Tag: scottish disability sport

27/12/2024

Boccia 2024 Recap: A Year of Sport

By William Moncrieff, Communications Coordinator

What a year it has been for boccia across Scotland. Throughout the year, events, partnership working and sponsorships along with new playing opportunities and developing clubs have all played a factor in increasing the interest in this rising sport.

EVENTS

Scottish Disability Sport (SDS) would like to thank all coaches, volunteers, officials and athletes for the role that they have played in the event schedule this year. It would not have been possible without their ongoing support.

SCOTTISH SCHOOLS CHAMPIONSHIPS

The national events calendar kicked off on March 20th, with the Scottish Schools Championship. The event went well and there was no drop in the number of entries from the inaugural championship (in 2023). It was a great day at The Peak, Stirling, with branches being able to showcase their talent and put forward the same representation as previous years.

Across the day there was some great boccia on display, with athletes keen to come up trumps in all classifications. Starting with athletes with an Assistive Device, gold went to Sophia Walsh, silver to Ellie MacLaren and bronze to Logan Millar. In the athletes with a Learning Disability classification, gold went to Eleanor Little, silver to Scott Chafey and bronze being won by Kate Burton. In the final classification, athletes with a Physical Disability, Layla McCloskey came out on top to take the gold medal, followed by Emma McManamon with silver and bronze going to James O’Brien.

SCOTTISH OPEN

Next up was the Scottish Open, which took place on the 5th October. It was a great championship with athletes from all over Scotland coming together to showcase their respective boccia abilities.

In the BC2, Perth and Kinross’s Alex Medley came out victorious, winning gold. Kayleigh Brown (nee Haggo) finished second and bronze was awarded to Lewis McConnell.

In the BC3, gold went to Paralympics GB’s Patrick Wilson and Meredith Greenwood. In second place and picking up the silver prize was the duo of Ross MacNeil and Stewart MacNeil.

In the BC4, gold went to Paralympic champion Stephen McGuire. Silver was won by Tyler McLelland with bronze going to Fiona Muirhead

The Open had a Development Draw which acted as a further opportunity to develop young talent across Scotland. The event also enabled up-and-coming athletes to experience a national tournament, which gave them valuable exposure.

In the Development Draw, the Physical Disability Competition gold went to James O’Brien, silver to Murrin Widley and bronze being won by Layla McCloskey.

In the Development Draw, Assistive Device Competition, gold went to Zac Cameron and Kevin Davidson, silver to Ellie McLaren and Lisa Mclaren, and finishing in bronze was Caoimhe Potter and Katie Macmillan.

SDS NATIONAL NON BISFED SCOTTISH OPEN

Next up was the SDS National Non BISFed Scottish Open. The event took place on October 26th, with athletes from Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland competing.

Starting in the athletes who use an assistive device competition the Scotts had a strong Showing, with Ross & Stewart MacNeil winning gold with Becky and Fiona Tyler winning the silver.  The junior athletes with a physical disability winner was Oliver Hastings from England with silver going to Emma McManamon and bronze to James O’Brien.

Next up was the Senior athletes with a physical disability. The winner was Duncan McIntyre, silver was won by Connor Dixon.

The female Learning disability Champion was Sarah Digby, with silver going to Zoe Irving and bronze won by Casey Wilson. The event finished with the male learning disability competition. The champion being Hayden Keir, silver going to Jordan Shepherd and the bronze medal going to Jean Pierre Cossigny.

UK CHAMPIONSHIPS

On the 15th of November the UK Championships began. Taking place at the renowned facilities owned by Sportscotland at Largs, Inverclyde. It was a great championships with 39 players arriving on the west coast of Scotland in a bid to come out victorious. The day had 7 Scottish athletes. With Paralympic trio winning medals. Winning BC3 Gold was Patrick Wilson. Finishing on top in the BC4 and taking home Gold was Stephen McGuire. Kayleigh Brown had another strong compitition and finished Silver in the BC2.

BOCCIA DEVELOPMENT DAY

The Inaugural Invitational Boccia Development Day took place on the 30th of November. This day saw five of Scotland’s up and coming athletes being invited along to learn from two of Scotland’s most prolific boccia coaches from the national set up. The day served a purpose of getting young athletes and providing them with an opportunity to develop their skills and abilities, with a possibility that this will result in the athletes being able to continue along the national performance pathway.

