Tag: scottish disability sport

29/08/2024

Boccia Begins on Day 1 of the Paralympics in Paris

Day one sees two wins out of three matches for Scotland’s Boccia athletes.

By Bethany Lee

Two Scottish athletes have won their first individual Boccia matches of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.

Patrick Wilson and Stephen McGuire were victorious today in Paris whilst Kayleigh Haggo was met with defeat against the current world number three ranked player (BC2).

Edinburgh’s own Patrick Wilson started off the Scottish wins with victory against ParalympicsGB teammate William Arnott, in the men’s individual BC3 Pool game.

Patrick took a drastic lead in the third end with a series of powerful shots obtaining four points.

William fought back in the last end but it was too little too late, as Patrick closed the game with a 5-3 win.

The ParalympicsGB teammates showed comradery and Arnott congratulated Wilson on his victory.

Patrick said: “It was a difficult match but I got through it. It was important to get through it. It’s always a bit awkward to play against a teammate but we did it in the right way. I’m excited to get out there and try to get my second win. I’ve got to be good to do that.”

More success came later in the afternoon with a dominant display by Stephen McGuire in the men’s individual BC4. The Lanarkshire pro dominated his game against Malaysia’s Abdul Razzaq Abdul Rahman with a stunning final score of 8-0.

The win for Stephen takes his international winning tally to 17 out of the previous 18 international matches.

The women’s individual BC2 Pool C game concluded Scotland’s outing on day one, with Aryshire’s Kayleigh Haggo taking to the court.

After years of success as a frame runner, Kayleigh joined the boccia world in 2022 and made her international debut last year.

For her first Paralympic match, she faced Korea’s Soyeong Jeong, number one in the world in the women’s BC2. Despite facing such a mighty opponent, Kayleigh took a one-point lead before losing out to Jeong by 3-1.

Tomorrow brings another packed day for the Scottish athletes with all three facing new opponents and challenges.

The Paris 2024 Paralympics runs from the 28^th August – 8^th September. You can follow all the action and find out how the 21 Scottish Para athletes get on by following Scottish Disability Sport on Facebook, X and Instagram .

You can catch all the action on Channel 4. More information here.

29/08/2024

Paris 2024 Paralympics: Day 1 Review

Day one in Paris did not disappoint.

The Scots were in action in Para swimming, boccia, wheelchair basketball, Para cycling (track), Para table tennis and Para archery.

First up was Toni Shaw who swam a great heat to secure her spot in the final of the women’s 400m freestyle S9 with a time of 4:53.38. It was a highly competitive race where the swimmer from Aberdeen found herself in a five-way battle for bronze.

Turning seventh at the 250m mark, Toni put in one of the fastest last 50m splits in the field, touching home with a time of 4:48.44 for fifth place. Despite being off the medals, her performance was faster than her bronze medal winning swim at last year’s World Championships.

Robyn Love and Jodie Waite got their Paralympic campaign off to a terrific start with a convincing win in the women’s wheelchair basketball Preliminary Round against Spain, winning 69-34.

Robyn – who’s competing at her third Paralympic Games in Paris – said: “In these group stages, you can’t get too high or too low but I’m so proud of the squad and how we performed”.

Compared to the last Paralympics where no spectators were allowed, Paris is proving to be quite special for Robyn, with her young daughter in the crowd.

“She’s like a little good luck charm and emotional support baby for the squad and she’s definitely part of the team. The first thing I did when I came out was look for her. Whenever I see her face it makes me relaxed because I know that whatever I do, she doesn’t care about the result she’s here to watch her mummies and see her mummies and I went and had a little cuddle with her afterwards”, said Robyn.

Winning ways continued in the boccia with Patrick Wilson (BC3) and Stephen McGuire (BC4 v Abdul Razzaq Abdul Rahman, MAS) taking their opening pool matches in the individual events, 5-3 and 8-0 respectively.

