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1 K O O 14/15 Y B R A E 20

2 BASI happy to be supporting DSUK Training Snowsport Instructors Worldwide BASI, Morlich House, 17 The Square, Grantown-on-Spey, PH26 3HG t f e office@basi.org.uk

3 Annual Report & Yearbook 2014/15 DSUK Glenmore Lodge Grounds, Aviemore, PH22 1QU Tel: Steven West GENERAL MANAGER It s been another whirlwind year at DSUK, with the Sochi Paralympic Games being just one of the highlights. This year has shown that, thanks to the strong links between our programmes, we can offer something for all skiers and boarders at all levels, from the first time on a slope to a gold medal in Sochi. Our Ski Schools are going from strength to strength: the numbers are up again, with more complete beginners and improving skiers and boarders accessing the indoor slopes and mountains. The Local Groups have tirelessly offered recreational adaptive snowsports across the country. The Activity Weeks programme, with 12 trips last winter, gave the chance to take these skills into the mountains in Europe and the USA. We are continuing to design and pilot exciting trips to fulfil the demands of our members. In competitive snowsports, we resumed our Access for All Race League and held our first race on Cairngorm, which was great fun for all who attended as it took place in a mountain environment. Sochi was an unbelievable success for the British Disabled Ski Team who returned with four medals for Jade and Caroline and the first GB Gold on snow for Kelly and Charlotte. With the team s success and Kelly and Charlotte s nomination for Sports Personality of the Year, we hope this will inspire future talent to take part in snowsports and fulfil their potential. I would like to offer a huge thank you to our many volunteers and supporters without whom none of these programmes would be possible, and also to the DSUK staff who all work hard towards our goal of giving equal access to snowsports to all disabled people, regardless of their needs. I am looking forward to another busy year in 2015 and hope to see as many of you as possible enjoying what we all love to do. CONTENTS Chairman s Report 4 CEO Report Snowsport Report 8 Fundraising Report 9 Overview of BDST 2013/14 12 Financial Report 14 Compliance Officer 16 OBE Fi 18 Access for All 20 Local Group 22 Ski Schools 24 Trusts & Grants 28 Skiers 30 Fundraisers 40 Santa Events 44 Ryan Carney 46 DSUK Trustees 52 DSUK Info 52 DSUK Staff 53 A Big Thank You 54 Fundraising Event Dates 56 Our Mission & Vision Mission Statement. To promote equality and opportunity for people with disabilities to take part in snowsports and to help improve their enjoyment and standard of performance at the level of their choice. Vision Statement. Skiers & snowboarders with a disability should be able to ski alongside non-disabled skiers and snowboarders as equals. 3

4 CHAIRMAN S REPORT LISA HALL When we look back on 2014, it will be remembered as the Sochi Paralympic year with our athletes at the pinnacle of golden success. So, I have to start my report by reflecting on these outstanding results, not just from Kelly Gallagher, MBE and Charlotte Evans, MBE, who triumphed in Paralympic GB s first ever Winter Paralympic Gold, or Jade Etherington and Caroline Powell who secured 3 Silvers and a Bronze, but the achievement of all who contributed to the infrastructure and training programmes for the elite and development squads through the British Disabled Ski Team (BDST) (see report on page 12). It is their success too. In the heady days after Paralympic success, we forget the sacrifices and dedication of the athletes and just balm in the glory. However, in the investment and effort given, there is no distinction for disability. This was put so well by Lashinda Demus, a track and field athlete, in reflecting on the Sochi Olympics: I thought about all the hours they d each put in, all the times they d fallen in practice or messed up their turns; all the money they d each spent on gear and traveling to the right places to train; all the life plans they d put on hold or scheduled around their Olympic dreams; and for good reason they were here! They made it! These are the best ski athletes in the world. And, so it was, also for our Paralympians, but it is perhaps also worth reflecting that this was all achieved within the structure of our quite small charity, that has a total staff of less than 20. Meanwhile, since DSUK s charitable aim is to promote winter sporting activities to all people with disabilities, with more than 500 grassroot recreational and therapeutic participants, expecting us to continue to deliver our core programme of skischool and overseas activities, 2014 must also be remembered by the breadth of the challenges and responsibilities to all our members. One of the most important guiding principles for DSUK is to be an enabler of opportunities for snowsport for disabled people. This is supported (and limited) entirely by donations and fundraising efforts, so with only smallish grants obtained specifically to deliver podium success, we had to rely on using all of the charity s core infrastructure and the unbelievable generosity of volunteers. It isn t just the athletes who put their lives on hold to achieve success, but these volunteers, who are not recognised by standing on a podium. In particular, I want to pay very special tribute to Andrew Lockerbie, retiring Trustee of DSUK who put his day-job on hold to be BDST Performance Director, and Robbie Young, also a Trustee, who has given the last 30+ years to this charity, alongside his job, and made a central contribution to team management. Then, of course, the determination of our CEO, Fiona Young, to get the absolute best for disabled people, and who was awarded an OBE in the 2014 New Year s Honours List for her services to disability sport. So, quite a year! Despite all this excitement, Sochi wasn t the only 4 DSUK Annual Report & Yearbook 2013/14

