The East of Scotland Parasport Festival took place on Tuesday 19th March. It was held at Winchburgh Academy, West Lothian. The festival was organised by Helen Kallow, East of Scotland Regional Development Manager in partnership with many local and national organisations. The day had lots of fantastic opportunities for fun and engagement, with around 50 participants attending. Some of these opportunities were boccia, wheelchair basketball, badminton, swimming, and kayaking.
Helen viewed the day as a huge success. “It was fantastic to see all the smiling faces and hear all the positive comments from the parents and teachers about the sports the kids had enjoyed. It was great teamwork”.
Helen continued to say, “I think it’s so important. All the comments have been that the kids have tried things that they never would have tried before. Some of the parents thought that the kids might have been reluctant but just to see other similar people take part, coaches, and helpers as well, it’s been such a positive experience for them”.
“I just think of watching the smile and the face of one of the girls in the canoe, who never thought that she could be in a canoe and what a great time she had”, said Helen.
Each Parasport Festival relies on multiple organisations, coaches, and volunteers to help with the planning and delivery of the day. One individual who played a crucial role was Demi Mitchell, Active Schools Coordinator Lead for Additional Support Needs and Care Experience within West Lothian. “I am at the Parasport Festival from the local authority as I’ve been working in partnership with Scottish Disability Sport, and we are proud to host the event at Winchburgh and West Lothian today. So, I am here helping to organise, support the event, ensuring that everybody has the most enjoyable time.”
Demi further explained the crucial role that the Parasport Festival play: “We know those that attend a mainstream school or mainstream setting can be excluded and left out of sport, which is something we really don’t want. So, I think this is a huge opportunity to show thousands of people, staff, volunteers, and young people that they can take part in sport and by also providing access, demonstrating to those young people that everything is possible. Some of these young people don’t know what’s out there”.
This view is also shared by Fee, a parent and guardian for two children at the festival. Fee talked about the Parasport Festivals providing opportunities that are not always available for young individuals with a disability: “they absolutely loved the first one [Parasport Festival]. It gave them the opportunity to try things that they’d not tried before and things that are not available to them where we live.”
One of the coaches that delivered sessions on the day was, Pamela Robson, National Disability Pathways Officer for Scottish Athletics. Pamala talked about the role that the Parasport Festival plays in providing opportunities from an early age, and the value that she puts on this.
“I feel like the sooner we can get kids into sport the better breaking down barriers before they are there. If we can get children as young as possible to try different sports and realise that they can do it, that there is a way for everyone to participate, then it can only be a positive.” Said Pamela.
She further showcased some of the partner work that is involved in the Parasport Festivals. “In this area we have coaches from three different clubs coming to deliver today. So, we’ve got Corstorphine AC who run a frame running session.
“We’ve got Team East Lothian, who do athletics and frame running and we have a club from Fife who support the frame running as well. But there’s also a few clubs in the local area that offer athletics to people with a disability and have started to develop the bespoke frame running sessions as well. So, it’s amazing to see them here today developing opportunities for people in the area but also for them to see just what the demand is.”
If you would like to find out more information about Scottish Disability Sport’s work or how to find out what is available in your local area please go to contact SDS on 0131 317 1130 or by email at: admin@scottishdisabilitysport.com
It was another successful Parasport Festival as Tayside welcomed 57 participants to their event on Wednesday 6th March.
Dundee & Angus College hosted the Parasport Festival which saw children and young people participate in nine different sports, including: athletics, judo, fencing, goalball, boccia, badminton, basketball, football and cycling.
Graeme Doig, Scottish Disability Sport’s (SDS) Regional Development Manager for Tayside, said: “We’ve all enjoyed another wonderful Parasport Festival in Tayside, and it was great to see so many pupils with smiles on their faces all day long learning new skills, increasing confidence and making new friends.”
Out of the 57 participants, 20 attended for the first time, which is a positive indicator of the increase in Parasport awareness within the region.
The event was a great celebration for the community, as three local authorities (Angus, Dundee City and Perth & Kinross) supported the Parasport Festival with children/young people attending from across 28 schools.
“The local clubs involved, along with Sports students from Dundee & Angus College, led the way with their sport, introduced adaptative equipment and demonstrated that with the right support and small adaptations, sport really is for everyone”, said Graeme Doig.
