I first became involved in disability sport in 1975 and in that same year I met Liz Dendy OBE MBE from the Sports Council for the first time. Liz was a close friend of Mary Urquhart, the Director of Leisure and Recreation in Fife. Each was a formidable woman, and both were fully committed to physical activity, PE, sport, and active recreation for participants with disabilities. Each of these outstanding women had a major influence on my professional and voluntary organisation career and I owe them so much.

Liz celebrated her 90th birthday earlier this year but last Friday had a heart attack and was admitted to Hammersmith Hospital where she died on Saturday night. Our thoughts are with Liz’s friends and family who have lost a much-loved exceptional individual.

Liz was an incredible visionary locally, nationally, and internationally. Much of what we all experienced and enjoyed throughout the 80s, 90s and beyond was influenced by Liz Dendy in her Sports Council role. She inspired so many of us and shaped so much of what we now enjoy in Para sport and active recreation throughout the UK.

Liz introduced me to Kay Evans, the Disabled Living Foundation Physical Recreation Panel and I travelled to London for many years to learn from Liz and others. We cooperated on ground-breaking filming projects north of the border and Liz offered me the opportunity to contribute to major UK reports. Liz arranged for me to present a paper at the Council of Europe and encouraged me to join the CPISRA sports technical committee.

In my view Liz was the most influential and professional President of CPISRA, the international body for sport for athletes with cerebral palsy. I travelled with her to Papendal in the Netherlands on many occasions. When she left the CPISRA Executive Committee she took her many skills and experience to the Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA) and similarly influenced that great organisation for several years. An exceptional woman with amazing skills in governance, leadership, sports development, and diplomacy in particular.

I am not sure if I would have been involved in disability sport at national and international level for over 44 years if I had not met Liz Dendy. Firstly Liz believed I had something to offer and secondly she created many opportunities for me to be involved in disability sport at different levels. Liz opened doors and influenced and advised me throughout the many years we worked together.

“Building on Ability” was the most significant UK report of the 80s and Liz was a key contributor and influence. Liz believed passionately in the Four Home Nations working together and helped to shape the structures that we all enjoy at the present time.  Liz was the Sports Council officer who raised the profile of disability sport throughout the UK and beyond. During the International Year of Disabled People in 1981, Liz was the single individual who believed the Four Home Nations could bring about change and we did.

A remarkable British lady whose influence on the development of disability sport nationally and internationally is immeasurable. CPISRA and sport for participants with cerebral palsy would not have progressed as it did in the 70s and 80s without the passion, commitment and expertise of Liz Dendy.

Richard Brickley OBE MBE – Chairman Disability Sport Fife Board of Charity Trustees

 UK Coaching has confirmed that UK Coaching Week 2020 will take place from the 14-20 September.

The awareness campaign – which empowers athletes, coaches and the public to celebrate great coaching – will centre on the need to ‘Support Your Coach’, kicking off with the #GreatCoachingPledge that will call on the nation to give some of their own time, sharing thanks and support for the coaching community.

Sport and physical activity has been, and will continue to be, integral to the nation’s response to the coronavirus pandemic by having a positive impact on people’s mental and physical well-being, and the coaching workforce has been instrumental in supporting communities across the UK to stay active over the last four months of lockdown restrictions.

Coaches are now also critical conduits in reuniting people as restrictions are lifted, and following the Government’s announcement of a new ‘obesity strategy’, which is calling on people to ‘take control of their own future by losing weight, getting active and adopting a healthier lifestyle’, will be lent on further to keep the nation moving.

However, UK Coaching has found that both before and during the outbreak of the virus, coaches have been feeling unsupported.

In the organisation’s ‘Coaching in the UK 2019’ research – carried out by YouGov – nearly a quarter of all coaches said a major barrier to them coaching was a lack of support from employers, clubs or national governing bodies of sport, and over 40% said they do not have access to someone who can support them in their coaching role, ie a mentor or coach developer. Additionally, a Twitter poll, conducted by UK Coaching at the height of the lockdown, showed that over 30% of coaches felt they received ‘no support’ during the coronavirus outbreak.

UK Coaching’s Director of Coaching Emma Atkins, said:

“Coaches have been absolute heroes keeping us active, connected and motivated both before the pandemic and during the period of isolation and disruption caused by the lockdown.

