Scottish Disability Sport Statement: Independent Investigation
Scottish Disability Sport (SDS) can today, Friday 17th May 2024, confirm an independent investigation has concluded there is no evidence to support the assertion that SDS systematically bullied an athlete or that the athlete was treated in an unfair manner. In total, twenty-six specific allegations going as far back as 2016, were made by a complainant…
The Inspiring Journey of Dr. Julie McElroy in the London Marathon
Dr. Julie McElroy, a woman from Glasgow with cerebral palsy, etched her name in history as she became the first female frame runner to conquer the iconic London Marathon. The marathon, a gruelling 26.2-mile journey through London’s bustling streets, presented physical and mental challenges that tested Julie’s endurance and determination. As a frame runner, Julie…
Nine Scots on British Curling’s World Class Programme
British Curling announced last week their biggest ever cohort of Para athletes to be selected for the World Class Programme 2024-2025 season, and nine Scots made the cut. The 12 strong squad includes five Scottish Paralympians: Hugh Nibloe, Gregor Ewan, Robert McPherson, Gary Smith and Meggan Dawson Farrell, alongside Jo (Joanna) Butterfield, Gary Logan, Charlotte McKenna…
The Power of Pride
By William Moncrieff, Communications Apprentice June is recognised internationally as Pride Month. It provides millions of people worldwide with a platform to raise awareness for the LGBTQ+ community. Lynne Glen, Scottish Disability Sports’ Head of Development and proud member of the LGBTQ+ community, believes that it is incredibly important to have role models in the…
The Impact of Volunteering at SDS Events
By William Moncrieff, Communications Manager The National Senior Learning Disability Swimming Championships took place on Saturday 18th May, with volunteers playing a vital part in the day’s smooth running. sportscotland’s communication theme for the month of June, #VolunteerInSport, has provided the perfect opportunity to highlight all the contributions of volunteers throughout the course of the…
Kinghorn and Sandilands Amongst First 10 Para Athletics Names Announced for Paris 2024 Paralympic Games
Two Scots are among the 10 athletes selected for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games announced by ParalympicsGB today, in the first wave of selection. Following a successful World Para Athletics Championships in Kobe last month, as well as several fine displays by Para athletes in the early stages of the season, ten athletes have been…
Newcomers and Squad Members Unite at Scottish Boccia Event
The National Scottish Boccia Closed Championships took place at The Peak in Stirling on Saturday 15th of July, with 25 athletes competing for the title of Scottish Champion. A development squad was also present on the day, with 12 athletes joining to make it the biggest draw to date. The development draw provided potential classifiable…
SDS Demonstrates Best Practice at the Scottish Student Sport Conference
Scottish Disability Sport (SDS) was delighted to take up an invitation from Scottish Student Sport (SSS) to present at their annual conference. Our West of Scotland Regional Manager, Fraser Kennedy, joined the SSS Inclusion and Culture Coordinator Eilidh Gibson and Lynne Glen, SDS Head of Development, to provide an overview of SDS and their partnership…
ParalympicsGB Announces Boccia Squad for Paris 2024
Three-time Paralympic champion David Smith and reigning world champion Claire Taggart head up a five-strong squad of brilliant British boccia players who will line up for ParalympicsGB at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games this August. Smith – who became Britain’s most decorated boccia player after successfully defending his Paralympic title at the rescheduled Tokyo Games…
Hewett and Reid Equal Grand Slam Doubles Record with Fifth French Open Title
Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid seal 20th Grand Slam doubles title British pair equal overall record of Grand Slam doubles titles won by any partnership Andy Lapthorne finishes runner-up in quad doubles final Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid equalled the overall record for Grand Slam doubles titles won by any one partnership on Saturday…
Fife Disability Sailing Opportunity
Royal Yachting Association Scotland (Scottish Governing Body for forms of boating such as sailing, windsurfing and powerboating) are putting out a last push for our Try Sailing day for people with disabilities or those who may require some additional support at Loch Ore Meadows in Fife on the 9th June. Royal Yachting Association Scotland (RYA Scotland)…
GOGA Tayside Advocating ‘Movement in Medicine’
By William Moncrieff, Communications Apprentice May has been themed “Moving For Mental Health” by sportscotland. This is providing the sporting community with fantastic opportunities to highlight the relationship that physical activity has with improved mental health. Get Out Get Active Tayside (GOGA Tayside), one of Scottish Disability Sports’s (SDS) partners, has been at the forefront of…
Shepherd Supports Scottish Disability Sport’s Boccia Development
