A partnership focusing on delivering inclusive sport and physical activity in Shetland has taken a step forward following a successful significant funding application.

Ability Shetland, which spearheads the Islands’ efforts to improve the provision and quality of sport and physical activity opportunities for people with disabilities, has been granted a substantial sum of money from the Shetland Charitable Trust. The funding will enable the organisation to employ a full-time Disability Sport Development Officer for up to three years.

The Officer will work to achieve the outcomes of a Disability Sport Development Plan, which has been developed in partnership with Scottish Disability Sport, Shetland Islands Council, Active Schools Shetland, NHS Shetland and sportscotland.

Over the lifecycle of the 3-year plan, it is also hoped that the partnership and Officer will facilitate the formation of an SDS Branch to continue to develop inclusive opportunities in the long-term.

If you, or anyone you know, lives with a physical, sensory or learning disability in Grampian or Shetland & is interested in getting involved in sport, please get in touch with Alison on alison.shaw@scottishdisabilitysport.com or 07828 744 848.

West Lothian’s Neil Atkinson has been chosen to be part of the British Blind Sport (BBS) See My Voice programme.

A national sports leadership programme for young people with a visual impairment, the project will support leaders to develop life skills that will inevitably increase confidence, enhance their employability prospects and ultimately have the potential to change lives.  This will be second cohort and follow an extremely successful inaugural programme where many young people with sight loss were provided with meaningful volunteering opportunities that have helped to equip them with leadership skills and increased confidence.

Atkinson, who is also part of the BBS Youth Advisory Panel (YAP) which acts as a voice for young people with a visual impairment to become more involved with sport in the UK.  As this project develops, BBS hope that the YAP will be in a position to influence a range of sports organisations on how they can operate more inclusively when working with individuals with sight loss.

The current Napier University student’s commitment to developing sporting opportunities and volunteering is undoubted, having acted as a volunteer with Royal National Institution of Blind (RNIB) since the age of 16 using his experience of visual impairment and sport to welcome new members, make them feel comfortable and encourage them to develop and thrive regardless of their level of impairment and experience.  This led to him becoming a Connect Lead with RNIB, a role which has enabled Atkinson to develop particular sporting opportunities in areas where provision is limited across Scotland; for example, partnerships were established and developed with key organisations, including the SDS, SFA, Dundee United Community Trust & Rangers Community Trust, to offer visually impaired football sessions for individuals with varying levels of sight loss.

A keen sportsman, Atkinson currently plays with North West Scorpions and helped the team claim their first British Partially Sighted Futsal League title in 2019 before following this up with a hat trick to help his side win the 2019 FA Cup Final.  Prior to this and despite his visual impairment, Atkinson played mainstream football from a very young age until his early 20’s and is now coaching in youth football in Scotland via the coaching pathway.  Furthermore, a qualified Personal Trainer, Atkinson has used his skills to voluntarily support the SDS Regional Swim Squad with land training sessions.

A significant contribution to the sporting community already, Neil Atkinson will undoubtedly encourage, motivate and inspire many young people with a visual impairment to follow in his footsteps and become involved in sport and physical activity in the future.

If you are interested in finding out more about opportunities in visually impaired sport, please contact SDS Regional Development Manager (East) on 0770 939 3514 or neal.herbert@scottishdisabilitysport.com.

Table Cricket participation is set to sky rocket in Grampian thanks to support from Cricket Scotland and funding from Lord Taverners.

The funding has enabled Cricket Scotland to give participating schools their own table cricket kit & provide virtual training to upskill teaching, support and Active Schools staff with the tools & knowledge to run their own sustainable sessions.

The Grampian programme was piloted in Moray region by Kim McNeill, who worked closely with Cricket Scotland and who developed weekly table cricket and Super 1’s opportunities and competitions for pupils across the local authority area. They were very popular amongst pupils and staff, and requests came in from schools in Aberdeenshire & Aberdeen City to replicate the programme in more schools.

Staff and volunteers from the following schools took part in a pilot virtual learning initiative in November, with a view to introducing the sport to their schools in the New Year: Carronhill; Mile End; Orchard Brae; Mearns Academy; Mackie Academy; Anna Ritchie; Westfield; and St Andrew’s Schools. Table cricket provision is designed to enable those with severe and complex needs to succeed in more sport and physical activity opportunities, whilst pupils with less severe impairments can enjoy the sport through the Super 1’s programme, which will be rolled out in early 2021.