“However, bubbling under the surface is a feeling of disquiet. We know some grassroots coaches – and elite too for that matter – are struggling with the perceived lack of support right now, so we want to ask the public and anyone who benefits from sport and physical activity to say thank you and pledge their time to support their coach or coaches.

“As restrictions are eased and more of us return to play, we will turn to coaches and expect them to integrate new controls to keep us all safe, so let’s ensure that we recognise and support our coaches across the UK for the vital work that they do.”

 UK Coaching’s CEO Mark Gannon, said:

“It’s fantastic to see our national campaign come back just as the new school year starts – a pivotal time for coaches. But with news of job losses and real concerns around a reduction of volunteers for the sector, this uncertain world is financially and professionally affecting our coaching family. We are all understandably concerned about the impact this will have on community sport and physical activity provision at the local level.

“Plainly, we cannot afford to lose a workforce of three million people whose values and contributions through sport and physical activity can change lives for the better.

“We are committed to doing everything we can to support the nation’s coaches so they can provide person-centred, great coaching experiences, which is why last month we released our Duty to Care Toolkit and Digital Badge that helps coaches stay current with their learning and development and confident as they return to coaching.

“Great coaching was here before the coronavirus crisis, has been here through it and will be here as we recover. We’re calling on the entire sports sector and the nation to collaborate with us and help us celebrate and support coaches.”

Founder of Our Parks and London based community coach Born Barikor, said:

“I am really pleased that this year’s focus for UK Coaching Week is getting people to see coaches in a new light and be appreciative of the work we do, day in, day out. These last few months have seen me work hard to adapt more of my coaching practice for a virtual world, keeping my participants fit during the lockdown measures.

“As a full-time coach, spare time is probably my most valuable, yet illusive asset. From planning to doing to delivering, when you coach your work is never done. So, having someone, whether it be a participant or parent, pledge their time to help or value us – in whatever capacity – is hugely welcome.”

Everyone can get involved in the #GreatCoachingPledge – from parents to charities to businesses. Great coaching is particularly important for health and well-being in these times of coronavirus, but it is also vital for the future well-being of our kids, and because great coaching delivers so many of those major sporting moments which unite the nation.

So, whether it’s a thank you, or offering your time to help clear the cones one evening after your child’s football training, every little moment you can give will help our coaches to feel recognised and appreciated, and therefore, help our nation to stay active and stay healthy.

To find out more about how to pledge, visit ukcoaching.org/coachingweek

UK Coaching Week 2020 will also be looking at the coaching community’s effort to keep the nation physically and mentally active during the COVID-19 lockdown; the importance of parents supporting their children’s coaches; and examining how great coaching delivers so many of those sporting moments that unite the nation.

Elite parasport will return to the nation’s screens at the beginning of September for the first time since lockdown after the LTA announced the staging of a behind closed doors series for Great Britain’s leading wheelchair tennis players at the National Tennis Centre.

Four of Britain’s contingent set to compete at the US Open next month will be among the players taking to the court for a two-day match play event on 1-2 September featuring Great Britain’s top three ranked men and women, with all the action streamed live on the BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport website and app and LTA digital channels. The BBC Red Button will also show most of the action across both days.

The ‘LTA Wheelchair Tennis Series’ has been developed to provide opportunities to Britain’s players to get crucial match practice under their belt ahead of the wheelchair draw at the US Open and the resumption of the ITF Uniqlo Wheelchair Tennis World Tour, and to showcase the sport to fans.

Taking place during what would have been the original dates of the Tokyo Paralympics, the LTA Wheelchair Tennis Series marks one year to go until the first of the medals will be decided at the rescheduled Games in Japan.

The series is a continuation of events the LTA has staged and supported at the NTC to help prepare Britain’s elite tennis players for a return to competition, demonstrating the inclusive nature of the sport with opportunities covering both women’s and men’s tennis and now also wheelchair tennis.

New York-bound Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid will be competing in the men’s series alongside Dermot Bailey, with fellow Grand Slam hopefuls and Paralympic medalists Jordanne Whiley and Lucy Shuker being joined in the women’s draw by Louise Hunt.