Scottish Disability Sport (SDS) receives financial support from Shepherd Chartered Surveyors to further aid boccia development throughout Scotland. The backing from Shepherd will help fund SDS’s ongoing commitment to providing opportunities for people of all abilities, to try and participate in boccia across the country. Ian Fergusson, Senior Partner at Shepherd, said: “We’re delighted to…
A great day had at the National Senior Learning Disability Swimming Championships
By William Moncrieff, Communications Apprentice On Saturday 18th May, Scottish Disability Sport hosted their Senior Learning Disability Swimming Championship at Highlife Highland’s Aquadome facilities, located in the capital of the Highlands. The day saw twelve teams make the trip up north, with a grand total of 121 individuals turning up to compete. The day started…
YPSP Member Grace Attends International Conference
Last week, Grace Jean Lawther from the Scottish Disability Sport Young Persons Sport Panel (SDS YPSP) was invited by sportscotland to attend Enable’s three-day Europe in Action 2024 Conference, held at The University of Strathclyde’s Technology and Innovation Centre in Glasgow. With more than 400 people in attendance at the conference, Grace had the opportunity to…
Four Scots Selected for ParalympicsGB Swimming Team for Paris 2024 Paralympics
Coinciding with 100 days to go to the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, ParalympicsGB named a 26-strong Para swimming team on Monday (21st), including four Scottish athletes. The four Scots that made the team include Stephen Clegg, Toni Shaw, Louis Lawlor and Faye Rogers. Paris 2024 marks a third consecutive Games for Stephen, whereas it’s a…
Get Out Get Active and Green Health Week Aim to Make Physical Activity More Sustainable
By William Moncrieff, Communications Apprentice From the 11th to 18th May the Get Out Get Active (GOGA) Programme is partnering up with Dundee Green Health Week and Dundee Green Health Partners (Dundee GHP). The Green Health Week is a Nature Scot initiative, that has four partnerships across Scotland – Dundee being one – that is…
Successful Start to Boccia Season with Scots Collecting Medals on International Stage
By Emma Logan, Communications Manager The year kicked off with welcoming Northern Ireland to a training camp in February, held at the renowned Inverclyde Sports Centre in Largs. The camp provided the perfect opportunity for players to refine their skills, boost creativity and focus amidst a competitive but friendly environment. Just one month later, some…
New Partnership Boosts Mobility in Sports for Disabled Scots
Edinburgh, 2 May 2024 – Scottish Disability Sport (SDS) and the Motability Scheme have teamed up to make sport more accessible and fun for everyone in Scotland, especially for people with disabilities. The partnership will help showcase the range of disability sports available across the country, providing opportunities for disabled people to access them alongside…
Multisport Clubs Provide Great Opportunities in the Highlands
By William Moncrieff, Communications Apprentice This year, sportscotland has dedicated April to celebrating sport around Scotland, particularly physical activity in rural areas. To coincide with this theme, it is worth shining a spotlight on SDS member branch, Highland Disability Sport (HDS). The HDS branch offers three clubs a week, which give participants a chance to…
World Championships Victory for Scotland
Having seal qualification for the final of the IFCPF World Championships in Salou, Spain, with wins over Northern Ireland, South Korea and Chile, the Scottish CP Football Squad were determined to go one better that their 2022 campaign. The Scots were up against Northern Ireland again in the final and as the teams took to…
Scotland Suffer First Defeat in Spain But Bag Spot in the Final
Game 4: Monday 15th April 2024 Federico Lovascio’s goal 15 minutes from time gave Italy a surprise win over Scotland, giving them a real chance to make the final. Lovascio bundled home after two previous efforts were blocked on the goal line, leading to passionate celebrations on the Italy bench, as players and staff alike…
Scotland Beat Chile 4-1 to Continue Winning Streak
Game 3: Saturday 13th April 2024 Mark Robertson marked his return to Scotland’s starting lineup with a clinical hat-trick, as Scotland defeated Chile 4-1 to confirm their place in the final. In his first Scotland start since August, Scotland’s number seven wasted little time on his return to the starting seven, finding the back of…
Scotland Continue their Winning Ways
IFCPF World Championships 2024, Day 2 – Scotland v South Korea: Three goals apiece for Martin Hickman and Sean Millership propelled Scotland to a 6-2 win over South Korea, maintaining their impeccable record in the tournament. Millership’s first-half goals set up the win, scoring in minutes 15, 21 and 22 in a seven-minute spree, while…
Winning Start for Scots at 2024 IFCPF World Championships
Scotland Start their IFCPF World Championships Campaign with a Win Scotland’s CP Football Squad travelled to Salou, Spain with high hopes of success in their IFCPF World Championships campaign. The Scots had finished as runners-up when they last competed in this competition in Sardinia in 2022 and were keen to go one better this time…