Elite Para athlete, Rory McKinna, was at the Parasport Festival showcasing his sport, Para sailing. Rory provided a talk to explain about Para sailing and even brought in one of his training boats.
“Probably one of the best things about the Parasport festival is the diversity of sports availabl”, said Rory.
He continued to say, “Quite often there’s things that you might not have the opportunity to see, just on a day-to-day basis. Sailing for instance, kayaking. They’re based on the water so if you’re not near the water then you might not naturally see those sports. So, coming along today you’ll get introduced to a bunch of things that you might have never considered before and you never know, it might just be the sport for you.”
Dundee City Council was represented by members of the Deaf Education Team from the Accessibility and Inclusion Service. They remarked on the Parasport Festival, saying: “We are delighted once again to be a part of Tayside Parasport Festival in Dundee. We always love to support this event because the organistaion is excellent, the communication and explanation of all events and all the activities is of an excellent standard and it is a wonderful opportunity for our pupils to come together and it shows the power of breaking down barriers through sport and the power of experiential earning for all our learners.”
Tayside will be hosting a second day for water sports, including swimming. More details for day two will be confirmed at a later date.
Forth Valley’s Parasport Festival will be taking place on Wednesday 14th March, which leaves the East of Scotland and Shetland. To find out more about SDS’s Parasport Festivals, visit here.
The Dumfries and Galloway Parasport Festival took place on Tuesday 27th February. The festival was held in DG1 Leisure complex, where various sports were being provided with fantastic opportunities to participate in; Swimming, Judo, Boccia and Pickleball.
SDS’s Dumfries and Galloway Regional Development Manager, Dianne Campbell, along with branch colleagues and the support of local sporting clubs, organised and delivered activities on the day.
Dianne believes that everyone played a crucial role in the festival and highlighted the partnership working that goes into such occasions by listing many of those involved. Thanks to Laura Vickers, Dumfries and Galloway Disability Sport (DGDS) Branch Coordinator, Dave Denholm, DGDS Chair, Dave Watt, DGDS Boccia Coach, Dumfries College Students, Dumfries High Sports Leaders, Paul Wilson from Scottish Swimming and coaches from the venue, Luke Struthers and JudoScotland coaches and Ryan and Charlie for Pickleball.
The event was fortunate to benefit from the support of volunteers from Dumfries and Galloway College. The students decided to volunteer at the event as they saw it to be a great opportunity to gain some practical experience.
One student, Kieran, explained, “I have enjoyed my day because I have learned something new”.
Kieran further explained that the day created a number of opportunities to work with a new range of participants: “It’s with a group of children that you don’t often get the chance to work with”.
Dianne believes that the Parasport Festival was a success, with a total of 20 participants: 14 boys and six girls. Numbers were up from the 12 attendees in the previous year.
When reflecting on the day, Dianne said, “I was delighted how the Dumfries Parasport event went and it was lovely to see an increase in numbers of children attending this year. So many positive comments from teachers, parents and children attending. We are already looking forward to next year’s event!”
Over one hundred children attended the West of Scotland’s Parasport Festival, which took place at On-X Linwood on Monday 4th March.
It was the second highest number of participants to ever attend a Parasport Festival in the West of Scotland.
Participants got to try a diverse variety of sports: athletics, cricket, powerchair football, football, basketball, swimming, boccia, badminton, Para canoe, tennis, table tennis and snow sports.
Having just joined Scottish Disability Sport (SDS) at the end of last year, it was the first Parasport Festival that Fraser Kennedy had to organise and it proved to be a great accomplishment.
“It was a really fantastic day, to have over 100 children attending from all across the West of Scotland was a huge success”, said the Regional Development Manager for the West.
“The day itself ran incredibly well thanks to all the students from City of Glasgow College and the coaches from the SGBs (Scottish Governing Bodies) and the community clubs that delivered a total of 13 different sports, ” Fraser said.
The event attracted returning participants as well as welcoming 74 children and young people to their first ever Parasport Festival.
“Ellie’s been before and she really enjoyed it”, said Andrea Martindale, Ellie’s mum.
“She loves the variety of sports. She’s doing some sports that she’s never even tried before. She loves that.”