Alongside the matches for the leading players, a further six members of the LTA’s Wheelchair Tennis World Class Programme will take to the NTC courts in a round robin series of matches on 26-27 August as they continue preparations for the resumption of the ITF Uniqlo Wheelchair Tennis World Tour on 16 September.

LTA WHEELCHAIR TENNIS SERIES ENTRANTS (GB ranking, player):

NTC, 1-2 September

MEN

1. Alfie Hewett

2. Gordon Reid

3. Dermot Bailey

WOMEN

1. Jordanne Whiley

2. Lucy Shuker

3. Louise Hunt

NTC, 26-27 August:

QUADS

2. Antony Cotterill

3. James Shaw

4. Richard Green

– Greg Slade

WOMEN

4. Lauren Jones

5. Cornelia Oosthuizen

Scott Lloyd, LTA CEO, said: “We are proud that tennis is leading the way in the return of elite disability sport, and are delighted to be partnering with the BBC to showcase wheelchair tennis to sports fans across the country. Great Britain has had tremendous success in wheelchair tennis in recent years and the LTA Wheelchair Tennis Series will be vital in helping our players prepare for their return to international competition, including at the US Open next month.

“It also promises to be a great platform to help raise awareness of tennis as a sport for disabled people. Tennis by its very nature is an inclusive sport that can be played by anyone, and that is at the very heart of the LTA’s vision of tennis opened up. Our disability tennis programme at both a grassroots and elite level has been thriving, and staging these events demonstrates our determination to continue to build on this”.

Defending US Open singles and doubles champion and world No.3, Alfie Hewett, said: “I can’t wait to get back out playing matches again after what has been a really challenging time for so many of us the last few months. I think all the players are grateful to the LTA putting on this event to give us some match practice heading into the US Open, where I personally always love playing.”

The return to competition at the NTC is the culmination of a programme of activity that has seen players on the LTA’s Wheelchair Tennis World Class Programme supported throughout lockdown with the provision of home training equipment and continued funding, followed by a gradual return to training and a testing and informal competition session at Loughborough University earlier this month.

A quarter of the athletes competing at the US Open wheelchair tennis event across the men’s, women’s and quad draws are British, with defending quad singles and doubles champion Andy Lapthorne joining Hewett, Reid, Whiley and Shuker in challenging for honours.

Great Britain continues to be one of the leading nations in the world for wheelchair tennis, and for disability tennis more broadly, helping to inspire a record number of disabled people to pick up a racket and enjoy tennis at a grassroots level. Last year, Great Britain was the only nation in the world to win trophies and medals at all four of the major international disability tennis tournaments covering visually impaired tennis, learning disability tennis, deaf tennis and wheelchair tennis, while the LTA’s Open Court disability tennis grassroots programme is now one of the largest of its kind across any sport.

For some time now I have been planning to write this tribute to a young woman whose contribution to disability sport in Scotland and throughout the UK has been significant and has spanned a period of almost three decades. For several reasons it has been delayed but I am determined this time to try and do justice to this exceptional individual whom I am proud to call a long-time friend.  I had the privilege of meeting Jacqueline Lynn back in 1984 when she visited the Fife Sports Institute as a Physical Education undergraduate planning to start her final dissertation on PE and sport provision for participants with disabilities.

Following graduation Jacqueline teamed up with Jim Thomson at Capability Scotland in Edinburgh and she remembers that three-year experience with great fondness. Scottish CP Sport was on a high following the successes of Scottish athletes with cerebral palsy as members of Team GB at the Paralympic Games in New York in 1984. Jacqueline arrived at the perfect time and contributed an immense amount to the preparations of Team Scotland for the CPISRA World Championships in Gits, Belgium in 1986. Capability Scotland (formerly SCS) was very involved with the promotion of wheelchair dancing and encouraging individuals with cerebral palsy of all ages and abilities to be active. Jim and Jacqueline plus the late John De Courcy were at the heart of those early developments and became a formidable team.

It was in Gits in 1986 that Jacqueline developed an interest and passion for boccia leading to partnerships with Anne Woffinden and others that would lead to their engagement in European, World and Paralympic Games all over the world. Anne was a teenager in Belgium and relatively new to the sport. Team Scotland had a strong BC1/BC2 boccia team of three that reached the final but lost out to world champions Portugal. Anne however lifted the BC2 singles title with Jacqueline by her side. Little did we realise at the time that those two results would have a major influence on Scotland as an international force in world boccia for the next twenty to thirty years.

