Tag: disabled

16/12/2024

Job Opportunity: Head of Business Operations at Scottish Rowing

JOB OPPORTUNITY: Scottish Rowing are looking for a Head of Business Operations.

Closing Date: 5th January 2025
Salary: £40,000 – £43,000 FTE (subject to experience)
Contract Type: Part-time (0.6 FTE)
Permanent Location: Hybrid (Office based at Scottish Rowing Centre, 366 Hamilton Road, Strathclyde Park, Motherwell, ML1 3ED)

Application Pack: available here.

About Scottish Rowing
Scottish Rowing is the Governing Body for rowing in Scotland. Our vision is a successful and thriving rowing community and our mission is to support and empower people in Scotland to enjoy rowing and achieve their potential.

Since 2022, Scottish Rowing has gone through an exciting period of significant change with the introduction of a new Olympic discipline, the expansion of the performance programme and a specific focus on extending the reach of the sport into non-traditional rowing communities.
We are about to undertake our next strategic review – setting the direction for Scottish Rowing for 2026-29 and beyond – and are seeking a Head of Business Operations to join the Senior Leadership Team and lead on key matters of organisational health and with the aim to improve
business effectiveness.

Scottish Rowing currently employs a team of 13 staff with the organisation based at the Scottish Rowing Centre – its own dedicated training facility and office space at Strathclyde Country Park, near Motherwell. The Head of Business Operations will be responsible to the Chief Executive Officer and will oversee the business operations of the organisation including governance and compliance, support for the CEO, Chair and Board, office management including HR, membership systems, corporate planning and reporting, and risk management.

As this is a new role within the organisation, we are looking for an individual with experience in setting up business systems and processes with a strong focus on efficiency and a passion for continuous improvement. This will be a unique and exciting opportunity to help shape
the future of one of Scotland’s leading Olympic sports.

29/11/2024

The Motability Scheme Making the Power of Sport and Boccia Possible

By William Moncrieff, Communications Coordinator

For Avril Starmore, moving to Shetland was a decision based on being closer to family. Then, she found boccia. She had no idea the impact boccia would have on her life.

Avril moved to Shetland from Dunfermline. This move wasn’t always plain sailing though, the lack of public transport and the rural nature of the island presented difficulties when trying to get out and into the community.

Avril was a Motability Scheme user, which proved to be an essential part when finding her love for boccia and the wider Shetland community.

“The car helps me get to boccia clubs, there is a ramp built in that I go up with my wheelchair then I can transfer onto the driver’s seat. If I didn’t have that I wouldn’t be able to get out.” Avril explained.

She went on to say, “If I didn’t have a Motability car there is no way I would get out into the community and clubs.”

Avril found out about boccia through Ability Shetland: “I came to Shetland three and a half years ago, I started going to a few of Ability Shetland’s clubs and I started volunteering with them just over a year ago.”

Now that Avril has been involved with boccia and dedicating her time to the sport she has decided to progress forward with her coaching.

“I’ve recently done the boccia leaders course and now I am learning to become a boccia coach”, she said.

This has led to Avril being a key member of the Ability Shetland delivery and volunteer team. “I’ve been going out to show boccia at various schools, day centres and clubs.”

Avril still uses many of Ability Shetland’s clubs. “I still go every Friday night to play, and then I go out through the week to deliver.”

Avril really enjoys being part of a team, but more so she loves getting to introduce people to the sport of boccia. “The way their faces light up when they manage to do something”, is her favorite thing about volunteering.

Making sessions fun and entertaining is something that Avril tries to always put at the forefront of her deliveries. “They keep thinking that I’m glueing the balls to the cones throughout the sessions, to challenge them to knock them off, they keep saying, ‘you’ve glued them on’, but I haven’t.” She joked.

Now Avril wants as many people to gain the benefits of boccia. “It’s about getting the word out about boccia. Up here a lot of people hadn’t heard about it until a short while ago, I know that I hadn’t heard of it until I moved here”, she said. This is a task she views as being possible.

“Last year we went to Dundee to play, there were loads of players and clubs down there it was great.”