PARIS 2024 PARALYMPICS

The Paralympics took place from the 28th August to 5th September. Three Scots were selected to represent ParalympicsGB: Kayleigh Brown, Patrick (Paddy) Wilson and Stephen McGuire.

What a Paralympics this was, with Kayleigh Brown achieving her childhood dream and becoming the Paralympian she always wanted to be. Kayleigh put in a really strong showing throughout the group stages and was defeated in the Individual BC2 quarter finals, 8 – 2 by Gischa Zayana. In the BC1/2 team competition Kayleigh Brown was joined by Claire Taggart and David Smith. The team had a good run to take them through to the quarter finals. Despite being down early in the match the trio battled back to take the game down to a nail-biting finish where they were beaten by the BC1/2 Indonesian team in a 7 – 7 tie break.

Paddy Wilson qualified for the Paralympics through a bipartite slot. Paddy put in an impressive showing in the group stages to finish in second place. However, Paddy was defeated in the quarter finals despite a strong performance, going down 4 – 1 to Damien Iskrzycki.

It will be hard to forget about BC4 athlete, Stephen McGuire’s tournament. From qualifying through a bipartite slot, to being the first Scottish athlete to win a Paralympic medal in boccia. A dream he has waited 20 years to fulfill.

Stephen wasn’t the only McGuire making waves out in Paris with brother Peter commentating in the BC4 final, giving all the McGuires a moment to look back on with pride.

NATIONAL BOCCIA DAY

National Boccia day took place on 27th of September. The day saw each home nation pick their own theme to engage the boccia community. SDS chose to raise the topic of communities. Boccia plays a vital role in growing and connecting communities, from friendships to support networks. Throughout the day, SDS member branches, clubs, athletes, volunteers and officials all showed how the community of boccia has impacted them.

SPONSORSHIP AND PARTNERSHIP

In 2024, Scottish boccia had a first by receiving financial support from Shepherd Chartered Surveyors. This was provided to support further 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.

Throughout 2024, SDS have continued to work with Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland. The organisation has worked hard to develop the sport of boccia within their network to ensure that more individuals can continue to gain the psychological and physiological benefits of boccia. Currently the organisation has got over 300 regular participants playing boccia in their bases, with 20 boccia sessions being delivered within their peer groups.

SDS made decent progress in 2024, in the education sector. Working alongside the Scottish Qualification Authority (SQA), updates were made to the list of activities in which young people can assessed as part of their PE qualifications at National 3 through to Advanced Higher level in school.

This has resulted in school pupils throughout the 2024 -25 school year being able to have their performance assessed in Paralympic sports such as boccia, goalball and other wheelchair, powerchair and Parasport activities.

CLUBS AND OPPORTUNITIES

In 2024 Forth Vally Right on Target boccia club were made an associate member club of SDS. This was due to the club continuing to provide a service that is up to date with relevant legislations, policies and procedures. Furthermore, the club committed to continually meeting SDS’s minimum operating requirements.

Throughout 2024 SDS has received feedback from organisations, about the rising popularity of boccia. This can be seen by the work that Scottish Student Sport have put into developing a strong playing base; with boccia being their fifth most popular sport in 2024, with 181 sessions and over 2000 participants taking part across their associated Universities and Colleges.

The popularity, interest and demand for boccia has continued to grow throughout 2024. The 2023-2024 boccia audit showed that there is currently 39 opportunities to get involved in boccia. These opportunities are found within 18 local authorities across Scotland.

If you would be interested in finding out more about these opportunities, you can do so by reaching out to your Regional Development Manager. This manager will be able to provide you with information on local opportunities to get involved as a volunteer, coach, official or player.

Alternatively, you can contact SDS’s Boccia Development Officer, Jonathan Kennedy by email: jonathan.kennedy@scottishdisabilitysport.com

Make sure to stay uptodate on all opportunities throughout Scotland, by following Scottish Disability Sport on Facebook, X and Instagram, as well as on the SDS website.