Following his win against fellow ParalympicsGB teammate, William Arnott, Patrick said: “It was a difficult match but I got through it. It was important to get through it. It’s always a bit awkward to play against a teammate but we did it in the right way. I’m excited to get out there and try to get my second win. I’ve got to be good to do that.”

It wasn’t to be for Kayleigh Haggo though, who suffered a defeat to the number three seed Soyeong Jeong (KOR). She lost 3-1 in the women’s individual BC2.

In the men’s B 4000m individual Pursuit (track cycling), Neil Fachie and pilot Matthew Rotherham finished in 13th, clocking a time of 5:33.212 in the qualification round. They’ll next be in action on Sunday 1st, in the men’s B 1000m Time Trial qualification.

Meanwhile in the Para table tennis, debutant Martin Perry coupled with Will Bayley in the men’s doubles MD14, advance to the next round after a 3-0 win over Germany’s Thomas Rau and Bjoern Schnake.

Martin valued having such an experienced partner to play alongside, saying after the match: “To have Will next to me, filling me with that confidence and knowing that he believes in me, meant that after that I felt like I was standing ten feet tall. We fought for every ball and we played some good stuff. To finally get a match at the Paralympic Games means so much to me.”

The final Scot in action on day one was Nathan Macqueen in the men’s Individual Compound Open. Nathan put in a strong performance to finish sixth with a season’s best score of 696, to take him though to tomorrow’s (30th) round of 16 where he will face Slovakia’s Martin Doric.

Looking ahead to tomorrow he said: “It’s the biggest crowd that any of us have shot in front of. It’s going to be pretty special. And to have the family out there is going to be pretty cool. I’m just going to go and do my best.”

The Paris 2024 Paralympics runs from the 28th August – 8th September. You can follow all the action and find out how the 21 Scottish Para athletes get on by following Scottish Disability Sport on Facebook, X and Instagram, as well as on the SDS website. You can catch all the action on Channel 4. More information here.

27/08/2024

Faye Rogers is Ready to Take on Paris

“Going to the Paralympic Games is just insane and I am so excited.” – Faye Rogers is ready for her Paralympic Games debut at Paris 2024.

By William Moncrieff

The 21-year-old Para swimmer – who studies at the University of Aberdeen – will be competing in the women’s 100m Butterfly S10, 100m freestyle S10, 400m freestyle S10 and the 200m individual medley SM10 in Paris.

Faye first found out that she was going to become a Paralympian after the Para swimming trials in April. She was nervous immediately after as she felt unwell and wasn’t completely happy with her performance. However, she got selected and was over the moon to get the news.

“It was so exciting to get that confirmation through,” said Faye.

“I just want to go and be my best, make all of that hard work pay off.”

Faye took up Para swimming after a serious car crash left her with life changing injuries. When looking back over the journey she has been on, Faye is incredibly proud with how she reacted.

“I am quite proud of myself for sticking with it and getting to this point”, said Faye, who has been swimming since aged nine.

She continued to say: “As much as my journey in swimming hasn’t looked as I expected it to look as a child, I am still just really proud of myself where I’ve got to.”

“I didn’t dare to dream about the Paralympics until a year and a half ago,” said Faye.

“Following my accident and impairment I didn’t know whether I would be good enough.” Faye made the Paralympics a goal of hers after trials for the World Championships in 2023. It was here that she realised her potential in the sport and consequently, she gave herself a pep talk: “I’ve got a year to work and get myself selected.”

Adding: “That was the point that it became a goal rather than a dream.”

Just a day out from the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Paralympics, Faye has had time to reflect on her journey as an athlete.

“I think having that goal and having that to aim for and work for has been pretty much the only thing that has got me through the last three years. Having a serious accident and being told that you aren’t going to be able to do something that you have done all your life, something you love, is really hard.”

She continued to say, “I think having in the back of my mind there is the Paralympics and I can achieve everything that I wanted to achieve was sort of life changing.”

