A summer opportunity for school aged young people from the East of Scotland has so far proved a resounding success, with 12 participants accessing the session during the first two weeks of delivery.
The session, aimed at young people with a physical disability, provides an opportunity to try a range of sports using a sports wheelchair – although participants are not required to use a wheelchair on a regular basis to access the session.
The summer session has been developed by Scottish Disability Sport with significant input from key partner’s basketballscotland, Advantage Tennis, Lothian Disability Sport, Edinburgh Active Schools & Spina Bifida Hydrocephalus Scotland and is delivered at Oriam, Scotland’s National Performance Centre for Sport on a Monday afternoon 1pm – 3pm. The session has also welcomed some of the participants’ siblings along to the session, providing an opportunity for non-disabled young people to try sport from a wheelchair. This caveat also lowers potential barriers to participation by inviting families as a whole to access the session, also providing some rest bite for parents during the 2 hour session.
The delivery and participant engagement has been excellent, with current wheelchair athletes and Level 2 coaches Luke Pearce and Josh Manson (both wheelchair basketball) and Lewis McConnell (boccia) acting as superb role models for the stars of the future. This has been supplemented by experienced coaches Michael Millar (tennis) and Tina Gordon (basketball), providing the ideal environment for learning a range of sporting and social skills.
Feedback from parents has been very positive highlighting the need for a more regular opportunity across the region, something that Scottish Disability Sport and partners are currently looking into establishing. The session also provides a direct pathway into existing sports sessions across the region – tennis, boccia, basketball, badminton, athletics and more are already delivering regular sessions across the East of Scotland.
If you are interested in this opportunity, applications can be accessed by following the link below –
https://www.cognitoforms.com/ScottishDisabilitySport/WheelchairSportSummerCamp
For further information, please contact Scottish Disability Sport Regional Manager (East), Neal Herbert, on neal.herbert@scottishdisabilitysport.com or 0131 317 1130.