We are delighted to announce details for the upcoming Scottish Disability Sport Central Parasport Festival 2023.

Date: Tuesday 28^th March 2023

Time: 10.00am – 3.00pm (9.30am arrival and registration)

Venue: Grangemouth Sports Complex, Abbots Road, Grangemouth FK3 9JB

Cost: Free

The Central Parasport Festival, kindly hosted by Falkirk Council, is designed to introduce pupils from mainstream schools with a physical, visual or hearing impairment, aged P1-S6 to try new and exciting sports. It has been identified that these individuals are significantly under-represented when it comes to participating in weekly sport or physical activity. The activities selected reflect the strong club structure in the region and the key impact of the event is to provide a multisport opportunity to these pupils, identify talented individuals within specific sports, alongside channelling pupils onto local, regional club programmes and sessions.

We would like to welcome back all pupils who have attended in the past, alongside engaging new pupils to attend for their first experience. During previous Central Parasport festivals video footage was captured highlighting the impact of the event featuring testimonies from young people, parents, club coaches and professional officers.  We hope this footage will prove a useful tool in providing an insight to the event.

Central Parasport Festival 2019 – YouTube

Pupil testimonial: Central Parasport Festival 2018 – ATHLETE – YouTube

Parent testimonial: Central Parasport Festival 2018 – PARENT – YouTube

The festival is a partnership event between Scottish Disability Sport, Active Schools from Active Stirling, Clackmannanshire Council, Falkirk Council and Forth Valley Disability Sport Branch. In addition we have support from Scottish Governing Bodies along with local community club coaches to offer sessions in badminton, boccia, football, wheelchair basketball, athletics, swimming, archery, and adapted bikes to young people across Central Scotland. We are also hopeful to have guest speakers on the day to inspire our pupils to take part in disability sport.

Booking information: How to apply

If you would like your son/ daughter/ pupil to attend the festival please complete the online registration form in the link below before the closing date of Tuesday 14^th March 2023:

Central Parasport 2023 Registration Form

Hard copy registration details can be found here: Central Scotland Parasport Festival Information Pack and Entry Form 2023

As a parent / guardian / carer/ teacher/ Active Schools Coordinator we would also welcome you to attend the event. Please note all pupils must be accompanied by an adult through the duration of the event.

If you have any questions or would like to find out more about the Central Parasport Festival or disability sport in Central, please contact:

Cheryl Lappin– SDS Regional Development Manager for Central Scotland

Email: Cheryl.lappin@scottishdisabilitysport.com / Tel: 07577 830 360

Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid equalled the record for most Grand Slam men’s doubles titles won by a pair in the Open Era today after the British second seeds beat Dutch duo Maikel Scheffers and Ruben Spaargaren 6-1, 6-2 to seal their fourth successive Australian Open wheelchair title and their 16th major title together.

Contesting their 14th successive Grand Slam final, second seeds Hewett and Reid raced to a 4-0 lead over Scheffers and Spaargaren before wrapping up the opening set in 27 minutes as Spaargaren sprayed a forehand wide of its intended target.

A week ago Hewett and Reid, who are supported by the LTA’s Elite Wheelchair Programme, beat Scheffers and Spaargaren in a deciding match tie-break in the semi-finals of the Melbourne Open Super Series tournament, but they showed no signs of being taken to such extremes this time. They won 12 points without reply for a 5-1 second set lead before Reid served out the match on the third championship point after a double fault on the first.

Reid, who now has 22 major titles to his name across singles and doubles after an injury-hit 2022 season when he and Hewett still won two majors together, said:

“It’s never easy but if we can play like we did today and go on court with the mindset and the intention we had today then it certainly can be slightly easier that we sometimes make it. We’re really pleased and there are lots of positives to take away. Obviously, there are always things that we can try and improve on as well, which is another thing we’ll take out of the day, but overall we’re really happy. As a lefty, a slider out wide is my favourite serve, so it was good to finish on one of those.”