Jacqueline joined the Board of Scottish Disability Sport (formerly SSAD) in the mid-80s and served until 2008. In her final year of working with Capability Scotland, Jacqueline joined myself and Jim as Team GB coaching staff for the Paralympic Games in Seoul in 1988. It was a unique experience for athletes and support staff but the flight to and from South Korea via Alaska was demanding. It was the first occasion that the Paralympic Games were held in the same venues as the Olympic Games with Para athletes sharing the same amazing Games village as their Olympic colleagues. Yet again the performances of Scottish members of Team GB were formidable and for Jacqueline the whole experience was life changing.

On return from Seoul, Jacqueline moved to Cunninghame District Council as a Sports Development Officer with a specific responsibility for participants with disabilities and older adults. During the next four years she supported the ambitious and successful Cunninghame Branch of SSAD and learned so much about the sport of bowls that was played extensively throughout the community. Once again Jacqueline is so positive about this period in her career when she learned so much about community sports development and reaching out to nationally recognised inactive communities.

For so many of us connected with SSAD/SDS selection for the Paralympic Games in Barcelona was very special because many of us consider the Games in Spain as the highlight of our Paralympic careers. Spectator numbers in New York and Seoul were minimal but the Spanish nation turned out in force for the 1992 Games. Tickets were hard to come by and the queues for swimming resembled Wimbledon. Jacqueline was involved with Team GB swimmers, athletes and boccia players along with Jim, Judy Black and Jen Quinton. Yet again Scots Para athletes served Team GB well and lived up to expectations on the medals table.

We were all privileged to be invited to join Team GB and we all have special memories of specific Games. For me 1984 was about evacuating a high rise building in the Games village when the fire alarm was set off and the lifts went out of action. 1988 was about trying to find acid in Seoul for our power wheelchairs when the batteries had to be emptied prior to flying. In 1992 Jacqueline remembers teaming up with Jim, Judy and Jen to carry dozens of team kit bags to athlete rooms with little or no assistance. As a training exercise it had its benefits but as a welcome to the athlete’s village it was not up there with the best.

Jacqueline continued to play a very important role throughout the 90s as a member of the SSAD/SDS Board. She played a prominent role in the preparation and production of the early Association Development Plans and supported me in my role as Vice Chairman of SSAD/SDS and then as Vice Chair when I became Chairman. No Chairman could ask for a more loyal, innovative, and committed colleague. At SSAD/SDS annual conferences Jacqueline more than played her part and she took a lead in the SSAD Division that concentrated on developing opportunities for participants with physical or sensory impairments.

Jacqueline and I organised and delivered full day disability inclusion training courses (theory/practical) in Fife and Inverclyde for coaches and volunteers and teamed up with David McCrea from sportscotland to tutor NCF/Sports Coach UK courses throughout the country on working with participants with disabilities. Jacqueline similarly recalls this period with great affection and claims she still comes across individuals who have signed certificates from that period of spreading the word about the importance of promoting inclusive practice and developing disability sport.

From 1992- 1995 Jacqueline was Assistant Sports Officer for Stirling Sports Council and retained her commitment as a volunteer with SDS and the sport of boccia. From 1995 Jacqueline was employed for three years as IMPACT Coaching Officer for Tayside. This was a job that offered Jacqueline considerable contact with volunteers in the area and the opportunity to engage with eight Scottish Governing Bodies of Sport. In 1996 Jacqueline received the call to join Team GB for her third  Paralympic Games in Atlanta and to support the GB boccia squad. Jacqueline was now fully committed to the sport of boccia and recognised as one of the leading coaches in the world.

