, targeting participants with disabilities to provide an opportunity to try lawn bowls at the East Lothian club on Sunday 19th September.

Twelve participants were able to try the sport on the day and they were supported by club members and coaches Billy Mellors, Karen & Colin Dick. In addition to the local coaches, experienced para bowls coach Ron McArthur supported on the day alongside Ian Graham from the Scottish Blind Bowlers of Scotland (VIBS) who was on hand to provide his expertise to the participants with a visual impairment. Further support was provided to the Lothian bowlers by Jacqueline and James Keir who were king enough to travel East to lend a helping hand on the day.

This partnership is looking to develop opportunities for bowlers with disabilities in the East Lothian area, potentially linking with East Lothian Indoor Bowling Club for further inclusive opportunities during the upcoming winter months. Ron McArthur commented on the quality of bowling, stating ‘there was evidence of real potential’ from the players who attended, and we hope this can be developed in the coming months. Both Scottish Disability Sport and Bowls Scotland

The club are planning on hosting another taster session for participants with disabilities this coming Sunday (26th September) between 12noon and 2pm. To register for the event please click here.

If you are interested in accessing this opportunity or would like to find out more then please contact Lothian Disability Sport Development Officer Jack Brodie on admin@lothiandisabilitysport.co.uk or 07885 549173.

BadmintonScotland, Glasgow Disability Sports and Scottish Disability Sport are delighted to announce that we will be hosting the first West Open Disability Badminton Championships on the 2^nd October!

The event will be held at Tollcross from 10am-3pm and will be open to all abilities from ages of 14 and above, with the cost for the overall day being £8 per person. This will be a singles only event which will have a round robin of games along with a knockout format in finals.  

 

SECTIONS:

There will be four sections at the event which are:.

A –          Open Class for Players who use a Wheelchair (WC)

B –          Open Class for Players with an ambulant Physical Disability (PD)

C –          Open Class for Players with a Learning Disability (LD)

D –         Open Class for Short Stature Players (SS)

 

  Secure your place

As a 14 year old schoolboy in Dingwall Academy, Fraser Owen from Marybank in Ross-shire would wonder what it would be like, as any other youngster would, about playing football for his favourite team or taking part in a sport that could elevate him to a higher level. But this was a thing he could only dream about.

Fraser has cerebral palsy and is a quadriplegic, which means he is affected in all his four limbs and his muscle power and movement are restricted to how he can run and move.

Unlike other pupils in his school, Fraser was basically swimming against the tide as opportunities for him to be part of a sporting environment where he could be like any other pupil or sport participant were not easily available.

However, when he got involved with Highland United Football Club (Disability Football Team) playing the sport he loves, it got to a stage as he matured that football was not going to be an option as his disability would not allow him to play as others could.

A chance meeting at his school with an athletics coach paved a way forward for him, and without much persuasion, he decided to give athletics a go. Since then his own grit and determination has taken him to where he is now, and words could not describe his joy at being selected for the British School Games taking place at Loughborough on the weekend of 3rd to 5th September. Fraser will compete in the Ambulant 100mtrs an event he has been training for since joining the Inverness Harriers Para Squad for the last four years. He will also be competing in the relay.

Nothing has phased Fraser about competing against non-disabled athletes and he trains 3 times a week which involves a 45 mile round trip each time. His main competitions take place in England where competes to help further his experience and development. At the recent British Athletics Championships at Bedford Fraser picked up a gold and bronze medal in the 200m and 100m respectively.

Well done on your much deserved selection Fraser.

Our friends at Ability Shetland put on a whole host of fantastic inclusive activity for people with disabilities during the summer break. Our new colleague, Charis Scott, Ability Shetland’s Sports Development Officer, has summed up their successes in the news feature linked below:

Summer Camp 2021 – Shetland

If you have, or know someone who has, a physical, sensory or learning disability who lives in Grampian or Shetland, please contact Alison Shaw on 07828744848 or alison.shaw@scottishdisabilitysport.com to find out more info and to get involved in sport and physical activity.