2024: March Review
As we waved goodbye to winter and welcomed spring, March was a jampacked month with plenty to celebrate. Here’s a brief overview of some of those top moments. By Emma Logan, Communications Manager There were a further five Parasport Festivals in March that provided hundreds of children and young people the opportunity to participate in…
Three Crowned at National Schools Boccia Championships
By Jonathan Kennedy On the 20th of March 2024 Scottish Disability Sport hosted the National Schools Boccia Championships for the second time ever. This event allowed every Branch to send athletes in order to compete and have a chance at being crowned, Scottish Schools Boccia Champion. 47 athletes from 11 Branches around Scotland competed for…
Alex Medley on the International Stage
Alex Medley from Perth Eagles Boccia Club competed in his first individual International event from 22nd to 24th March 2024 in Belfast. Alex, who trains with the Tayside regional and Scottish National Development squads, played in the BC2 classification, taking on players from Northern Ireland, England, Wales and Ireland at the Disability Sport NI International…
Successful Day at East of Scotland Parasport Festival
By William Moncrieff, Communications Apprentice The East of Scotland Parasport Festival took place on Tuesday 19th March. It was held at Winchburgh Academy, West Lothian. The festival was organised by Helen Kallow, East of Scotland Regional Development Manager in partnership with many local and national organisations. The day had lots of fantastic opportunities for fun…
2024: February Review
Selection of Top Moments from the Month By Emma Logan, Communications Manager There was plenty of activity happening throughout the shortest month of the year. Here is a quick recap of some of February’s highlights. February saw the start of the Parasport Festivals. The season kicked off in Highland followed by Fife, Orkney and…
10 Different Sports Showcased at Tayside Parasport Festival
By Emma Logan, Communications Manager It was another successful Parasport Festival as Tayside welcomed 57 participants to their event on Wednesday 6th March. Dundee & Angus College hosted the Parasport Festival which saw children and young people participate in nine different sports, including: athletics, judo, fencing, goalball, boccia, badminton, basketball, football and cycling. …
Dumfries & Galloway Parasport Festival 2024
By William Moncrieff, Communications Apprentice The Dumfries and Galloway Parasport Festival took place on Tuesday 27th February. The festival was held in DG1 Leisure complex, where various sports were being provided with fantastic opportunities to participate in; Swimming, Judo, Boccia and Pickleball. SDS’s Dumfries and Galloway Regional Development Manager, Dianne Campbell, along with branch…
West of Scotland Delivers Sold Out Parasport Festival
By Emma Logan, Communications Manager Over one hundred children attended the West of Scotland’s Parasport Festival, which took place at On-X Linwood on Monday 4th March. It was the second highest number of participants to ever attend a Parasport Festival in the West of Scotland. Participants got to try a diverse variety of sports: athletics,…
XXV Sportswear Support SDS Staff with New Kit
XXV Sportswear is thrilled to announce their latest collaboration with Scottish Disability Sport (SDS). This partnership is uniquely tailored to provide high-quality sportswear for the dedicated staff at SDS, the Scottish governing and co-coordinating body of all sports for people of all ages and abilities with a physical, sensory or learning disability. SDS plays a…
Scottish Boccia Host Northern Ireland at First Camp of the Year
By Boccia Coach, Peter McGuire. At the weekend (23rd – 25th February) Scottish boccia held our first camp of the year, alongside Northern Ireland at Inverclyde sports centre in Largs. From arriving on the Friday until departing on Sunday, performance and spirits were high amongst the athletes. We had six coaches from both nations supporting…
Elizabeth Lochhead Appointed New Senior Administrator
Scottish Disability Sport (SDS) welcomed Elizabeth Lochhead as the new senior administrator, in late January. By William Moncrieff, Communications Apprentice Elizabeth comes with a wealth of knowledge, having previous worked in administration at Forestry and Land Scotland. She first became aware of the opportunity at SDS through former SDS employee Sharon MacDowell, who encouraged her…
Fife’s First Parasport Festival Proves Huge Success
By Emma Logan, Communications Manager Disability Sport Fife welcomed 48 participants to their first ever Parasport Festival, on Thursday 22nd February. The event allowed for children and young people with a physical, vision and hearing impairment to try boccia, athletics, swimming, basketball, football, badminton, paddle sports (canoe, kayak), cricket, tennis and water skiing before rounding off…
Free Muscular Dystrophy Scottish Conference in Stirling