22/12/2024

Moving to LGBTIQ Inclusion at LEAP Sports Conference

Blog by Hollie Fullerton, SDS YPSP Administrator

On the 30^th of October I was absolutely delighted to attend the 2024 LEAP Sports Conference in Stirling on behalf of Scottish Disability Sport and the Young Persons Sport Panel. LEAP Sports Scotland is a charity dedicated to improving inclusion in sports for all LGBTIQ+ people living in Scotland and breaking down the barriers that queer people face in sports. The acronym ‘LEAP’ represents: Leadership, Equality and Active Participation in Sports. At its core, LEAP’s values greatly align with Scottish Disability Sport, because both organisations want to make sport a better place for those who often experience discrimination, exclusion, and barriers to participation in sport. I have been following LEAP’s work closely since I took part in one of training courses on inclusive sport. They hold a conference every two years, so when the opportunity came up through the panel to attend this conference, I was so excited to be able to go!

The conference was kicked off by Hannah Bardell, who then introduced Maree Todd, the Scottish Minister for Social Care, Mental Wellbeing and Sport. After this, the first panel began, focused on lived experience of LGBTIQ+ sport, and entitled ‘Our Community, Our voice’. The speakers included: Colin Arthur, Atlas Martin, Osman, Reuben Jarvis, and Carolina Sousa E Sa. It was a great way to begin the day, giving insight into their very varied experiences with sport and how each had supported other LGBTIA+ individuals to get involved in physical activity. I took away the key message that at its core, sport should be for enjoyment and socialisation through exercise, and so we should really focus on participation over segregation.

The next talk was my favourite of the day, entitled: ‘Breaking down the fear and the barriers’ by Dr. Sheree Bekker and Professor Stephen Mumford, known for their work on the Feminist Sport Lab. They discussed the ways in which sport is historically and structurally patriarchal and explored how equity can be achieved through restorative justice. They concluded that sport must be entirely reconstructed with new values and ethics in order to build a better future for all athletes. You can read more about their work on their site: https://www.feministsportlab.com/

The next talk came from Fergus Guppy who had studied transgender athletes in order to better understand their unique physiology. This work was so interesting to hear about as there is very little scientific data available on transgender athletes, so having more will help future researchers draw more accurate conclusions, as well as allowing key decision makers in sport to be better informed when they are creating inclusive policy.

There were many workshops to choose from, and I got to hear about the great work going on at Scottish Paddle, Scottish Curling, and Live Active Sport in Perth and Kinross. All three organisations mentioned their inclusive offerings, so if you’re interested in getting out on the water, hitting the ice rink, or trying out Floorball with the Perth Parrots, I would definitely recommend them all!

After a delicious lunch from the Stirling Court Hotel, we then heard from Paralympian Robyn Love who is on the GBR Wheelchair Basketball team. I was especially excited to hear all about Robyn’s time at the Paris 2024 Paralympics, having been there myself to watch the thrilling final between the Netherlands and the USA – This was my first time watching Wheelchair basketball live and such an amazing match to witness! Robyn was very funny and personable, answering questions and talking about her experiences leading up to the games with Hannah Bardell. What I hadn’t expected from Robyn’s talk was how eloquently she explored the barriers to sport for parents, discussing how even at such an elite level, it can be very hard to juggle parenting with training – having recently welcomed a new child with her partner Laurie Williams who is also on the same GBR wheelchair basketball team! Their story was so special to hear about and I can’t wait to see what comes next, especially with wheelchair basketball set to feature in Glasgow’s 2026 Commonwealth Games. I just hope I can get tickets!!

The afternoon continued with talks on LBTI+ Women in Sport, followed by speaker Michele Mommi from the EGLSF, before the best panel of the day (not that I am biased!) titled Visible and Proud. This panel discussion included out and proud members of the sports development community, including Alex Johnston, Amy McDonald, Keith MacLeod, Cara Shearer, and SDS’s own Head of Development: Lynne Glen. Hearing such experienced and established members of the sports community talk about the importance of belonging in our environments was very powerful. Lynne made a great contribution relating to tackling funding silos, and how all organisations should have the same core visions of making all sports environments inclusive, accessible, and welcoming places to be.