For the first time, we also hope to be able to offer a cricket event as part of the Grampian Schools Disability & ASN Sports Calendar and aim for this to feed in to Cricket Scotland national competitive events.

If you, or anyone you know, lives with a physical, sensory or learning disability in Grampian & is interested in getting involved in sport, please get in touch with Alison on alison.shaw@scottishdisabilitysport.com or 07828 744 848.

A Grampian Para Swimmer has scooped up a title at a national awards programme.

Aberdeen’s Toni Shaw, who swims with University of Aberdeen Performance Swimming, took home the sportscotland Young Sportswoman title at the 2020 Scottish Women in Sport Awards, which were held virtually on the 26^th November.

The award was a well-earned recognition of the effort and dedication Toni has put in over the years, especially in more recent times where she represented Scotland as the youngest team member competing at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. Over the past couple of years, she has also broken a number of Scottish, British and European records, and was part of the world record breaking 4 x 100m medley relay team.

We look forward to seeing Toni continue to progress towards her goal of attending the Tokyo Paralympics, and inspiring newer swimmers and paraswimmers progressing up the pathway.

Well done to Toni!

If you, or anyone you know, lives with a physical, sensory or learning disability in Grampian & is interested in getting involved in sport, please get in touch with Alison on alison.shaw@scottishdisabilitysport.com or 07828 744 848.

Disability Sport Fife is proud of the very talented coaching workforce it can call upon to support and develop its athlete members across a range of sports. One of the most recent additions to the coaching squad is Julie Hogg. Julie came on board initially to lead the Tuesday weekly badminton session at Cowdenbeath Leisure Centre but then became involved in the GOGA in Fife schools session in partnership with Active Schools. Most recently Julie was approached to join the DSF multi sports team at Michael Woods Sports & Leisure Centre and not surprisingly she has comfortably settled into her new role. Not surprisingly Julie is a great favourite with all session participants. Julie is a superb coach whose commitment to inclusive practice is exceptional.

When you read this short bio you will understand why Disability Sport Fife feels privileged to have Julie as a member of its coaching team. Julie was a Junior international and member of the Scottish senior development squad. She was a Midland County player playing in GB Division 1. Among her significant badminton achievements are World corporate winner; Games mixed doubles; Gibraltar Open singles, level doubles, mixed doubles; Senior Open competitions in Scotland; Scottish Master International and National Champion in level doubles and mixed doubles. Such an impressive list of top-quality successes. In addition, Julie reached number 9 ranking in the sport of badminton.

In coaching and management Julie similarly has achieved an enormous amount. Julie was Scotland badminton manager at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi; Achieve 2014 badminton lead Coach at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow; Manager /Coach – World Juniors Thailand, U15 European Juniors, U19 European Juniors, U15 Quadrangular GB. Julie was Manager to senior Scottish team at World Championships, Women and Men’s Team Championships. Finally, Julie was Head Coach for National junior squad, Shetland Island for Island Games and for the Edinburgh Sports Academy.

It was Julie’s late husband Russell who did so much to encourage Disability Sport to prioritise badminton when he was a staff member with Badminton Scotland and then with Scottish Disability Sport. Russell would be delighted to know that Julie is now part of our development team. Para badminton is thriving in Fife under the guidance of DSF coaches Alex Bird and Julie Hogg plus a great team of volunteers and peer mentor volunteers. Julie’s enthusiasm, knowledge of the sport and interest in Disability Sport Fife members have made her an indispensable member of Team Fife within a short period. Thank you, Julie, for your commitment and we look forward to working with you for years to come.

Richard Brickley OBE MBE Chairman DSF (SCIO) Board of Charity Trustees

My 19/20 season started in December 2019 where I represented Scotland in the British Junior Indoor championships where I came in 3^rd place.

I was informed that I only had until April 2020 to submit senior WA720 scores at 70 meters to be considered for the Paralympics in Tokyo 2020. To that end I arranged indoor 70 meter training in an repurposed bus garage with no electricity. I invested in rechargeable LED lights and trained during the day as much as possible. One week before I was due to attend my first qualification event, lockdown was initiated and all competitions were cancelled.  I did not have another chance to compete until after the team was selected.