Hewett, who will now play Japan’s Tokito Oda on Saturday as he bids for a first Australian Open singles crown, said: 

“It feels really good to get the win today in such a short space of time because last week when we played them it was three and a half hours. I think that shows the improvements we’re making as a team and we’re just trying to find our levels again and Performances like today really help the confidence and we can build on that.  We’ve got ambitions to kick on and it’s 18 months until the (Paris 2024) Games. For me, personally, it’s just great to have him (Reid) back. I played with quite a  few different players last year, so I missed him a bit.” 

Hewett and Reid’s latest major title sees them equal the record of 16 Grand Slam men’s doubles titles as a pair won by American twins Bob and Mike Bryan. When winning their third Australian Open and third French Open titles in 2022 they created a new record of 10 successive Grand Slam doubles titles as a pair, beating the previous record of eight won by Martina Navratilova and Pam Shriver. 

Photo courtesy of Getty Images for the LTA

Scottish Disability Sport is delighted to announce our next Girls in Boccia event will take place on Saturday 4^th March at Menzieshill Community Hub in Dundee. This event is open to all women and girls who have a physical, learning or sensory disability. Whether you are a boccia regular or never played before, this event will cater to all. So come along, meet some new people, try out boccia and hear of the impact boccia has had on the lives of some of our leading female players!

To register please click here

The Scottish boccia squad made an excellent start to 2023 coming away with 2 silver medals from the UK Challenger in Antrim, Northern Ireland. Making the short journey across the Irish Sea were Scottish National squad players, Lewis McConnell, Kayleigh Haggo, Ross MacNeil and Fiona Muirhead supported by coaches Peter McGuire and Jenny Netherey. The Scots made a strong start to Day 1 with all 4 players winning their opening matches. Ross led the way with a dominant 8-1 victory over Michaela Hollywood and his teammates followed suit as Lewis defeated Sian Jones 9-4, Kayleigh picked up an 11-0 victory over Rachel Ross and Fiona Muirhead opened with a 6-0 victory against young English prospect Harrison Smith.

The second round of matches brought more success for Ross as he beat Gareth Stafford 8-0, but Kayleigh was unfortunate losing a nail biting match in a tiebreak to Scott Cromie. Fiona was more fortunate in a hard-fought encounter with Penny Froude as she picked up a 4-3 win.

Day 1 came to a close with Scottish players featuring on the livestreamed courts. Kayleigh bounced back to form with an impressive 7-2 win against James Clowes while Lewis put up a battling performance against Dylan Nelson eventually losing 8-3. As day 2 began, all 4 Scottish players still in with a chance of a gold medal. Lewis ensured this was still the case after his playoff match as he won a very tight encounter 3-1 against Caroline Robinson and thus secured his place in the semi-finals. Fiona remained undefeated in the BC4 competition as she picked up a 6-1 win over Jayne Milligan. Ross was unfortunate in his BC3 semi-final losing out 7-0 to Daniel Elliott, a score that didn’t highlight just how tight the majority of the ends were. Kayleigh also came up short in her semi-final, going down 5-1 to Irelands Padraic Moran. Lewis did find success in his semi-final however, as he gained his revenge on Dylan Nelson with a brilliant 4-1 win. The final round of matches meant all 4 Scots still had a chance of a medal. Fiona was first up but was defeated by an inspired Sophie Newnham 7-2, meaning Fiona came away with BC4 silver. Kayleigh had a tough bronze medal match and couldn’t quite make the shots she was looking for as she was beaten 9-0 by Dylan Nelson. Ross put up a brilliant battling display despite being reduced to 5 balls in the call room and took Michaela Hollywood all the way to the last few shots before eventually missing out on bronze 6-3. Lewis had an incredible back and forth match in the BC1/2 final against Padraic Moran. Trailing 4-1 heading into the final end, Lewis regrouped and produced 4 brilliant shots, that meant a measure would decide the destination of the gold medal. Unfortunately, it was not

to be for Lewis as he was millimetres from getting the 3rd ball he needed to take the match to a tiebreak. 4-3 to Padraic meant Lewis came away with a fantastic silver medal.

Coach Peter McGuire had the following to say on the weekend:

“In the year of our Lord 2023, boccia players of Scotland, fearless and outnumbered, charged the courts of Antrim. They Fought like warrior poets. They fought like Scotsmen and done their nation proud!” Congratulations to all the players and medal winners over the weekend and thanks to DSNI and Boccia UK for putting on a fantastic competition.