The final panel of the day answered the question: ‘Moving to LGBTIQ+ Inclusion: How is it Going?’ and featured speakers Lou Englefield, Jess Williams, Macolm Dingwall-Smith, and Hugh Torrance. This panel left me with two key takeaways from the day: don’t be afraid to challenge existing barriers, and focus on participation over regulation.

In conclusion, there was a fantastic range of talks, workshops, and panels on during the day, and I am so grateful to SDS for enabling me to attend this professional learning event. I gained great insight into the current discourse surrounding LGBTIQ+ inclusion in sport and what actions we can take to break down the barriers to accessing equitable sport and physical activity for all. This was actually the first ever professional conference I have attended, and I hope any future events are as welcoming, inclusive and accessible as the LEAP 2024 conference was!

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.

30/11/2024

Gemma Lumsdaine on High Performance and Active Representation

By William Moncrieff, Communications Coordinator

For Gemma Lumsdaine performing at the highest level has always been a goal. That is what made it even more special when she got a phone call from her coach to let her know that she was going to be part of the Great Britain Women’s Wheelchair Rugby team.

“I was crying down the phone to the coach, just so much happiness about the whole thing and obviously pride as well. I’ve always wanted to represent Great Britain since I’ve been very young, it’s always been a goal of mine.”

Gemma found out that she would be representing Great Britain in wheelchair rugby at the Women’s Cup three weeks ago. This was the second time that she would be representing the home nations after she contributed to the team winning the same tournament last year, which will provide a further bit of pressure for the team. With the clock ticking down to the tournament kicking off in early December, Gemma has been hearing lots from family and friends.

“Yeah, everyone has been really excited around me, you know when you’re an athlete it’s not just you that is getting selected or goes through the highs and lows, it’s your family, your friends, your coaching team, we just experience everything together. I think they are just really excited for me to get out there and be with the women and retain our title from last year hopefully.” Gemma explained.

She is equally as excited and proud to be there and represent Scotland, saying: “It’s just me, I am the only Scot in the team, so I am flying the flag, everyone else is English so I am flying the flag for the Celts.”

With wheelchair rugby being a predominantly mixed gender sport there isn’t always the same opportunities to provide young disabled women with active representation. This is something that Gemma is really excited for.

“I’m also really passionate about getting women and girls into sport, especially disabled women and the intersectionality of it. I think it’s really important and special in many ways”, s said.

Having this representation is something that Gemma is really passionate about and something that she views as being paramount: “Of course it’s about you know, pushing yourself and achieving my goals, but it’s bigger than that, it’s about actually showing young disabled women who are struggling with their identity or not sure if they are sporty, not sure of what they can achieve with their disability, but showing they can.”

Over the coming years Gemma is keen to continue along the performance pathway. “Ultimately my goal is and has been to compete at the highest level, for example the Paralympics is the highest level, equally there is the Worlds and Europeans (championships), and that is a longer-term goal that I am setting my sights on.”

“It’s a long journey, these things don’t come over night, there are setbacks and highs and lows, it’s working towards being the best athlete I can be.”

If you have enjoyed hearing Gemma’s story and are keen to find out what sporting opportunities are available near to you, so you can start on your own journey in disability sport, contact your Regional Development Manager. SDS would like to wish Gemma the very best of luck in France.

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.

18/11/2024

Two Scottish Champions Crowned and a Silver Medal at the UK Boccia Championships

By William Moncrieff, Communications Coordinator

Sunday the 17th of November saw the UK Boccia Championships conclude. The final day of the tournament had some fantastic boccia on display, with 39 players representing Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland battling it out for medals.

The seven strong Scottish squad featured in the BC2, BC3 and BC4 tournaments. Here is how they got on, on Sunday.

Paul McIntyre (Forth Valley) took on Penny Froude in the BC4 playoff. After a closely fought match Penny came out victorious, defeating Paul 3 -2. Paul returned later on in the day in the 5th/6th place play off against fellow Scot, Tyler McLelland. It was an extremely close match, going to a tiebreak. Paul went on to win the tie break seeing him finish in 5th place overall (4-4)

Tyler McLelland (Fife) kicked off his final day taking on Louis Saunders in the BC4 playoff. Narrowly losing 3-2, Tyler ended up finishing in 6th place in the BC4 after a hard fought match in the playoff.