All of the best of luck in Paris, Faye!

Make sure to follow the action live on Channel 4 and keep up-to-date by following SDS on Facebook, X and Instagram. More information and the competition schedule is available on the SDS website.

23/08/2024

Paralympian Martin Perry Credits SDS Summer Camp for Introducing Him to Table Tennis

By William Moncrieff, Communications Apprentice

“To say that I am a Paralympian it means so much to me that I genuinely struggle putting it into words.” – Martin Perry’s Paralympic dream has come true.

Martin Perry is a 30-year-old Para table tennis player who’s just days away from competing at his debut Paralympics Games, representing ParalympicsGB.

Martin was born with Congenital Limb Loss and Deformity, resulting in him having no hands and one leg – this means that he competes in Para table tennis as a class 6 singles player and a class 14 doubles player.

Martin was first introduced to table tennis at Scottish Disability Sport’s Summer Camp. “I hadn’t even encountered the sport before [SDS summer camp]. We strapped the bat to my right forearm with velcro and a tea towel and I just loved it.”

Today, Martin plays with a specially made bat which has a grip that can be molded onto his arm.

Martin still can’t quite believe that he is now a Paralympian and will shortly be representing ParalympicsGB in Paris. “It’s hard to put into words. I picked up the bat for the first time when I was 15, so that’s literally half my life now.”

“To say that I am a Paralympian it means so much to me that I genuinely struggle putting it into words.”

“I remember the ball bouncing past my opponent and hitting the floor, I looked at my coach and said ‘I’m in’. I’m finally so proud to call myself a Paralympian”, said Martin.

With the Paralympic Games being held in Paris, it provides an amazing opportunity for athletes representing ParalympicsGB to compete in front of their family and friends.

“To be in Paris, it’s the closest I imagine I will get to having a home Games”, said Martin.

“To have my family, my wife, my daughter, my friends, my teammates and everyone at Drumchapel table tennis club coming along, it’s just going to mean so much to me as they have all played a big part in getting me to this point. To share that moment with them is just going to be so special.”

Although Martin is incredibly proud to be a representative of ParalympicsGB, he is the only Scottish athlete in the table tennis squad. This offers a unique opportunity to also represent Scotland on the International stage. “It’s an amazing feeling, it fills me with such pride because I am the only Scottish table tennis representative at the Olympics and Paralympics in the modern Paralympic era”, Martin said.

Once he had confirmation that he’d qualified for the Paralympics, many emotional phonecalls were made including to his wife, Siobhan, and his coach from Drumchapel.

“Sport allows me to not feel disabled, it allows me to feel that I can achieve anything and do anything”, Martin said.

“It’s really changed my life. Table tennis has really shaped me and helped me become who I am today. I’m very grateful for the opportunity that sport has given me.”

He continued to say: “I had no idea I could become a Paralympian. Chasing a little white ball around a table, but I have done it and it’s been an amazing journey.”

The Paralympic Games runs from 28th August to 8th September.

Martin will begin his Paralympic campaign on Thursday 29th August with the Men’s Doubles MD14, Round of 16. You can view the full schedule here.

15/08/2024

Charity hosts free Scottish Disability Sports Event for children living with muscle wasting conditions

Muscular Dystrophy UK and Scottish Disability Sport join forces to host a free Scottish sporting event on Saturday 24 August 2024.

The leading charity for more than 110,000 children and adults in the UK living with one of over 60 muscle wasting and weakening conditions is calling on people in Scotland to join the free session.

The event will give children aged under 18 living with muscle wasting and weakening conditions the opportunity to try different sporting activities, such as curling, powerchair football, boccia and swimming.

Children will be fully supported with adaptations, so they can enjoy playing sports, learning new skills, and meeting other children living with a muscle wasting and weakening condition.

There will be an opportunity for people to speak with Scottish Boccia, Powerchair Football Players and representative from Scottish Swimming on the day. Special thanks to Scottish Curling and SPFA for providing equipment.