Boccia was expanding rapidly at national and international level and Team GB success in the USA led to Jacqueline’s inclusion in Team GB for the Games in Sydney in 2000, Athens in 2004 and Beijing in 2008. In 2004 Team GB finished 4th in the team competition but Jacqueline ended her illustrious career in international boccia in China four years later with Team GB winning Team gold and individual silver. At those sixth and final Paralympic Games Jacqueline was Team GB Boccia Team Manager and Head Coach. Team GB results were exceptional and led to a period of significant UK Sport investment in the sport. The satisfaction for Jacqueline was the thrill of competition and training and being able to observe so many Team GB boccia players “grow, develop and succeed”.  Jacqueline Lynn committed many hours of her leisure time as a volunteer to GB Boccia and it was fitting that her final Games in Beijing were so successful.

From 1998 – 2002 Jacqueline served as Sport and Leisure Service Manager with Stirling Council and then transferred to Active Stirling as Head of Sport and Physical Activity until 2009. For the past eleven years Jacqueline has been Head of School and Community Sport, sportscotland. It was only a matter of time before Jacqueline returned to volunteering and it was gymnastics that was fortunate to secure her services.  She is now Chairperson of West Lothian Artistic Gymnastics and no doubt fully committed, inspiring and as enthusiastic as ever.

Hopefully, readers of this article will now appreciate and realise that Jacqueline Lynn was a hugely influential player in the development of disability sport and Para sport in Scotland. I have highlighted her involvement in six Paralympic Games and how she was able to sign off at the pinnacle of her career. I have mentioned her role as an educator, officer with SSAD/SDS and a volunteer who gave up hours of her leisure time to support junior camps, development days and national events.

Jacqueline was also Team Manager for numerous Scottish teams that competed in CPISRA World and European Championships and her skill set was so valued that she could step up for swimming, athletics as well as boccia. Jacqueline played a significant role during the early development days of Para football with the late David Lawrie and the Scottish FA.

Jacqueline I know believes she was privileged to have been part of the SSAD/SDS family from the mid-80s through to 2008. She is first to acknowledge the outstanding athletes, parents, coaches, administrators, and volunteers that she was privileged to work with and the long-lasting friendships she has been able to develop and sustain. Working in disability sport she believes has prepared her for her successful career with sportscotland where we know she is respected and widely admired.

I am one of many individuals in Scottish sport who admires and respects Jacqueline Lynn immensely and all that she offers to inclusive community sport. Her commitment and passion are unique, and her drive and determination greatly admired. Disability sport in Scotland was privileged to have her to itself for an extensive period and her influence and impact have been long lasting and far reaching.

Photo: Maggy McEleny and Kenny Cairns inducted into the Scottish Sport Hall Of Fame – Jacqueline and Richard joining them for the celebrations.

Richard Brickley OBE MBE Chairman DSF (SCIO) Board of Charity Trustees

The UK Sports Association (UKSA) is delighted to announce the appointment of two new Trustees, Peter Ackred and Andy Heffer.

Both will join the UKSA Board from 20^th August 2020 boosting UKSA’s collective experience of industry leaders working together to achieve UKSA’s vision of a society that enables people with intellectual impairment, Down syndrome and autism to excel.

Pete Ackred (CEO, Disability Sports Coach) and Andy Heffer (former Director of Sport & Development, Special Olympics GB), join the Board as independent appointments, bringing a wealth of experience of business, sport, development and working with disabled people to complement the legal, governance, UK and international sport, education and commercial expertise already present through current Board members.

Commenting on the appointments, newly elected Chair, Genevieve Gordon-Thomson said “It is with pleasure we welcome Pete and Andy to the UKSA Board, during such an important time for athletes with intellectual impairment in sport.”   “Andy and Pete bring a depth of expertise and cross sector knowledge from their respective UK wide networks. These networks will be of enormous value to UKSA as we continue to support athletes with intellectual impairment, Down syndrome and autism to excel in national and international sport”.

UKSA Chief Executive Tracey McCillen said “These latest appointments to our Board is hugely exciting.  I look forward to working with Pete, Andy and the whole Board in the weeks and months to come.  Athletes with intellectual impairment, Down syndrome and autism deserve recognition in performance sport, whether through Paralympics or Virtus Global Games – they work hard to achieve GB representation. “ 

 “We are committed to seeing athletes achieve their ambitions.  With UKSA’s strong Board, our collective voices will ensure that the change needed in the sports sector to enable them in performance sport is realised.”