As well as taking part in sport, Parasport Festivals provide a unique opportunity for children and young people to socialise and make new friends.
“She also enjoys being with people that also have disabilities, so she doesn’t feel so alone. So that’s a good support for her,” said Andrea.
Basketball Scotland is a regular attendee at SDS’ Parasport Festivals and the sport proved to be very popular on Monday.
“I love Parasport Festivals. We do them every year”, said Tina Gordon, Basketball Scotland’s Disability and Inclusion Manager.
She continued to say, “It’s amazing to see so many young children playing, having fun and it gives us a real opportunity to find new players and introduce the sport of wheelchair basketball and basketball to them.”
The West of Scotland’s event was the fifth Parasport Festival to take place this year. Upcoming Parasport Festivals include Tayside, Forth Valley, East of Scotland and Shetland.
Whilst registration has closed for both Tayside and Forth Valley, there is still time to sign up for the East and Shetland. To do so and for more information about the Parasport Festivals, visit here.
Disability Sport Fife welcomed 48 participants to their first ever Parasport Festival, on Thursday 22nd February.
The event allowed for children and young people with a physical, vision and hearing impairment to try boccia, athletics, swimming, basketball, football, badminton, paddle sports (canoe, kayak), cricket, tennis and water skiing before rounding off the day hearing from some elite Para athletes including Paralympian, Derek Rae.
It was an all-day event hosted at the Michael Woods Sports & Leisure Centre in Glenrothes. Following its conclusion, SDS’ Regional Development Manager for Fife, Gayle Sloan, said that there were, “a lot of happy faces. Lots of excitement. They (the participants) were having fun and that’s got to be the main thing. That’s what we wanted to achieve today and that’s what we did.”
One of the main objectives of SDS’ Parasport festivals is to attract new people along to further highlight all the sporting opportunities and physical activities available in their area.
42 out of the 48 participants had never attended a Parasport festival before. This included eight people who do not fully fully participate in PE at school.
Kirsty Byrne, Disability Sport Fife’s Branch Coordinator and Administrator, commented on this, saying: “There were a lot of new faces that we hadn’t seen before coming from across Fife so it will hopefully be great to see them at our competitions and some of our sessions throughout the week. It’s really nice to see new faces and make new connections and relationships in order to facilitate that participation within sport.”
Kimberley Smith accompanied her son Patrick, to the Parasport Festival. Despite Patrick already attending sport sessions at both Pitreavie and Michael Woods, the Parasport Festival was still beneficial.
“Everybody is the same but different and it’s [Parasport festival] so inclusive. Some good tips and tricks for moving forward in to other games and just learning. Learning all the time with things like this”, said Kimberley Smith.
She continued to comment on how their learnings from the day could be applied at Patrick’s school: “It will be good for the likes of the football and boccia and other things that he could learn at school because he’s the only wheelchair user in the school. So, to learn tips and tricks here and take it back to the school and teach the school things, is just good. He can see it, try it, test it and take it back.”
Maree Todd, the Minister for Social Care, Mental Wellbeing and Sport attended in the afternoon to see first-hand, the impact Parasport Festivals can have. “I really believe in the power of sport,” she said.
“This is a wonderful occasion. It’s a real celebration. There’s lots and lots of different clubs here who will carry on that relationship and that inclusion. It’s really powerful work that’s happening in here and everyone’s having a great time.”
(Maree Todd MSP’s full interview is available here.)
Athletics was one of the sports available to try on Thursday. Pamela Robson from Scottish Athletics led the athletics sessions in the morning and remarked on participants having already requested follow-up information on the sessions available in Fife.
“It’s amazing. It’s exactly what you want and that’s the whole point”, said Pamela.
“We wanted to do this today so that people could take part in sport in their local community. We don’t want children with a disability to have to travel an hour to find a club that’s inclusive”.
Disability Sport Fife are planning a second Parasport Festival at the end of the year but opportunities to engage in sport and physical activity are ongoing through a variety of clubs and sessions. If you would like more information on the opportunities in Fife, please contact Gayle Sloan at: gayle.sloan@scottishdisabilitysport.com
For opportunities available outside of Fife, please contact the relevant Regional Development Manager here.
To find out more about your region’s Parasport Festival, visit here.
Join MDUK’s Scottish Conference for adults and parents of children living with a muscle wasting condition.