Join MDUK’s Scottish Conference for adults and parents of children living with a muscle wasting condition. Hear from experts to help you live well and our own team who’ll be updating you on the advice and support services we offer. You’ll also have the opportunity to talk to other organisations working in the muscle wasting…
Parasport Festival Provided Pathway to the International Stage
Aspiring Paralympian, Kayleigh Haggo, shares the significant role Parasport festivals had on her sporting journey. By William Moncrieff, Communications Apprentice Kayleigh Haggo is an elite Para athlete that has competed on the international stage in both Para athletics (RaceRunning) and boccia. With World and European titles in RaceRunning under her belt, she’s now hoping to…
A Celebration of Radio
By William Moncrieff, Communications Apprentice On World Radio Day (13th February) SDS celebrates the essential service that radio stations provide globally, particularly to the blind and partially sighted community. One of these fantastic radio stations is The Royal National Institute of the Blind (RNIB) and their station Connect radio (RNIB Connect). They explain that: “RNIB…
Largs Hosted YPSP Residential
By Grace | Member of the 2023-2026 Young Persons Sport Panel This past weekend (10th – 11th February) was the first residential for the 2023-2026 YPSP (Young Persons Sport Panel) cohort. In this day and age, with so many online meetings, it was also one of the first times many of us had met in-person. The…
Highland Parasport Festival Proves Huge Success
By William Moncrieff, Communications Apprentice The Highland Parasport Festival took place on Saturday 3rd February in the Craig Maclean Leisure Centre, Grantown-on-Spey. The event provided children and young people the opportunity to try a wide variety of sports including boccia, wheelchair basketball and swimming. Highland’s regional development manager, Kathryn Talbot-Heigh, organised the Parasport Festival –…
2024: January Review
A Quick Recap of some of January’s Highlights By Emma Logan, Communications Manager It is time for January to bow out, as February waits in the wings. Here’s a quick recap of some of January’s top moments. Sport – There was a lot to cheer about in January as sporting events took off. …
New Staff: Jonathan Kennedy Joins SDS
Scottish Disability Sport’s (SDS) newly appointed Boccia Development Officer, Jonathan Kennedy, is eager to further develop boccia in Scotland to help promote and increase equal opportunities in sport. By William Moncrieff, Communications Manager Kennedy joined SDS in November last year and since then, he has been busy working with clubs and coaches throughout the…
Alfie Hewett, Gordon Reid and Andy Lapthorne Add to Australian Open Grand Slam Title Haul
By LTA | Tennis for Britain Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid won their fifth successive Australian Open men’s wheelchair doubles title on Friday (26th) as Andy Lapthorne completed another tremendous day for British wheelchair tennis and players supported by the LTA’s Elite Wheelchair Programme as he partnered the USA’s David Wagner to their fifth Australian…
Education to Combat Hate Speech
With the annual increase of hate crimes towards people with a disability, UNESCO advocates “learning for lasting peace”. By Emma Logan | Communications Manager On International Day of Education, Scottish Disability Sport (SDS) joins UNESCO in their campaign for “learning for lasting peace”, dedicating this year’s global day to highlighting the crucial role education plays in…
Helen Kallow Appointed East’s Regional Development Manager
Kallow is striving to get more people active throughout 2024. New Scottish Disability Sport (SDS) team member comes with years of experience and fresh ideas. By William Moncrieff, Communications Apprentice Helen Kallow joined the SDS team in September of 2023, taking up the role of East Regional Manager which covers the areas of Edinburgh, Lothian…
British Curling Launches First Female Focused Para Recruitment Campaign
With less than two years to go until the next Winter Paralympics in Milan Cortina 2026, British Curling have launched its first ever Paralympic Recruitment Campaign focusing solely on female recruitment UK wide. ‘Female Focus’ is part of the ongoing Paralympic Recruitment Campaign: ‘It’s Time to Deliver – Push Yourself’. This follows the Beijing 2022…
British Blind Sport Hosting Multi-Sport ‘Have a Go’ Day
A free multi-sports day dedicated to blind and partially sighted people comes to Glasgow’s Emirates Arena this month. The UK’s leading sporting charity for blind and partially sighted people, British Blind Sport, is hosting a ‘Have A Go’ Day at Glasgow’s Emirates Arena on Saturday, January 27 between 10am and 3pm where visitors can…
Parasport Festivals: 2024 Dates Announced
Scottish Disability Sport has released the dates and locations of several Parasport Festivals taking place within the first quarter of 2024. The Parasport Festivals provide a fun, inclusive and safe environment for young people at a mainstream school with either a physical, hearing or visual impairment to participate and try new sports. By Emma Logan,…
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