The day continued on for the McIntyre brothers with Scott taking on Jayne Milligan in the BC4 7th/8th place playoff. Unfortunately, Scott lost 7-8 in a close game, the Forth Valley boccia player will be returning home with an 8th place in the BC4.

Alex Medley from Perth and Kinross won his final match of the week, 6 – 4 to see him cap off his championship with a 7th place finish in the BC2.

Ayrshire’s Kayleigh Brown (nee Haggo) won her first match of the day against James Clowes (7-1) to advance through to the BC2 final, against Reshad Saraj.

It was an intense final with the last ball deciding the medals. Reshad took the gold with Kayleigh settling for silver.

Fellow Paris 2024 Paralympians – Patrick Wilson and Stephen McGuire – put on a cracking show in the BC3 and BC4 finals.

After success in the semifinal (beating Sally Kidson 4-3), Paddy faced William Arnott in the BC3 final. As expected, it was a closely contested game but the Scot put in a stellar performance to bag his second UK Championship title of his career.

After a 10 – 1 win over Penny Froude, Stephen faced Sophie Newnham in his final. Sophie made the Paralympic champion work hard in the BC4 final which proved to be yet another, very close and riveting face-off which came down to the last balls of play. A bit of luck was on Stephen’s side as he took the title, 3-2.

Many thanks to all the athletes, assistants, coaches, officials, volunteers that made the Championships such a huge success.

SDS would also like to say a huge thank you to all the event sponsors: Associated Seafoods Ltd, BioMar Ltd, Blackadders LLP, Blacks Haulage Solutions Ltd, Cefetra Ltd, Glenarm Organic Salmon, Inverlussa Marine Services, Loch Duart Ltd, LCL Shipping Ltd and Mowi Scotland. Without you, the UK Boccia Championships would not have been possible.

If you missed the championships or would be interested in catching up on some of the action, you can watch the livestream from court three: day one and day two.

16/11/2024

Day 1 Review: UK Boccia Championships 2024

The Scots put on a good show on the opening day of the UK Boccia Championships

Day one of the UK Boccia Championships got off to a great start, with the Scottish contingency racking up several wins in the pool stages.

Here’s an overview of how the seven Scots got on –

BC2

Kayleigh Brown 1 – 3 v Luke Walsh, 6 – 5 v Jason Rolph, 6 – 1 v Tomas Martin.

Alex Medley 2 – 7 James Clowes, 11 – 1 v Sian Jones, 0 – 11 v Reshad Seraj

BC3

Patrick Wilson 8 – 4 v Mark Roderick, 3 –3 v Lee Croker (tiebreak).

BC4

Stephen McGuire 17 – 0 v Harrison Smith, 19 – 0 Lewis Crawford, 7 – 2 v Tyler McLelland.

Tyler McLelland 8 – 2 Lewis Crawford,10 – 1 v Harrison Smith.

Paul McIntyre 2 – 4 Louis Saunders, 10 – 0 Scott McIntyre.

Scott McIntyre 0 – 4 v Louis Saunders.

The competition will resume on Sunday 17th November, with play-off games followed by semifinals, finals A and B.

You can follow the action live on the SDS website via the live results page and livestream (available Sunday morning), as well as seeing behind-the-scenes content posted across the SDS social media accounts (Facebook, Instagram and X).

Useful documents –

UK Boccia Championships 2024 Competition Guide

Saturday 16th November 2024 schedule.

Sunday 17th November 2024 schedule.

To view the Live Scoring document click here.

15/11/2024

Scotland Host UK Boccia Championships at Prestigious Inverclyde Venue

Scotland welcomes the best of British boccia for the UK Championships this weekend (16-17 November), at sportscotland’s national training centre in Inverclyde.

For Paralympic gold medallist, Stephen McGuire (BC4, Hamilton), it is the first time competing since his golden moment at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games in the summer. The world number one will be looking to continue his winning ways on home soil.

“The UK Championships is the showcase event in our domestic calendar. I’m super excited to be competing, especially in Scotland”, said Stephen.

He continued to say: “It’s always great to see the development of athletes coming through to challenge us athletes on the World Class Programme. Last year’s UK Championships saw all Talent Transition Squad athletes reach the podium. This demonstrates excellent depth within the UK and we will all need to perform well to reach the podium once again.”