Pete Ackred said “I am delighted to be joining the UKSA board on its journey to make competitive sport inclusive for all.  It is key that we open the door for more opportunities for people with a learning disability to excel in national and international competitive sport. I believe that working with UKSA to develop existing and new partnerships is the key to driving this.”

Andy Heffer said “I’m honoured to have been asked to join the Board of UKSA.  Much of my career has been spent trying to improve provision for people with a learning disability within the sports sector and I’m delighted to have the opportunity to continue this important work with UKSA”.

The UKSA Board includes

• Genevieve Gordon Thomson (Chair), CEO Tactic Connect
• Gavin MacLeod, CEO Scottish Disability Sport
• Fiona Reid, CEO Disability Sport Wales
• Jane Coia, Performance Coach & Former Chair, Welsh Sports Association for People with Learning Disability
• Gary Fraser, Performance Manager, Scottish Disability Sport
• Pete Ackred, CEO, Disability Sports Coach
• Andy Heffer, Former Director of Sports & Development, Special Olympics GB

The UK Sports Association is the only national disability sports and umbrella body in the UK for sport and people with learning disability, Down syndrome and autism focusing on elite, high- performance sport.

UKSA promotes, supports and facilitates talented sports people in the UK to train, compete and excel in national and international sport. UKSA is the only official Great Britain member of Virtus (formerly Inas), is responsible for and manages eligibility and classification across the UK and manages GB Teams to Virtus events.

Everyone at Scottish Disability Sport would like to say a massive congratulations to Hope Gordon for winning the Sport Category at the Young Scot Awards on Thursday 13th August 2020.

Hope, originally from Rogart in Highland got involved in para-sport at the age of 14. Now aged 25 Hope is an inspirational role model for young people across Scotland having had success in two different sports.

Her sporting career began as a swimmer where she swam for Tain and Highland Swim Team. Before moving to Stirling at the age of 16 to continue her training she then retired as a para-swimmer in 2018 as a member of East Lothian Swim Team.

That was not to be the end of her sporting journey though as she attended trials for the Great Britain para-canoe team and was selected as a member of the squad to train in Nottingham during the summer of 2018. During her debut year (2019) she finished 4th at the European Championships and her first World Cup Race and 5th at the World Championships.

It is not only Hope’s achievements within sport that make her such a remarkable and positive role model. Aged 16 Hope fought to have her left leg amputated, with the NHS refusing she sought out a private surgeon who agreed to carry out the procedure and crowdfunded raising the £10,000 needed to fund it, which was completed in 2016.

Hope is also an active member of Scottish Disability Sport’s Young Persons Sports Panel and shares her journey through sport, and how it has helped her with people across Scotland to encourage them to get involved. Her enthusiasm, passion and successes show that with hard work and not giving up on your dreams anything is possible.

On winning the award Hope said;

“It was a real surprise but a massive honor, especially given the high caliber of the other finalists. I have absolutely loved my time with canoeing since I first started in 2018, it is such a fast paced, competitive exciting sport. Although it is extremely successful Para Canoe doesn’t get a lot of recognition, so it is nice to put it on the map a little, especially within Scotland. However, sport to me is so much more than the racing, I really believe in the power of sport, the benefits are endless and the physical and psychological aspects of sport have helped me get through the toughest of times. I hope other people can get as much from sport as I have.”

Congratulations again from all of us!

If you live in Highland, have a disability and want to get involved in sport contact Kirsty Ewen Regional Manager on Kirsty.ewen@scottishdisabilitysport.com or 07792 057 153.

Virtus (Inas) has confirmed that the 2020 Virtus Para Equestrian video competition will go ahead as planned in 2020.

The video competition, now in its 4th year is a well-established Championship within the Virtus programme.

The UK Sports Association is delighted to support the Virtus 2020 Para Equestrian Event for the fourth consecutive year and invites expressions of interest from British riders for both the Senior and Youth events.

Riders can compete in the international event from the convenience of their local equestrian facility. Given the current COVID-19 social distancing and lockdown circumstances, Virtus has confirmed that entries can be submitted up to 4th October 2020.

To meet the Virtus deadline, GB entries must reach the UK Sports Association by 11.59pm on 25th September 2020.

For further information please visit – http://www.uksportsassociation.org/gb-entries-to-2020-virtus-para-equestrian-championships/