Mary’s Road to Glasgow

This summer in Glasgow, the Commonwealth Games will take centre stage, with international sport being showcased at the highest level. However, surrounding the sport this summer, will be stories of resilience, determination and individuals with a deep love of sport.

Mary Wilson’s journey is most certainly one of these, signing up for the army when she was in her twenties, having twenty years of service, before being medically discharged due to multiple sclerosis, going on to be a competitive athlete, and having recently recovered from cancer.

Coming into 2026, the Commonwealth Games were at the forefront of everyone’s mind, and Mary was no exception, allowing herself to imagine about pulling on a Scotland jersey, she said: “Before I was selected, I dared to dream that I could possibly make the team.”

With the Commonwealth Games being a flagship event, many athletes have based their training programmes around qualifying and performing in Glasgow, and Mary believes her grit and determination whilst training is one of the reasons she has made it to the competition “Basically it has just been hard work. From the bowler I was last year, to the bowler I am this year, I’ve made a massive improvement, I’m miles better than I was, and that is pretty much just down to practicing.”

In 2004, Mary’s career in the Armed Forces came to a sudden stop, being medically discharged on account of her multiple sclerosis. Following this, Mary went on a journey of discovery in sport, which led to her competing in both the Warrior and Invictus Games, along with revisiting badminton, a sport she played competitively in her youth. Rekindling the badminton fire proved to be fruitful, with Mary having a incredibly successful career, accumulating over 50 caps for Scotland.

Reflecting on her experiences competing in the Warrior and Invictus Games, Mary is incredibly grateful for the opportunity, and more so, what being in a team environment with other para athletes taught her about survival “It changed me. It made me realise that I’m not annoyed about having multiple sclerosis, It’s given me a new direction.” Mary said.

Although Mary has been surrounded by bowls her whole life, often going to the local bowling club as a child to watch her dad compete. It wasn’t until 2015 that she had one of her first experiences playing, since then Mary has had a remarkable rise in the sport.

The link between Mary’s late father, and his love of the sport she now represents Scotland in, provides Mary with an extra desire to be at the top of her game this summer, she commented: “It was actually my dad who got me into bowling, and he passed away in 2016. I just wish he could see how far I’ve come.”

“This one is definitely for him, if we medal in the Commonwealth Games, I think there will be a few tears, it will be pretty emotional, because it was all down to him really.”

At the upcoming Commonwealth Games, Mary Wilson will be partnered by former Commonwealth Gold medal winner, Pauline Wilson (no relation!), as they prepare to compete in the B6/8 Pairs competition. Since joining forces two years ago, Pauline and Mary have seen some great successes, including making it to the final of Bowls Scotland’s European Open, winning National Championships gold, and Four Nations Para Women’s Pairs gold. However, Mary puts their ability to build a strong partnership in a relatively short amount of time down to the relationship they have developed “We understand each other really well. She is a brilliant bowler, you know, she was one of the gold medalist at the last Commonwealth Games. We just communicate and get each other, which is a massive part of being a team.”

Armed with a strong partnership, and the will to represent her father in Glasgow, Mary has her goals for the competition firmly set in her mind, stating: “I have two goals, one is to play the best I’ve ever played, and two is to win a gold medal with my partner Pauline, for us and for Scotland.”

With friends and family planning on attending the Scottish Events Campus(SEC), to watch Mary and Pauline kick start their campaign, Mary finds herself being full of pride at the prospect of representing Team Scotland “I’m so proud to wear the thistle or tartan of Scotland. Because for me, Scotland means everything.” Said Mary.

Along with having opportunities to travel and represent her family and Scotland, Mary has been impacted by sport throughout her life, she said: “Truthfully I think sport has kept me going. I don’t know where I’d be if I didn’t have sport, and my Physiotherapist said that if I didn’t have sport, and I wasn’t as fit as I could be, I’d be in a wheelchair.”

To find out how you can get started on your pathway in sport, reach out to Scottish Disability Sport at admin@scottishdisabilitysport.com or contact your local SDS Branch.