Fellow Paralympians Kayleigh Brown (nee Haggo, BC2, Ayrshire) and Patrick Wilson (BC3, Lothian) will also be in action on the courts, joined by Scots Tyler McLelland (BC4, Fife), Alex Medley (BC2, Perth and Kinross) and brothers Scott and Paul McIntyre (BC4, Forth Valley).

The Minister for Social Care, Mental Wellbeing and Sport, Maree Todd MSP, visited Inverclyde on Friday (15th) to offer her best wishes to Scottish Disability Sport (SDS) ahead of competition starting on Saturday morning, as well as fitting in a quick game of boccia with Stephen.

Stephen McGuire and Maree Todd playing a boccia game at Inverclyde — Maree Todd MSP enjoying a game of boccia with Paralympian Stephen McGuire

The Minister expressed her great admiration for the sport and highlighted the impact that boccia can have in communities across Scotland.

“Boccia is the most amazing sport. It’s really inclusive and accessible”, said Ms Todd.

“Boccia provides an opportunity for everyone. Everyone can join in with boccia, that’s part of the beauty. But for some of our people who have complex disabilities, there are real challenges getting involved in physical activities. So it [boccia] is a competitive sport that is open to everyone.”

The Minister also praised Inverclyde as being a premier accessible venue in the UK, that prides itself being the first UK residential sports centre of its kind – designed for inclusivity.

“It’s absolutely vital. Without accessible venues these competitions can’t happen. There’s no hassle in this venue and it is really welcoming to absolutely everyone who wants to play sport. And it shows with a little bit of thought and a little bit of planning, a little bit of work with the community, what can be achieved and I want more of that all over Scotland. All over the UK, so that all of our athletes can have the chance to compete”, said Maree Todd MSP.

Kayleigh Brown – who recently just got married to sports assistant Kevin – also returns to the court following her Paralympic debut in Paris:

“It’s been really busy since Paris – we got married, we’ve been on honeymoon and we have moved house – so I haven’t been able to train much but I’m really looking forward to this weekend. It’s always a great competition which brings the four nations together and gives me the opportunity to compete for Scotland. It’s brilliant to see a high number of entries and I’m sure it’ll be fun.”

Whilst the UK Championships is the first event of the 2028 Paralympic cycle, with some athletes’ sights set on LA 2028, the championships provides a fantastic opportunity for Scotland to showcase the best of boccia.

You can follow the action live on the SDS website via the live results page and livestream (link available soon), as well as seeing behind-the-scenes content posted across the SDS social media accounts (Facebook, Instagram and X).

29/10/2024

The Positive Impact and Support Network Carers Provide

By William Moncrieff, Communications Co-ordinator

Sport means something different for everyone that participates. For Innes Martin, sport gives him an opportunity to socialise and express himself. Innes is a 33-year-old boccia player from Perth and Kinross, with cerebral palsy and a learning disability. He receives support from a dedicated group of carers in and out with sport.

Innes has now been playing boccia for around 14 years. This is something that wouldn’t be possible without the support of his carers and family. Innes attends two boccia sessions a week, accompanied by a carer.

“They [carers] help me throw the ball and once I’ve thrown it, they pick it up. I wouldn’t be able to play boccia without the support of my carers”, said Innes.

Aran, one of Innes’ carers commented: “We try to give him as little support as he needs. Mainly we fetch and reach things for him, as that is the hardest part, but we aim to give him the independence to do it himself.”

Although Innes and his carers see sport as a great opportunity to develop independence, the social element plays a large part for Innes. “Sport is a great opportunity for Innes to get out and become more social”, said Aran.

Innes added to this, saying: “Without sport I would be stuck, stuck without any friends.”

Joining Innes at his regular boccia sessions has allowed the carers to become quite invested in his boccia development. Some have even got involved: “Sometimes I join in, it’s good fun. We can go against each other or be a team, we tend to push each other”, said Aran.

Innes’s carers have always enjoyed going with him to boccia and seeing him grow and develop. Aran said: “When he leaves [the boccia sessions], he’s happy and proud, it’s a boost in confidence. It’s really nice to see him do well.”