Hear from experts to help you live well and our own team who’ll be updating you on the advice and support services we offer. You’ll also have the opportunity to talk to other organisations working in the muscle wasting and weakening community.
Speakers on the day include Clinical Psychologist Dr Niamh Bergin and Clinical Associate in Applied Psychology Salla Kärki. They will both be sharing information on emotional and mental wellbeing. Panels on the day will discuss education. There will also be an introduction to Self-Directed Support (SDS) with Paul Barrowman. Sanjeev Mann will close they day talking about music and mental wellbeing.
This event is not only a great way to find out information, it’s also a really good way to connect with other people in the muscle wasting community, to share stories, experiences, tips and advice.
The Highland Parasport Festival took place on Saturday 3rd February in the Craig Maclean Leisure Centre, Grantown-on-Spey. The event provided children and young people the opportunity to try a wide variety of sports including boccia, wheelchair basketball and swimming.
Highland’s regional development manager, Kathryn Talbot-Heigh, organised the Parasport Festival – her first since joining Scottish Disability Sport back in September 2023. Kathyrn’s nerves were quickly put aside as she saw what joy the activities were giving the participants.
“There were a couple of kids that were looking a bit nervous when they came in, and I am now looking around the hall and they are all smiling and totally enjoying it”, said Kathyrn during the morning session on Saturday.
As the development manager for the Highlands, Kathryn believes that it is extremely important to provide rural communities with a range of physical activity and sport opportunities.
Throughout Saturday, Kathryn was approached by several parents that shared this sentiment, saying that, “if this had been in Inverness their children wouldn’t have gone to it, as it would just be a step too far for them”.
Another parent explained that although they had been in contact with sport governing bodies, it could be challenging for them to attend events as, “a lot of it takes place in the central belt, so although we are part of a community we don’t get the chance to engage very often”.
The diversity of sports that participants could try, was a significant contributing factor for attracting children and young people. Participants could engage table tennis, curling, wheelchair basketball, swimming, boccia and dance.
One participant called Samantha, who is a keen basketball and tennis player, said that she was: “really looking forward to trying out Boccia for the first time”.
Kathryn was supported by several clubs that provided expert coaching and guidance on the day, including Brian Stevens from the Inverness City Lions wheelchair basketball club. He said, “I absolutely love these come and try days”.
“The main thing is they [participants] have all enjoyed themselves, there are a lot of smiles and lots of laughter”, continued Brain.
The Parasport Festivals provide an opportunity to reach more people and increase awareness about disability sport. One parent explained that their child had been, “reluctant to attend anything with a disability focus to it”. Saturday proved to be a was a gamechanger for her son, explaining that he, “has really enjoyed his day, and hopes to continue participating in the sports that he tried today.”
There were many staff and volunteers who played a vital part in the organising, smooth running and delivery of the event. Fiona Green, a colleague of Kathryn at Highland Disability Sport that helped out on Saturday, said that she thought, “it’s really important to allow young children to have the opportunity to try activities that they haven’t had the chance to try before, in a great, safe environment for them to all come together”.
Fiona also talked about the excitement of this event “becoming a regular fixture” in the future, explaining further that it would be great to, “see just how much this type of event can grow and see all the different clubs which we can, to get involved”.
To get involved or find out more about your local Parasport Festival, visit here.
Scottish Disability Sport has released the dates and locations of several Parasport Festivals taking place within the first quarter of 2024.
The Parasport Festivals provide a fun, inclusive and safe environment for young people at a mainstream school with either a physical, hearing or visual impairment to participate and try new sports.
By Emma Logan, Communications Manager
HIGHLAND & ISLANDS
Date: 3rd February
Location: Craig McLean Leisure Centre, Grantown on Spey, PH26 3HU
As 2023 draws to an end it’s time to reflect on some of the top moments across Scotland.
Here’s a quick recap of some of the highlights, divided by the regions in Scotland.
By Emma Logan, Communications Manager
EAST OF SCOTLAND –
Frame runners at Corstorphine AC
2023 was a groundbreaking year for the East region. In the spring, Corstorphine Athletics Club welcomed Frame Running sessions and in doing so, became the very first club in Edinburgh to offer this training to athletes with a disability. More information here.