Paralympian Stephen McGuire, 40, from Hamilton, Glasgow, lives with merosin-deficient congenital muscular dystrophy. From the age of 14 Stephen has used a power wheelchair and has been part of the GB squad for 20 years. He is due to compete in his fourth Paralympian games in Paris (28 Aug – 8 Sept) following his appearances at London, Rio and Tokyo.

He said: “It has always been a dream of mine to compete at the Paralympics, so to be able to compete at my fourth one is incredible. I love competing in sport – sport is my passion. I’ve been hooked ever since, as it’s given me a purpose. The sport is really inclusive, you can play Boccia from school level to regional or national level, so I would encourage everyone to give it a try.

“That’s why the Scottish Disability Sport Event is important to help children explore different sports to build up their confidence and abilities. I had the opportunity to speak and demonstrate at some of the events. It’s joyous to see the younger generation getting involved and potentially witness upcoming future Paralympians.”

Jacqueline Munro, Head of Regional Support, Outreach, and Information said: “We’re delighted to have partnered with Scottish Disability Sport once again to offer children aged under 18 the opportunity to try different sporting activities. It’s a great opportunity for families to meet others in the muscle wasting and weakening community in Scotland to engage in a fun filled day and find out how Muscular Dystrophy UK can offer support.”

Scottish Disability Sport is the Scottish governing and co-coordinating body of all sports for people of all ages and abilities with a physical, sensory or learning disability.

Joshua Thomson, Events Manager for Scottish Disability Sport said: “Scottish Disability Sport is delighted to be working in partnership with Muscular Dystrophy UK to provide a unique opportunity for children and young people living with muscle wasting conditions. All of the sports are being delivered by coaches from Scottish Governing Bodies with expertise and knowledge in working with people with muscular dystrophy and similar conditions.”

The event will take place between 12.45pm– 4.30pm at Grangemouth Sports Complex, Abbots Road, Grangemouth, Falkirk, FK3 8JB. Accessible toilets and changing areas will be available including a Changing Places toilet.

Find out more and register your interest musculardystrophyuk.org/Scottish-disability-sports-event

12/08/2024

SDS Supports the Eric Liddell 100 Legacy Project

We all know the theme tune of the film Chariots of Fire but do we know the story behind the main character, Eric Liddell? To find out more about him, watch this short video, Eric Liddell.

It has been 100 years since Eric won the gold medal in the 400m event at the Paris 1924 Summer Olympic Games. SDS is supporting our partners, Eric Liddell 100 Legacy Project, to recognise and celebrate the life of Eric Liddell in two ways:

1. For this year only, the SDS National Senior Athletics Championships will name all 400m events, the Eric Liddell 400m event. All winners of the 400m events will receive an Eric Liddell medal.

2. One person from each SDS member branch will be awarded a unique Eric Liddell pin badge at SDS’s AGM on Sunday 6th October. SDS will award 14 ‘Eric Liddell Pin Badges’ at the AGM to celebrate some outstanding individuals that demonstrate the Eric Liddell values (listed below), whilst contributing to the development of disability sport in Scotland.

Passion – enthusiasm, dedication, optimism, self-belief

Compassion – humility, selflessness, respect, care, community-minded

Integrity – discretion, loyalty, self-sacrifice, principled

One of the 14 Pin Badge Award winners may be nominated to attend the Eric Liddell 100 Awards 2024 event in November. Nomination forms will be sent to all SDS member branches soon.

If you would like further information on any of the above, please don’t hesitate to email us at admin@scottishdisabilitysport.com or telephone us at 0131 317 1130.

12/08/2024

Macqueen Targets Top Spot in Paris with Family By His Side

By Emma Logan, Communications Manager

As the current world number two, Nathan Macqueen is hungry to regain the top spot and put on a good show for his family that will be cheering him on when he competes at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.