 

 

 

 

Scottish Disability Sport in partnership with RNIB and Dumfries & Galloway Disability Sport are looking to host an informal chat about sport and physical activity you would like to try or sessions you would like to join in Dumfries & Galloway.

Who for: Adults 18 years + with sight loss living in Dumfries & Galloway

When: Tuesday 14th September 2021, from 11.00-12.00, via Microsoft teams

For more information or any questions please contact:

• James Kyle, email: james.kyle@rnib.org.uk, phone: 07562 170 413
• Lynn Allison, email: lynn.allison@scottishdisabilitysport.com, phone: 07974 448 580
• Laura Vickers, email: laura.vickers@dumgal.gov.uk

Adults must register by 10th September by contacting James on the details above.

On Saturday 19th June we were delighted to host the first event in the West of Scotland since before Covid. This was in the shape of a ‘Come and Try’ Athletics day at Ayrshire Athletics Arena, Kilmarnock, which was ran in partnership with Scottish Athletics and Finding Your Feet. Throughout the day 24 participants attended and took part in a variety of fun activities, all supported by local athletics clubs. The activities participants could try on the day included:

• Track – running, wheelchair racing and frame running
• Throws – shot putt, javelin, discus and club
• Jumps – long jump, standing jump and long push

The feedback has been very positive with everyone attending enjoying being back to activity and looking forward to more things happening again.

Some parents commented saying “it was EXACTLY what we needed” and “my son loved this on Saturday”.

Thanks go to Finding Your Feet, Ayr Seaforth Race Running, North Ayrshire Athletics Club, Kilmarnock Harriers, Red Star and Victoria Park City Athletics Clubs for their help on the day, which was very much appreciated.

There are a couple of more athletics come and try days throughout Scotland, please contact the relevant person for more information:

Perth – Tuesday 20th July @ George Duncan Athletics Arena: Graeme.doig@scottishdisabilitysport.com

Grampian – Saturday 22nd August @ Aberdeen Sports Village: Alison.shaw@scottishdisabilitysport.com

 

We are delighted to announce details for the upcoming Scottish Disability Sport Tayside Parasport Festival 2021

Date:     Wednesday 29^th September 2021
Time:     10.00am – 2.15pm (9.45am arrival and registration)
Venue: Dundee & Angus College, Gardyne Campus, Gardyne Road, Dundee, DD5 1NY

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. The activities selected reflect the strong club structure in the region and the key impact of the event is to provide a multisport opportunity to these pupils, identify talented individuals within specific sports, alongside signposting pupils onto local, regional club programmes and sessions.

We would like to welcome back all pupils who have attended in the past, alongside engaging new pupils to attend for their first experience. Please watch our ‘Get Involved’ video – https://youtu.be/JdkfhV4KwNc  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, Active Schools, Angus, Dundee and Perth & Kinross Disability Sport Branches, Scottish Governing Bodies of Sport along with local club coaches, to offer sessions in badminton, boccia, powerchair football, wheelchair basketball, athletics, Judo, football, bowls and Archery to young people across Tayside.

Booking information

Online application form is available here, with a closing date of Friday 24th September 2021 – https://sds.azolve.com/workbench/public/events?ref=AB5BC65438B5A189680D71DB14D383F60ABA82BB

Alternatively, please contact Graeme Doig for a paper or electronic copy of the information and registration pack.

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

Graeme Doig – SDS Regional Development Manager for Tayside – graeme.doig@scottishdisabilitysport.com / Phone: 07999544549.

Do you live in the Forth Valley area? Would you like to engage in Summer disability sport and physical activity? If so we have lots of opportunities for all ages to get active this summer.

In partnership with Forth Valley Disability Sport branch, our partners and wide range of clubs we have lots on offer this summer across the Forth valley area. Please see all details and booking information attached. We would be delighted to hear from you and see you active this summer!

Central Disability Sport Summer Programm V2

Central SDS Summer Camp 2021 – Promotional Flyer