In the same month, great success was found on the court as the Edinburgh Giants Wheelchair Rugby team was formed. SDS provided support in it’s launch at the Edinburgh University Pleasance Sports Complex & Gym. Through weekly training sessions and national matches, the club went on to receive great recognition within the sport and developed exponentially.
The Edinburgh Giants WHRL Club’s foundation is built on inclusivity and each player brings great uniqueness. The club attracts a diverse range of people, with the majority of people joining without past experience playing the sport. Some players have even gone on to represent Scotland on an international level. To find out more or get involved, visit here.
GRAMPIAN –
In September, Grampian celebrated another fantastic Parasport Festival.
24 children, aged 6-17 years-old, attended the event in which they got to try multiple sports including: swimming, Paddle sports (kayak and canoe), judo, wheelchair basketball, table tennis, Snowsports, boccia and all disciplines of athletics.
SDS Parasport festivals provide a unique opportunity for young people with either a physical disability, vision impairment or hearing loss to try sport in a safe and inclusive environment.
Josef Tautscher, Regional Development Manager for Grampian, regarded the day as a huge success and highlighted its significance when he said: “The Grampian Parasport Festival is an important opportunity for kids across the region to come and try sports and activities with their peers, often for the first time! It’s an awesome day of fun, showcasing the opportunities that are available for these kids to take part meaningfully in a safe and inclusive environment. For many parents coming along it allowed them to see what is possible and, in many cases, surprising them with what their child was able to do and achieve. The event was a great success with positive feedback from everyone and I’m looking forward to welcoming more kids from across the region to our 2024 Parasport Festival! A big thank you to everyone for coming along and to the Clubs & Coaches, Governing Bodies, Aberdeen Sports Village and of course the Students from North East Scotland College, for making the event happen.”
Video highlights of Grampian’s Parasport festival can be found here. You can learn more about SDS’ Parasport Festivals here.
FIFE –
Fife celebrated its first ever Women and Girls Day in May. The event was a huge success, attracted over 80 participants. The day gave women and girls the opportunity to engage in sport and physical activity. It also provide a social setting in which women and girls could connect and form friendships, in a fun and safe environment.
Further celebrations continued throughout the year for Fife, with Steve Doig from Fife AC
Steve Doig accepting his award at SSA 2023
winning the Sport Scotland Coach of the Year Award (in December).
“It’s a great honour to be nominated for such a prestigious award and to actually win is incredible. In reality I feel it’s an award for the whole of our training group, both athletes and coaches”, said Steve Doig upon receiving the award.
Doig supports many athletes, including coaching Ben Sandilands to gold in the men’s 1500m T20 at the Paris 2023 World Para Athletics Championships, on his debut.
“The nomination is based on the successful performances of some top quality Para athletes and their success is aided by the assistance of many training partners and support coaches. It’s great recognition for athletics and more specifically Para athletics.”
He continued to say, “It’s important to stress that there are hundreds of people across athletics clubs in Scotland doing exactly the same as me, but I’m in the incredibly fortunate position of working with a group of high profile Para athletes. I’m very proud of what people have achieved, but also proud of the fact that so many people have been involved in helping these athletes fulfil their potential.”
WEST –
The West made great strides in development, in a variety of areas and sports.
The SDS Get Active Referral Programme has now been implemented in 12 of 14 NHS health boards. To date, 46% of individuals who have been referred as part of the scheme by Allied Health Professionals, have been supported to engage in sport and/or physical activity, such as swimming, athletics and wheelchair sports including wheelchair basketball.
Lorna Sinclair, Advanced Specialist Paediatric Physiotherapist, NHSGGC Specialist Children’s Services, commented on the scheme: “In my 10 years of being with NHSGGC and accessing SDS for inclusion and activity support for our patients – I’ve never had as many compliments from parents as I’ve had over the past 6 months. Whatever you’re doing at SDS, keep doing it – it makes a huge difference to the health, wellbeing, esteem and acceptance for our children and their families and carers.”