 

 

Throughout this year the #BeActiveBeWell2023 campaign will promote opportunities for children, young people and adults with disabilities to improve their wellbeing by being active in a way that suits them. 

The campaign is being run in partnership by Scottish Disability Sport, The Daily Mile,  scottishathletics, SAMH, Paths for All, GOGA Tayside and  Sportscotland 

This month #BeActiveBeWell2023 will be shining the spotlight on the SDS Parasport Festival Series. The parasport festival is a unique, lifechanging, fun exciting introduction to physical activity and sport for school aged children with physical disabilities, hearing loss and vision impairments.

Click here to find out where the nearest festival is to you and how you can register. 

“Today was my favourite day at school because everything was about me and what I could do.” 

“Sportacular, Awesome and Great Fun.”

These are some of the quotes from participants who enjoyed attending an SDS parasport festival last year. 

The parasport experience offers more than physical activity and sport to young people. It can be life changing as they also meet other children with similar impairments, make new friends and learn new skills which increases their confidence, self-esteem. 

Prior to registering please ensure you check eligibility for your young person here and when registering ensure the registration is in the child’s name. 

Please use this link to watch our ‘Get Involved’ video go find out a bit more or contact SDS on admin@scottishdisabilitysport.com or 0131 317 1130.  

     

 

Dave Clarke Appointed New Chief Executive of British Paralympic Association

 

A record-breaking Paralympian has been appointed as the new Chief Executive of the British Paralympic Association.

Dave Clarke will succeed Mike Sharrock who steps down at the end of February after more than four years at the helm.

Clarke represented his country 144 times in blind football scoring a record 128 goals in the process. He competed for ParalympicsGB at the Beijing 2008 and London 2012 Paralympic Games and also in Goalball at Atlanta 1996.

He was a torchbearer at the London 2012 opening ceremony, passing it to Margaret Maughan, Britain’s first ever Paralympic gold medal winner, who then lit the Paralympic Cauldron.

As well as his sporting prowess, Clarke will bring the benefit of a highly successful career in banking spanning 24 years before he turned his attention to the charitable sector at the Royal National Institute of Blind People where he was most recently Chief Operating Officer producing transformational change in the organisation.

He said: “I am thrilled to be appointed as Chief Executive of the British Paralympic Association, an organisation that is close to my heart.  It is an honour to join at such an exciting time, as we build momentum towards Paris 2024 and strive to deliver greater social impact to challenge perceptions and break down barriers for all disabled people in the UK.

“My experience as a Paralympian has shown me the unique power sport can have to change attitudes and to boost physical and mental wellbeing for everybody.”

Clarke has also been an integral member of the BPA, having served two terms as Chair of the Athletes’ Commission, and for six years on the board, including being the current Vice-chair.

Nick Webborn, Chair of the BPA, said: “Dave brings a superb range of experience in sport, business and the charitable sector to the British Paralympic Association as we aspire to have even greater impact not only in continued excellence during Summer and Winter Paralympics Games but also on wider society.

“He knows the organisation so well and will hit the ground running. It is also a clear statement of intent from the BPA to lead from the front in inclusion and diversity, with disabled people appointed to leadership positions on merit.

“I would also like to thank Mike Sharrock for his tireless work as CEO as he has steered the organisation through some of the most challenging times in its history with the Covid-19 impacted Tokyo 2020 and Beijing 2022 Paralympic Games. He has left us well placed to continue to inspire a better world for disabled people.”

As Vice-chair Clarke was integral to developing the BPA’s ambitious 10-year strategic plan, Championing Change, and now has the opportunity to lead its delivery. The strategy sets out two key priorities: 

Best Prepared Team: Over the next ten years we will ensure that the UK continues to be a world leader in Paralympic sport. 

Social Impact: To harness the positive power of ParalympicsGB athletes to inspire social change focusing on public attitudes, improving the lived experience for disabled people and to create an environment where all disabled people can thrive.

He will begin his new position at the BPA on 13 March 2023.