The Paris Paralympics will be the third Games for the Para archer from Dumfries, after making his debut at Rio 2016. Nathan’s world number two ranking comes after a silver medal at the 2023 World Para Championships compound open. He followed this up this year with a gold in the compound open mixed team division at the European Para Cup (with Jodie Grinham) and a bronze in the mixed team medal at the European Para Championships (with Phoebe Paterson Pine).

Despite the pressure that comes with competing on the world stage, Nathan’s tactic is to simply enjoy the event.

“I just want to go in and enjoy it because when I’m enjoying myself, I’m more relaxed and that’s when I shoot my best”, said Nathan.

“That’s when I’m at my most dangerous to other archers. It’s when I start thinking about the occasion is when things go a bit wrong.”

Despite currently recovering from a chest infection, training shows Nathan to be on top form.

“I was one point off the British record three weeks ago at a competition. It’s the first time I’ve ever shot over 700 (points) in a competition as well, so that was really good.”

Nathan’s family could be his secret weapon in Paris. For the first time he will have family members present and cheering him on at the Paralympics, which is a great advantage for him.

“There’s ten members of my family going out”, said Nathan.

“It’s going to be a new one for me because I’ve never had anyone at a competition before. I normally struggle. In Tokyo and Rio with the time difference and trying to get that bit of the day where you can talk to family and what not but (this time) they’re going over. They’re going to be in the same time zone as me. I’ll be able to see them so yeah, I’m hoping that it will allow me to focus more and not be homesick.”

His family have played an instrumental part in his sporting journey. After his motorbike accident in 2009, Nathan participated in several different sports before his now wife recommended that he try archery, after having participated in the sport when he was younger with his dad.

“If I didn’t have the support from my family then I wouldn’t be in the position I am now”, said Nathan.

“The amount of sacrifices she (his wife) makes so that I can do what I do. So, just thank you.”

Returning to the sport has proven to have a huge impact on his life, outside of competing on the world stage.

“It has given me a focus and a goal. I was always really goal orientated. I was a joiner beforehand so you would set yourself a goal for the day and archery is the exact same. Short term goals, mid term and long term goals. Just marking it out.”

Regardless of his form and his family’s support, you can never predict the outcome of an archery competition.

“It’s a really unforgiving sport”, commented Nathan.

“You can’t control anyone else. You can’t even influence anyone else. You just need to go out and shoot your best. You could shoot a world record and then someone else could pip the world record by a point and you’d lose.”

Despite the challenges of the sport, Nathan advises anyone that feels inspired to take up archery after watching the Paralympics should remember to: “Just be patient and have fun.”

He continued to say, “I never thought I’d be doing archery for a living but here I am. So just try things and don’t be afraid to fail either.”

Nathan will be competing in the compound men’s open category and compound open mixed team, between the 29th August and 2nd September at the Paris 2024 Paralympics. You can watch the Paralympics live and catch up on Channel 4, from the 28th August to the 8th September. More information about Nathan can be found on his website.

ParalympicsGB Archery team of four for Paris 2024. They are standing in a sports hall with archery targets behind them. — Credit: ParalympicsGB

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.

23/07/2024

SDS Welcomes Elizabeth Mills as New Regional Development Manager for Grampian and Shetland

“Summer Camp was one of the best experiences I’ve had.” – Meet the new Regional Development Manager for Grampian and Shetland, Elizabeth (Wizzy) Mills.

By William Moncrieff, Communications Apprentice

Elizabeth (Wizzy) Mills joined SDS’s Regional Development team as Manager for Grampian and Shetland region, in early June.

Wizzy lives in Aberdeen after graduating from Robert Gordon University with a degree in Sport Science. Wizzy saw the job advertisement at SDS as a great personal development opportunity, stating: “I wanted to push myself out there and make my own knowledge better.”

Wizzy has always been a sport enthusiast and she even volunteers as the Head Coach for the first and second Netball teams at Robert Gordon University.

