Tag: shepherd chartered surveyors

Podium photo of silver medallist Joe Driffield and his ramp assistant, at the 2026 National Schools Boccia Championships. They are both wearing their silver medals around their neck.

Medal Moments from the 2026 National Schools Boccia Championships 

On Thursday 26th March, 48 pupils from schools across the country attended the Scottish Disability Sport (SDS) National Schools Boccia Championships, which was supported by Shepherd Chartered Surveyors.  

The annual event attracted young people between P5 and S6 with a learning disability or physical disability, all vying for a spot on the podium, with participants travelling as far as Shetland.  

SDS’s Boccia Development Officer, Jonathan Kennedy remarked on the day: “It is fantastic to see so many participants coming to compete to be Schools Championships. With 48 participants here, it has made for a very busy and competitive event. There are players from all round Scotland, including Shetland, Borders, Ayrshire and Highlands which means players can meet others from all around the country and put their skills to the test against other regional champions.” 

The morning session was filled with pool games which decided who would advance to the knock-out games and medal matches after the lunch break. The morning session provided a lot of action, with just two ends deciding the winner of each game.  

Intensity rose in the afternoon session, with finals decided for the three medal categories: learning disability, physical disability and players with an assistive device (ramp).  

Kennedy Masamuna (Glasgow) faced off with Bilal Shakoor (Perth and Kinross) in the gold medal game for players with a learning disability. The pair were equally matched after the two ends and so a tiebreaker was needed to decide the medals, with Kennedy taking the win to top the podium.  

A tiebreaker also decided the results of the bronze medal game, with Julian Smolinski (Highland) taking the win over Glasgow’s Lucja Kostrzewska.  

Three young boys stand together at the podium with medals around their neck. Pop up Scottish Disability Sport banners are in the background.

In the physical disability category, Perth and Kinross’ Emma McManamon just missed out on gold, losing 2-1 to James O’Brien (South Lanarkshire), with Cole Harvey securing the bronze for Highland, with a 3-0 win over Hannah Crookes (Highland).  

A young girl (left) and two young boys are together at the podium with medals around their neck. Pop up Scottish Disability Sport banners are in the background. The girl and the boy in the middle are sitting in wheelchairs.

 

Gold belonged to Zac Cameron (Forth Valley) in the assistive device (ramps) category, after sealing a 2-0 win over Joe Driffield (Ayrshire). Ibrahim Ismail (Glasgow) and Hareth Al Jaffa (Glasgow) faced off in the bronze medal game. It was a convincing win for Ibrahim, who booked bronze with a lead of 4-0.  

Three young boys in wheelchairs are together at the podium with medals around their neck. The boy on the left and right, are accompanied by an adult man each, who were their ramp assistants. They also have medals around their necks. Pop up Scottish Disability Sport banners are in the background.

 

 

Jonathan Kennedy said: “The National Schools event is in its fourth year of being run and is set up to introduce young people to a national competition whilst also allowing for a learning opportunity. A lot of players in this hall today may play a little in school and had a regional qualifier before coming here. Whereas a few participants are regulars and already compete across Scotland in the regional events. So, having an event like this where newer players can come and develop their skills whilst also meeting others who are already competing, is a great opportunity to develop new players to the regional events across Scotland to start developing our players of the future.” 

 

The SDS National Schools Boccia Championships is one of many SDS boccia events supported by Shepherd Chartered Surveyors. Their support plays a significant role in supporting the development of boccia across Scotland.   

Ian Fergusson, Senior Partner at Shepherd Chartered Surveyor, said: “Events like the SDS National Schools Boccia Championships are vital in giving young people the chance to compete, connect and show what they can achieve in an inclusive and supportive environment.” 

Shepherd Chartered Surveyor will also be supporting the second instalment of the Family Boccia Day in Moray (May), following the great success of the inagural event held earlier this year (Central).  

Full results from the National Schools Boccia Championships are available here: National School results 2026.xlsx  and the full photo gallery is available below. 

If you would like to find out about opportunities to take part in boccia, please contact SDS’s boccia Development Officer by email (jonathan.kennedy@scottishdisabilitysport.com) or phone (0131 317 1130).  

 

A photo of a young girl in a wheelchair and her sister, sitting next to each other playing boccia. The young girl in the wheelchair is using a ramp to play boccia. They are both smiling

Shepherd recommits support to Scottish Disability Sport’s Boccia Development

Shepherd Chartered Surveyors has recommitted its financial support to Scottish Disability Sport (SDS) for the second year in succession 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: “Having seen first-hand the benefits of SDS’s inspirational boccia programme, we’re delighted to recommit our financial support for this hugely inclusive sport which caters for all abilities, and look forward to continue to play an active part in the growth of this popular sport throughout Scotland.”

Photo of five young girls and one of their mums, warming up, stretching their arms in the air before playing boccia.

Acting as the Scottish Governing Body for boccia, SDS is continually campaigning to make the sport accessible for all, providing clear pathways to engage in the sport in both urban and rural areas of Scotland.

Currently Scotland has 36 boccia opportunities which allows over 720 people to enjoy the game of boccia. To make this happen there are over 199 volunteers who support these opportunities. These volunteers are vital in supporting the athletes thrive and develop.

“SDS is delighted to receive this recommitment of funding support from Shepherd Chartered Surveyors”, said Gavin MacLeod, SDS Chief Executive.

“Financial support of this nature goes a long way to allowing us to offer more players with disabilities access to this fantastic Paralympic sport. Funding will be used to enhance access to training and competition for players across Scotland. Our thanks go to everyone at Shepherd Chartered Surveyors.”

If you would be interested in trying out boccia, please contact your Regional Development Manager to find out what opportunities are available in your region. 

Alternatively, you can reach out to SDS’s Boccia Development Officer on: jonathan.kennedy@scottishdisabilitysport.com to find out what opportunities there are to take part in the sport as a player, volunteer, coach or official. 

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

 

Young boy sitting a wheelchair, smiling and holding a red boccia ball.

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 financially support Scottish Disability Sport’s inspirational boccia programme.

“Boccia is a hugely inclusive sport which caters for all abilities and we look forward to playing an active part in the growth of this popular sport throughout Scotland.”

Acting as the Scottish Governing Body for boccia, SDS is continually campaigning to make the sport accessible for all; providing clear pathways to engage in the sport in both urban and rural areas of Scotland.

Currently Scotland has 36 boccia opportunities which allows over 720 people to enjoy the game of boccia. To make this happen there are over 199 volunteers who support these opportunities. These volunteers are vital in supporting the athletes thrive and develop.

“SDS is delighted to receive funding support from Shepherd Chartered Surveyors”, said Gavin MacLeod, SDS Chief Executive.

“Financial support of this nature goes a long way to allowing us to offer more players with disabilities access to this fantastic Paralympic sport. Funding will be used to enhance access to training and competition for players across Scotland. Our thanks go to everyone at Shepherd Chartered Surveyors”.

2024 is a big year for boccia in Scotland and the support from Shepherd comes at a critical time where interest in the sport is expected to rise.

Not only is SDS currently preparing to host both the Scottish Boccia Closed Championships (15th June) and the UK Boccia Championships (15-17th November) but sandwiched in-between is the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, where several Scots are hopeful of securing a spot on the team.