As the end of the year drew closer, on Monday 11th December the University of Strathclyde Sport hosted an Active Campus Christmas Festival where over 50 supported learning students from City of Glasgow College, Glasgow Kelvin College, Glasgow Clyde College and West College Scotland attended the event. The students got to try a number of sports including Boccia, Badminton, Football and Zumba which were all delivered by City of Glasgow HND sports coaching students. The event was brilliantly organised by the newly appointed Active Campus Coordinators from each college with the support of Scottish Student Sport and Scottish Disability Sport on the day. It was a huge success and leaves plenty scope for more of the same next year.
There were great developments in increasing opportunities in sport in South Lanarkshire. The South Lanarkshire Disability Sport Multisport and Boccia Sessions began in East Kilbride, in June. The sessions offered new opportunities for participants with disabilities of any age and ability to try out new sports and get involved with Boccia.
“With The start-up of the SLDS Multisport and Boccia sessions I am very happy that there are now more opportunities for people with disabilities to come along and participate in sport. The participants have all enjoyed the sessions and the ability to try new things and find sports that they love to play,” said Regional Development Manager, Colette Martin.
Martin continued, “I am thankful for all the support from SLDS committee, the coaches and the volunteers who come along every week to the sessions and provide amazing support to those who participate and I am glad that the participants and their families have a new opportunity to get involved in sport within their community.”
TAYSIDE –
There was brilliance in boccia for Tayside.
Alex Medley (18) from Perth Eagles Boccia Club won the gold medal in Scottish BISFED Boccia Championships in the BC2 category. Alex has been supported to progress his overall game from playing with his local club to then the Tayside regional boccia squad, to now where he trains with the Scottish National Development squad currently coached by Paralympian, Peter McGuire.
Alex Medley smiles after winning a boccia match
“It’s been amazing to see the progress Alex has made in 2023. He is very tactically aware and has added so many key elements to his game”, said Tayside’s regional development manager, Graeme Doig.
“He also helps with some coaching at Perth Eagles and has gained his Level 1 Boccia Officials qualification. I’m really excited to see what’s next in Alex’s boccia journey in 2024”, said Doig.
Dundee City Disability Sport, in partnership with Leisure & Sport Dundee and supported by Scottish Disability Sport, were delighted to host this year’s Discovery Games – the 24th year of delivering this event. The Discovery Games are held in September every year with almost 300 people with disabilities competing in the various championships, including: Wheelchair Basketball, Badminton, Equestrian, Powerchair Football, Boccia, Carpet Bowls and this year introduced a new style SOMA Festival.
“The discovery games have been a mainstay of the events calendar for many years and each event is always so well run with a clear focus of giving opportunities for people with
disabilities to participate, progress and perform with their peers”, commented Graeme Doig.
“The return this year to a full schedule of events following the pandemic was great to see and huge credit must go to Darren Thomson at Leisure and Sport Dundee who brings so many people together to make the games happen”, said Doig.
CENTRAL –
November 2023 saw the return of the East Dunbartonshire Inclusion Forum, where over 10 clubs attended alongside the LA.
Through the ED Inclusion Forum, it’s the first time that clubs in East Dunbartonshire have had the opportunity to come together to discuss the state of inclusion in the local authority since the pandemic. The meeting was crucial to create club engagement around inclusion and inclusive opportunities and will continue going forward as a regular forum.
A few months prior, Forth Valley won the Bob Mitchell Trophy at 2023 Scottish Senior Athletics Championship in Grangemouth.
The sport in the local area has endured some challenging years recently and so receiving the trophy was a significant moment for Forth Valley and an encouraging one for the sport’s development at a local level.
HIGHLAND –
Highland welcomed Alison Thompson as Highland Disability Sport (HDS) Co-Ordinator.
Alison Thompson sitting at her desk
Thompson came into the role already familiar with HDS’ work, as she previously volunteered with HDS. She co-ran the athletics group at the athletics track in Inverness and also coached at D.I.S.C at Drummond school. She also helped out with some summer sports projects over at Dingwall Academy around 2012. From leaving High School she went to work at Drummond School for ten years and thoroughly enjoyed her time there.
Thompson comes with a wealth of experience and she is eager understand where her skills and expertise can be applied, to help HDS thrive and give opportunities to those who may have struggled to participate in the fantastic work that has already being done. Based at Culloden Library, she will be working alongside the High Life Highland Disability Sport Development Officers, Charlie Forbes and Fiona Green.
To find out more and/or get involved in your region, please contact Scottish Disability Sport via –
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