To keep up to date with all things disability sport across Scotland, follow Scottish Disability Sport on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

As the clock hand ticks forward, second by second, Garry Brown waits to defend his Commonwealth title.  Being selected to represent Team Scotland for a third time is not something that Garry is taking lightly, with Glasgow 2026 already setting up to be a career highlight.

Garry will be arriving at Glasgow 2026 as reigning B6-B8 Pairs champion, a title that he successfully claimed in Birmingham, whilst partnered up with team-mate Kevin Wallace. cccAlong with having an opportunity to launch a title defence, the 2026 iteration of the Commonwealth Games has a lot more to offer, with Garry having the chance to represent Team Scotland in Scotland.

Being a passionate Scot, Garry has had the Glasgow-based Games in his mind since they were announced. Making the news of being selected overwhelmingly hard not to share, he said: “We actually found out a couple of weeks prior to the team being released, and we basically got told, ‘look keep it under wraps, don’t tell anybody’, and that’s probably the hardest thing I’ve done.”

However, the Para Bowls squad for the Games has been announced, and Garry is full of pride at the prospect of playing for Team Scotland in another Commonwealth Games “The only time you get to pull on a Scotland jersey is either World Championships or Commonwealth Games, for me the Commonwealth Games are the pinnacle of bowls.” The 43-year-old said.

Glasgow 2026 will mark the first time the Para Bowls competition will be played indoors, with all previous games having it as part of their outdoor events programme. Garry feels like this could provide an advantage to the Scottish team, packing a passionate home crowd indoors, he commented: “It’s going to be special, the majority of the crowd are going to be supporting us.”

“it’s going to be like having an extra team member, because they are just going to cheer everything, every time we play a good bowl the roof is going to get raised up.”

Take the excitement of a home games, and large crowd out of the picture, and you will find out that Garry is arriving with one thing on his mind, winning a second B6/B8 Pairs title, alongside his partner Stuart Sloam “Gold for me is the dream, that must be everybody’s dream I take it, and being involved in high-level sport all my days, I know what it takes to win gold. I know that me and Stuart will be more than ready.”

Growing up with cerebral palsy, Garry was a keen athlete, being a devoted footballer and swimmer. However, it was a chat with former Scottish Disability Sport (SDS) Chairperson, and leading disability sport influencer, Richard Brickley OBE MBE, that persuaded Garry to attempt a move onto the Para Bowls scene. Of course, a move that has proved fruitful, as Garry has gone on to win multiple international medals.

Although, it is the performance on the 2^nd of August 2022, in Birmingham, that will be one of the most memorable moments of Garry’s career “Anytime I get the chance to pull on the Scotland jersey is a real highlight. But obviously the biggest highlight is winning the gold medal in 2022 in Birmingham”

Looking back at Kevin and his victory four years ago, not only has Garry been remembering it fondly, but it has become a massive source of motivation for the man from South Lanarkshire “Knowing I was in the team, I actually went back and watched the final three times, just so I could go, ‘I really want this again’”.

Garry and Stuart will still be a relatively new pairing by the time Glasgow 2026 rolls around. Though Garry is convinced that won’t be an issue for the B6/B8 Pair, knowing they will both do whatever it takes to be at the top of their game come the competition, he said: “By the time we hit Glasgow we will be practicing every weekend together, or whenever we can around work, we’re just going to get better and better.”

The Games may provide an amazing opportunity for Garry and Stuart to write their names in Commonwealth history. However, they will offer a lot more. With family, friends, coaches and former team-mates in the crowd, the pair have an opportunity to show what a lifetime of support has meant “Me and Stuart aren’t just doing it for us, it’s not about us, it’s about everybody. The minute you pull that Scotland jersey on it’s about everybody who has ever come and watched you, everybody who has ever helped you.” Garry said.

To find out how you can get started on your pathway in sport, reach out to Scottish Disability Sport at admin@scottishdisabilitysport.com or contact your local SDS Branch.

To keep up to date with all things disability sport across Scotland, follow Scottish Disability Sport on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.