This was the first year I was competing as a senior and as there is only one Para archery event in the UK, I will only be competing against able bodied archers for the full season. 

With all the archery clubs closed I approached the Local Authority regarding using the red ash hockey field at my former school as an archery range.  After all the risk assessments took place they agreed I could use it at evenings and weekends. It is very hard to stay focused and motivated when you are training alone and have no fixed goals due to COVID-19.  So I approached the local authority again regarding a team training at my range, they agreed as long as I met COVID-19 restrictions.  I created a team of archers I have trained with previously, two who were under 18 and another over 18 that I am in an extended household with. This allowed us to have two targets (a junior and senior) 5 meters away from each and we could train and compete against each other.  It also allowed my coach Lana Needham (Former Commonwealth Scotland Team Head Coach) to coach me over video on WhatsApp.

Team Red Frog was the only archery team operating in Scotland during lockdown.

In August 2020 the restrictions were eased and pilot archery competitions were allowed to take place.

I was selected to compete in 3 of the 5 men’s recurve competitions that took place this season. Just before I was due to compete I was in hospital to get an MRI on my stump, this showed I had fractured the bone in my stump. I was still fit to compete, but it effected my stamina.

In the WAC Open in Surrey I competed against a field of over 80 archers over the weekend including members of the former and current Olympic men’s team.  I ranked 13^th over the full weekend.

In the Archery GB international H2H I was ranked 9^th in a field that consisted of the current British men’s Olympic squad, competitors from Ireland and Australia.

Finally, at the Barnsley Archery Club Double WA720, I ranked 4^th in a field that consisted of the current UK top men’s recurve archer.

As restrictions have been tightened again and the outdoor season has finished, I turned my attentions to how I would be able to train during the indoor season. Again, the restrictions do not allow over 18’s to train together indoors, so I had to find an alternative as the bus garage I used last year has now been demolished. I have secured a sponsorship deal with a local dog grooming company that will allow me to train in their factory unit every evening and weekend as they do not use it during these times.  

My winter training programme will keep me in form for the upcoming outdoor season where I propose to attend the following competitions in 2021.

Name of Competition	Country	Is this a Scottish /British or World Status event?
Archery GB Nation Tour Stage 1	England	World Status Event
Archery GB Nation Tour Stage 2	Scotland	World Status Event
Archery GB Nation Tour Stage 3	England	World Status Event
Archery GB Nation Tour Stage 5/6	England	World Status Event
UK Masters	England	World Status Event
Archery GB Youth Festival	England	World Status Event
Euronations	England	World Status Event
Scottish archery Outdoor championships	Scotland	World Status Event
British Disability Outdoor championships	England	World Status Event
British Indoor championships	England	World Status Event

As always I appreciate the support of SDS and I hope they are satisfied with the effort I have put in over the past year to ensure my current competitive level has been maintained and that I represent Scotland to the best of my abilities.

Cameron Radigan

A Moray athletics club can now offer people with physical disabilities the opportunity to participate in para athletics thanks to the generosity of local businesses.

Elgin Amateur Athletics Club was able to purchase two Petra Racerunning bikes (pedal-less trikes with substantial trunk support), which will enable people with disabilities, such as cerebral palsy and muscular dystrophy, to experience the exhilaration of running fast and to participate fully in the club’s existing athletics sessions. Racerunning is also a discipline of athletics in the Paralympics so the provision of this equipment has opened a door for aspiring performance para athletes.

The purchase of the bikes was only made possible thanks to substantial funding granted by the Gordon & Ena Baxter Foundation, the Adam Family Fund and Grampian Disability Sport.

Anyone interested in getting involved in para athletics should contact Scottish Disability Sport for information and support.

If you, or anyone you know, lives with a physical, sensory or learning disability in Grampian & is interested in getting involved in sport, please get in touch with Alison on alison.shaw@scottishdisabilitysport.com or 07828 744 848.

Keeping our athletes active, engaged and safe throughout the Covid-19 Pandemic.

What we have accomplished so far………..