This love and commitment that Avril has shown towards the sport of boccia throughout Shetland has led to her being nominated for an Eric Liddell Award. She went on to win the award for her dedication to the sport which has seen her deliver to over 100 school pupils in the last year alone. The enthusiasm she has for the sport is known to be contagious, and sure to be a contributing factor in many more people taking up the sport.

If you would be interested in finding out more about boccia you can contact SDS’s Boccia Development Manager at:

jonathan.kennedy@scottishdisabilitysport.com.

If you would like to try volunteering, please contact your Regional Development Manager.

31/07/2024

YPSP Member Shares Their Summer Camp Experience

By Dana Brand, Young Person’s Sport Panel member

At the start of July, I had the pleasure of volunteering at the annual SDS Summer Camp at Badaguish. As this was something completely out of my comfort zone, I really couldn’t have predicated how amazing this experience would be.

Volunteers arrived the day before participants. Everyone was incredibly welcoming, and we all got stuck in to preparing for the week ahead. Later that evening, we had a rundown of the weeks plans before a lovely dinner and heading to bed!

Bright and breezy on the Wednesday morning, chef Andy prepared a lovely cooked breaky before a jam-packed day of amazing activities! I had the joy of standing in the pouring rain with Gillian to welcome parents and their children to the camp. After everyone arrived, we jumped straight into a hearty lunch of pizza and pasta. Campers were then divided into three teams: red, blue and green.

LET’S GO BLUE TEAM!

Our afternoon started with some athletics, tennis and curling. Blue team thoroughly enjoyed their time curling. This activity was also a first for me and it quickly became one of my favourites! We then all got ready and put on our waterproofs to head to Loch Insh for water sports and archery, followed by a lovely evening dinner! Blue team started off with water sports where everyone got the choice of kayaking, canoeing or paddleboarding. I joined in and got in a kayak for the very first time too and it was an amazing experience. By the time our session for water sports had finished, some of the kids were in the water swimming and I was soaked from being splashed so many times! We then got dried off and changed before tucking into a yummy dinner – I went for a veggie burger followed by some delicious sticky toffee pudding.

After dinner we had our last activity of the day, archery. It was wonderful to see the kids all helping each other, with adaptations being made to ensure everyone could participate. Having group members with a sight impairment taught the kids to use their words and guide their fellow campers for each activity, which really brought the group together!

We then headed back to the camp. As it was quite late, we went straight to our lodges and got cosy before enjoying some tasty hot chocolate before bed. We had an absolutely amazing first day, and everyone seemed to gel really well together.

Day two started with an early rise to get breakfast and lunch prepared in our lodge. Campers were encouraged to be independent and help each other, and the girls in my lodge did exactly that! We then set out to meet everyone else and split into our teams. The morning began with some boccia, goalball and football. It was great to see the children find activities that they really enjoyed and try so many new sports!

We then travelled to Glenmore Lodge where we ate our packed lunches before setting of on our expedition to the Green Loch. Not only was this challenging for the kids, but it was also challenging for me. With such busy days of activities, I was in a lot of pain however seeing the motivation from all the kids and the sheer determination shown from the campers was a big help in keeping me going too. Everyone worked so well as a team, making sure we all made it to the beautiful Green Loch and I couldn’t be prouder of my team.

After completing our expedition, everyone returned to Badaguish Outdoor Centre and tucked into some well-deserved dinner of fajitas or macaroni! We then had a fun filled evening enjoying an array of activities across the lodges from nail painting and hair art to uno and karaoke, there was something for everyone!

Our last day of camp started with an early rise. We had breakfast in our lodges before packing up to head home that afternoon. Back in our teams we had the chance to try out some cycling with some amazing adaptable bikes. This was definitely one of the top activities of the week with everyone having massive smiles across their faces. This was followed by the famous camp De Courcy games, the final team activity before the announcement of the John De Courcy Trophy! This involved the team listening closely and working together to complete a series of obstacle courses in a limited time.

Before announcing the winners of this years camp, parents joined their kids for a tasty camp BBQ. After everyone was fed, we gathered to announce this year’s camp winners, BLUE TEAM!!! To be part of the winning team for my first camp volunteering was the cherry on the cake. What an amazing week with some truly amazing kids – this experience couldn’t have been any better.