2 June 2008

Gearing Up for a Month Long Festival of Disability Sports

With a number of various disability sports clubs and activities already up and running in communities throughout Gwynedd and Anglesey, the counties are now working together to stage a month-long festival this June to promote the sporting opportunities which are on offer.

As part of the Community Club Challenge 2008 held throughout June, Gwynedd Council and Anglesey Council Disability Sport Wales (DSW) Development Officers have teamed up with Health Challenge Gwynedd & Mon to raise awareness about the local clubs which currently offer disability sports opportunities.

There are an increasing number of disability sports clubs situated throughout the Gwynedd area at present, with clubs currently offering archery, walking, multi-sports, trampolining for autistic children, a wheelchair walking club and three clubs which concentrate on boccia - a kind of bowls. It is also hoped that more clubs will be established in the coming months which will concentrate on football, badminton, deaf trampolining, physical disabilities trampolining, athletics and visual impaired walking.

The Community Club Challenge held throughout June will allow participants to try as many activities as possible, as well as giving the clubs an opportunity to gain new members.

Marcus Politis, Gwynedd Council’s Disability Sport Wales Development Officer said:

“We are very proud of the wide-range of clubs which offer a number of different disability sports. Our aim by staging a whole month of different activities which are on offer in towns and villages across Gwynedd and Anglesey is to ensure that there will be something to suit everyone.

“Whilst you may be aware of the activities which are on offer at your local club, you might not always know what’s going on at the club down the road – we hope that the month-long festival will allow participants to have a look to see what’s on offer throughout the area, and to give different sports a go.

“We will offer a range of different taster sessions, a brand new schools event held to celebrate disability sports, as well as staging a ‘Volunteering Counts’ initiative which we hope will encourage more bilingual volunteers into this worthwhile area. The range of different activities supports our overall aim of making participants aware of the need to stay fit and to eat healthily.”

A wide range of opportunities will be available to participants during the month, and the challenge is for the clubs to gain new members. The sports promoted include Trampolining, Football, Walking Initiatives, Badminton, Multi-Sports, Bowls, Karate, Angling & Weight lifting and the activities will cater for Deaf & Hard of Hearing, Blind & Visually Impaired, ASD, Physical Impairments & Wheelchair users and people with Learning disabilities. 

Anyone who is interested in taking part as a participant, volunteer or a coach, or if you want to learn more about the range of events, should contact Marcus Politis – DSW Development Officer for Gwynedd Council on 01758 704109 / 07766 505320, or Karen Williams, Anglesey DSW Development Officer on 01248 752046.

PHOTOGRAPH: The Community Club Challenge 2008 will offer a wide range of disability sports opportunities at clubs across Gwynedd and Anglesey

The Community Club Challenge 2008 will be officially launched at the Maes Glas Sport Centre in Bangor from 9.45am on Thursday, 5 June.

The events held as part of the Community Club Challenge 2008 include:

Date

        Event   Time    Age     For / Location 

Thursday, 5 June

        Schools Day                     Maes Glas Bangor

Saturday 7 June Trampolining

 10am-11.30am    11.30am-1pm     6-16

6-16    Deaf, Hard of Hearing & Visually Impaired, Maes Glas Bangor

Pan Disability, Maes Glas Bangor

Monday, 9 June

Llangefni Lions FC      5pm - 7pm       16+     Pan Disability, Plas Arthur, Llangefni

Tuesday 10 June

Voice Trail Walk

Badminton       10:30am  7pm-9pm 14+

14+     Visual Impairment, Abergwyngregyn

Physical Disability, Maes Glas Bangor

    Thursday, 12 June

 Boccia Club

Wheel Walks     11:15am-12:15pm

10.30am Adults

Open Age        CP& Wheelchair users, Porthmadog Leisure Centre

Wheelchair Users, Rhosmeirch Car Park

       Tuesday, 17 Jun

Trampolining   6pm-7pm 6-16    ASD, Maes Glas Bangor  

Wednesday, 18 June

   Môn Independents

Multi-Sports Club

        7pm - 8.30pm    12+     Pan-Disability, Ysgol Uwchradd Bodedern

   Thursday, 19 June

        Bowls   2pm - 4pm       Open Age        Pan-Disability, Menai Bridge Bowls Club

Friday, 20 June

        Archery         7pm - 8pm       Open Age        Pan-Disability, Canolfan Cymuned Talysarn      

Saturday, 21 June

        Tandem Biking   10.30am         14+     Visual Impairment, Llyn Ogwen -Bryncir 

Tuesday, 24 June

        Karate  5.30pm - 6.30pm 5+      Pan-Disability, Neuadd Gyhoeddus Trawsfynydd   

Thursday, 26 June

Angling         10am - 4pm      Open Age        Pan-Disability, Breakwater Park Holyhead       

Friday, 27 June

Weightlifting   5.30pm - 6.30pm         16+     Physical Disability, Mill Bank Holyhead