Zoom Virtual Athletes meetings – regular online sessions took place throughout May, June, July and August. These sessions were setup to engage and support our athletes, families and coaches throughout the lockdown period. Sessions included….treasure hunt, bingo, quiz, Special Olympics and health & wellbeing questions, family fitness, personal motivation and baking session. The sessions allowed the athletes to feel included and valued as part of a group while making a connection with familiar friendly faces whilst gaining physical activity and skills. Positive feedback was received from the athletes and parents / carers.

500 Mile Challenge – on Sunday 26th of July DGDS organised a 500-mile challenge to raise funds for the charity. The challenge involved our athletes, families/carers, coaches and supporters to taking part in an activity that day and log their miles to hopefully we can reach 500 miles!

We saw athletes walk, push, run, cycle, row, paddle and ride their ponies along a few miles close to their home. A total of 35 athletes with their families and 6 coaches took part reaching almost double the 500 miles and totalled 970 miles on the day!!

This challenge allowed athletes to find an activity they enjoy, while raising their physical activity levels and to focus, achieve and succeed by seeing an end result. It also gave them a feeling of being part of a team, thinking about other athletes across the region also taking part on the day.

Our sincere thank you to everyone who donated to our charity, the total raised by everyone involved in the event was a staggering £4,507.53! Due to this success we plan to try to make this an annual event.

Walk Fit Wednesday – D&G Disability Sport organised Walk Fit Wednesday’s, these sessions took place every Wednesday across Dumfries & Galloway and complied with the Scottish Government Guidelines with Covid_19 safety procedures in place. The walks were well attended by athletes and their families / carers and provided a physical activity element while enjoying a social and fun walk around picturesque parks and river walks. The session also included an event from the Scottish Disability Sport Pentathlon including, standing long jump, shuttle run, target throw, speed bounce and 400m run / walk, giving variation every week. Walk Fit were Free of charge and run by volunteer coaches and parents.

Scottish Disability Sport (SDS) Virtual Pentathlon – D&G Disability Sport registered Team D&G in the SDS Virtual Pentathlon. The Virtual Pentathlon took place over five weeks with athletes completing a different challenge each week, full adaptations were offered to allow all athletes to participate and were able to perform the activity anywhere with space.

75 athletes, participants and pupils of all ages took part across D&G with their score count towards the overall D&G score. This challenge was well received by all giving variation and a tool to engage pupils through Physical Education outside lessons (giving the current Covid-19 situation).

All Team D&G results were submitted to SDS who will calculate the individual winners in each classification as well as the overall winners in the Team Trophies. There are two trophies available. There is the Scottish Disability Sport Team Trophy which is calculated by adding the points from the top two performing athletes from each team in classifications 1 – 5. The other trophy is the “Active Together” trophy which adds up all the scores from every athlete in each team (classifications 1 – 6) and the team with the most points will be awarded the trophy. GOOD LUCK TEAM D&G!

Showcase Sunday – D&G Disability Sport recently conducted an evaluation from athletes, parents/carers, coaches and organisations. We were able to utilise the information from the athletes and coaches to create a Showcase Sunday, a weekly Facebook post to showcase their achievements and give followers an insight to what can be achieved at every level. This also helped boost their self-confidence and were proud to get the recognition of all they have achieved.

Fit Fridays – Coaches and volunteers from D&G Disability Sport filmed a short fitness session for athletes and family member to follow to raise their activity level throughout full lockdown. These sessions included boccia, fitness circuit, tennis, multi sports session and table tennis.

Regional sports week – D&G Active Schools and Community Sport team organised a sports week and challenged our athletes and their families to take part in regional school sports week. Videos were posted of our Facebook page on the lead up to give ideas for sports to try at home / in the garden which included adaptations. We had a great response with athletes and families taking to their bikes, wildlife walks, showing their skills at football and egg and spoon and much more. This initiative brought organisations together, to benefit the wider community by increasing their physical activity and improving their health and wellbeing.

Feedback / Comments from Parents & Athletes:

School – Scottish Disability Sport Pentathlon – it was a nice block for the pupils to work through and it gave a focus for lessons when we were still unable to work inside.