Prior to starting the post at SDS, Wizzy had taken part in other forms of volunteering. This included helping out with boccia at the Grampian Parasport Festival, through her Coaching and Development HND at North Eastern Scottish College.

“I loved it. I helped out at the boccia session and it was amazing. I loved it so much”, said Wizzy.

It’s gone full circle for Wizzy, as now, “I am going to be running my own (Parasport Festivals). It’s crazy to think about, just three years ago I attended one and now I’m running it myself.”

The Grampian Parasport Festival will be taking place on Friday the 27th of September 2024 and will be held once again, at the Aberdeen Sports Village.

Not even two weeks ago, Wizzy was volunteering at the SDS Summer Camp and she believes that this experience will help guide her as she prepares for her Parasport Festival.

“After Summer Camp it has really driven me to make the Parasport Festival even bigger and have even more opportunities for the children. I just cannot wait to see the smiles on their faces when they are trying something new for the first time”, said Wizzy.

Wizzy was a key member of the staff team at the Summer Camp, which was held at Badaguish (Aviemore) from the 10th to 12th of July. This was something that she found to be extremely meaningful.

“Summer Camp was one of the best experiences I’ve had. To see all of the children adventuring and trying new things and really pushing themselves is something I will really remember for a long time”, said Wizzy.

When reflecting on some of her best memories she said, “The biggest highlight of the camp was making breakfast in the morning. Even though there was porridge and juice everywhere, the children were adamant they wanted do it all by themselves, which was amazing to see.”

Now that Wizzy has settled more into her post as Regional Development Manager, she has found that she is enjoying getting out into the field.

“I’ve really enjoyed seeing the range of each participant. It’s just great. I met an individual with cerebral palsy, and I went to one of his frame running sessions. Just seeing what he was able to do was absolutely amazing”, explained Wizzy.

To find our more about the opportunities to get active in your region, please contact your Regional Development Manager.

To find out more about the opportunities available in the Grampian and Shetland region, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Wizzy or connect with the Branches for Grampian and Shetland.

22/07/2024

Summer Camp 2024: A Special Thanks From SDS

By William Moncrieff, Communications Apprentice

It’s crazy to think that two weeks ago, bags were being packed for 27 participants and 26 members of staff in preparation for Scottish Disability Sport’s Summer Camp. No one could have predicted the immense amount of fun and adventures that were to come!

SDS’s annual Summer Camp was held at Badaguish outdoor center, located just outside of Aviemore in the center of the Highlands. The camp provided a scenic setting which everyone called home over the week.

The Camp was action packed. Providing all campers with loads of exciting opportunities including curling, athletics, tennis, water sports, archery, boccia, football, goalball, cycling, obstacle courses and an expedition to the Green Loch.

Hopefully, campers left camp with some great memories, shared with new and old friends. Maybe some will also continue to participate in one of the sports they tried at camp!

One thing is for certain – it wouldn’t have been possible without the support from some key people and organisations. Therefore, SDS would like to express thanks to:

Dundee Dragons, for the use of their van. The van was vital in helping participants travel from the camp to Loch Inch to try out a range of water sports, as well as transporting campers to Glenmore Outdoor Centre where they could begin their expedition to the Green Loch.

A special mention to Graham MacBain for driving all the Campers and Staff around safely, ensuring we always arrived at our location.

A lot of effort is put in behind the scenes in summer camp production and organisation. Scottish Disability Sport are incredibly grateful to MBM Health Care for the use of their hoists and shower chairs, alongside David Hill from Castle Semple Centre for lending us the use of the Aquabacs.

Many thanks to Scottish Curling, Able to Adventure, Highland Cycle Ability Centre and Loch Inch. Their support and involvement provided the campers with a wide variety of fun and engaging activities – opportunities that many would not have had access to beforehand.

Finally, a shoutout to Badaguish Outdoor Centre for hosting us for the week. The camp was the perfect base to come back to in between activities and at the end of an action packed the day.