There have been many learnings throughout the Martin family’s journey. Consequently, they started Strathern Building Bridges. This charity that they set up is to, “promote integration throughout their community”, Wilma (Innes’ mother) said.

One way they achieve this, “was through getting our members involved in sporting opportunities”said Wilma.

SDS’ Regional Development Manager for the Perth and Kinross area, Graeme Doig, is heavily involved with the charity. He said, “I’ve known Innes and his carers for a number of years, initially through boccia and then through the work I do with Strathearn Building Bridges to help bring disability sport opportunities to rural Perthshire. Throughout this journey, his carers have been instrumental in supporting him to attend, enjoy and progress in a variety of sports and meet new people. Their encouraging and supportive approach has benefited Innes to get and stay active through sport and physical activity.”

The charity hosts many other groups including social clubs and groups that are designed to develop independence and living skills.

“We also run a session on a Monday night which a lot of Innes’ friends who have a learning disability attend”, Wilma added.

There are lots of opportunities to get involved in sport and physical activity throughout Perth and Kinross. More information about the sessions offered at the Strathearn Building Bridges can be found here.

To find out more about how you can get active in your local area, contact your Regional Development Manager.

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24/10/2024

Fin Graham: On His Quest for Gold in Paris

By Lauren Cameron

For Fin Graham, 2024 will surely be a year to remember, following an outstanding performance in the Men’s C1-3 road race at the Paris Paralympics, earning him his first Paralympic gold medal.

A rising star in Para sport, Fin’s tremendous performance in both road and track cycling events at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games captivated audiences around the world.

On September 7th, the Scot delivered a remarkable ride that saw him upgrade his Tokyo silver to gold, topping the men’s C1-3 road race podium and bringing Great Britain’s cycling medal tally to 22 on the final day of competition in Paris.

In the nail-biting final, the 24-year-old outsprinted host-nation favourites Thomas Peyroton-Dartet and Alexandre Leaute (FRA) for a maiden Paralympic title, crossing the finish line with an impressive time of 1:43:19. Despite being outnumbered, his well-timed sprint in the final kilometer of the 71km route secured his place at the top of the podium.

Having already secured two world titles and earned a silver medal at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, this year’s gold win marks a pivotal moment in the athlete’s career, adding to his already impressive résumé.

Describing the win, the Highland athlete said: “It is the pinnacle of our sport… Paralympic gold, nothing compares to it. That’s what we work towards every four years, to be able to come away with that is amazing.”

The Scottish-born C3 athlete says he has always known what he wanted to do and has dreamed of becoming a professional cyclist since his school years.

“I think I’ve always had that drive. When I know what I want to do I’m able to kind of set my mind to it.”

“To have it all pay off, it’s something else.”

Born with bilateral clubfoot, he has never let his condition limit his success. His passion for Para cycling has been a driving force throughout his journey to success as a Paralympian. Through remarkable strength and unfaltering determination, he has built an impressive career and become a role model for aspiring Para athletes. Fin’s success at this years Games in Paris is a testament to his exceptional skill, dedication and resilience.

Returning to his home in Strathpeffer, the Highland athlete has brought with him two medals; a silver for the 3000m individual pursuit and gold for the men’s road race.

Reflecting on this year’s sporting success in Paris, he said: “Any medal at a Paralympics is an amazing achievement but you’re constantly driving for that gold medal, so to come away in the last event with the gold medal, it means so much.”

“It’s so special to cross a line with your hands in the air and celebrate with the team afterwards.”

Earlier in the Games, the Scot also took home a silver after facing off against ParalympicsGB teammate, Jaco van Gass, in the men’s C3 3000m individual pursuit, finishing four seconds off the golden time.

Despite successfuly breaking the world record for the individual pursuit earlier in the heats with a time of 3:17:14, defending champion Van Gass regained his world record just mintues later in the following heat.

While th Paris 2024 Paralympics has come to a close, it seems that Fin Graham’s gold medal victory is only the beginning of an already impressive career. With his sights set on future competitions, he shows no signs of slowing down.

The Scottish athlete leaves Paris as a true champion, embodying the spirit of the Paralympics and empowering athletes and fans around the world.

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