Parent – As a parent I really appreciate the activities DGDS has held during Covid. Holding the zoom meetings and arranging weekly walks has really made a difference during these unprecedented times and has given my son something to look forward to and the opportunity to keep in touch with his friends on a regular basis. The weekly walking group has allowed him to continue to exercise and helped towards his health and wellbeing. It is lovely to see him interacting with his friends. Hearing them laugh and seeing the smiles on their faces makes you see the huge benefits the club is doing for individuals by holding these types of activities for their members. The 500-mile challenge again helped him keep fit and gave him the chance to do something a little different – he loved being part of it and we loved seeing what everyone else achieved via Social Media. Thank you DGDS – you really are making a difference at this very difficult time

Athlete – Jack thoughts are – I enjoy the walks as I am getting to be outside and I enjoy the activities during the walk like running about. It means I am meeting my friends again. The zoom calls were brilliant. I looked forward to it every time. 500-mile challenge – I enjoyed doing it and liked the cycling the best.

Parent – James loved getting involved in zoom meetings, as he really missed the football training and seeing his friends. He has really enjoyed the walks in the Crichton meeting up with his friends and teammates. James loved seeing himself on showcase Sunday. He loved hearing all the comments on Facebook. It was great being involved in the 500-mile challenge. Gerald and I took part in it too which encouraged James. Great fundraiser hopefully an annual thing.

Parent – As a parent and support worker I have seen how COVID has impacted people with learning disabilities. My daughter has missed her sports clubs but in being able to participate in zoom meetings, walks and challenges has made a big difference to her in making up for it.

She has thoroughly enjoyed these interactions which has definitely helped her general well-being. This in turn has helped me as her mum too as she has been happier and able to look forward to the meetings etc. The activities have been a great way to keep in touch with friends we hadn’t seen for months!

Parent / Athlete – Courtney said the thing that she enjoys most about DGDS is seeing her friends! She loves being in the company of others – whether virtually or outside. I think that the fundraiser day gave her a personal challenge and the biggest sense of achievement when she completed the 5-mile cycle – it was a great day! Exercising with other DGDS members motivates her and this is important not only for her physical wellbeing but also her social and emotional wellbeing.

Thank you for everything that you do.

Parent / Athlete – When the Zoom meetings were introduced during lockdown Chris’s response was like that of someone winning the lottery! He was delighted to see his friends and coaches. This was like a lifeline for him during the strange times. As things began to open up he was delighted to be able to return to his favourite pastime, golf. When DGDS introduced the 500-mile challenge he chose golf and took up the challenge in his usual ‘modest’ stride! He took great pride in himself contributing to his ‘his teams’ effort to raise funds. Finally, the walks were so much more than walking. For Chris it was seeing his coaches and friends at the same time as having fun with others. Chris says he enjoyed the walks and Zooms best as he got to see his teammates!

As a parent it was wonderful to see Chris react to the events with enthusiasm and to hear him laugh and have banter with others with his peers and coaches. DGDS are an example of being inclusive and recognising those with a disability have a right to be allowed to enjoy their lives and meet with others to have fun in a safe and Covid friendly environment. Well done and thank you to all those involved in the organising of the events.

Future – we will continue with our Walk Fit programme until it is safe for our athletes and coaches to return to clubs, following the Scottish Government Guidelines.

D&G Disability Sport Committee continue to work hard, developing and creating opportunities for our athletes during and beyond Covid-19 pandemic.

Progress has been made in the development of inclusive trampoline opportunities in Moray thanks to a donation of specialist equipment.

Moray Sports Centre took delivery of a gently used Sag Bag kindly donated by John Wills of Banchory Trampoline Club. The equipment is beanbag-like with a wipe-clean surface and provides a safe and secure surface for people with profound disabilities to lie on whilst on the trampoline. Long handles allow the coach to manoeuvre the participant whilst rebounding them on the trampoline bed, enabling people with limited mobility the opportunity to enjoy the thrill, fun and sensory input of jumping on the trampoline.

The Centre is also fortunate to benefit from a Changing Places facility, an inclusive play park with accessible equipment, a well-stocked café and even wheelchair accessible picnic tables so is a fantastic venue for families to enjoy a day out.

We look forward to hopefully being able to offer inclusive trampoline opportunities in the near future!

If you, or anyone you know, lives with a physical, sensory or learning disability in Grampian and is interested in getting involved in sport, please get in touch with Alison on alison.shaw@scottishdisabilitysport.com or 07828 744 848.