5 thing that DSUK delivered in The overseas Activity Weeks were in high demand and a legacy of the Paralympics was the increased interest in participation through our regional ski schools. The report from Tamworth (page 26) was typical, with an increase in mono and VI participants. Linking legacy and grassroots is key in DSUK s plans, for example enabling our skiers from local slopes to experience the thrill of competition through the Race League and encouraging the BDST members to be role models for taking up snowsport. It is also wonderful to find that Caroline Powell is now also passing on her experiences to inspire future generations through teaching in our grassroots programme to members at Hemel, and Millie Knight (our youngest Paralympian) has managed to attend the Access for All Race League and present the medals. True ambassadors of snowsport. So, now we look forward again. As a result of our success, UK Sport have awarded funding for the next Paralympic cycle. This will allow us to provide a fuller training programme managed by a wellstructured and staffed BDST. Complementing (as well as supporting) this elite programme, the core work of the charity will empower access for all who want to participate in snowsport from grassroots. The vision for the next 4 years supports: Skiers and snowboarders: through snowsport pathways from grassroots with DSUK or with independent providers: 3 by increase in progression from grassroots to national and international recreational snowsport by 25% 3 by increase in opportunities to bridge the gap towards competitive and elite snowsports by 25% 3 by competing in world class competition and achieving podium places. Families, volunteers and instructors: through technical, professional and personal adaptive skills as desired and, though participation alongside disabled family members 3 by increasing volunteer recruitment by 25% 3 by increase in instructor training and recruitment by 100% to support the Ski School activity and provide expert recruitment for independent providers 3 by maintaining family Activity Weeks 3 by increase in family participation through experimental activity days and other schemes. Independent providers: supporting equality and safeguarding of beneficiaries establishing a gold standard for delivery We will focus on increasing participation at the grassroots, building on a national network with ski schools at the snow centres, ensuring that equipment and professionally qualified instructors are available to all disabled people. Over 4000 lessons are now targeted each year and we are making steady progress in developing local access. Looking forward over the next 4 years, our aims are to consolidate the 7 DSUK Ski Schools and demonstrate demand by: Increasing delivered lessons by 20-40% Increasing clients by 15-30% providing opportunities for snowsports to under-represented groups of disabled people The strategic plan highlights partnership as the key to wider development, so by fostering relationships with existing and new adaptive ski schools across the UK and abroad, we are expecting to be able to also promote delivery in independent venues. The work of DSUK reaches several thousand people annually, giving our members physical activity, social interaction and opportunity for achievement. Families take up a sport together and participate fully as a family. Our volunteers, skiing with disabled people, learn and develop new skills and break down barriers to inclusion. The strategic vision for the Charity is to achieve a closer parity in snowsport between disabled and non-disabled people. Whether en route to the world cup circuit or taking the first steps at your local slope, the bottleneck in developing our vision is funding and resources. One of the barriers is the need for more instructors, so we have continued to work with BASI and we have encouraged and will continue to recruit potential candidates to gain their adaptive qualification through BASI. We also remain completely dependent on volunteers and need to ensure that it doesn t fall entirely to the volunteers themselves to self-fund, putting the cost well outside the reaches of many of our current and potential volunteers. This is all a million/year ambition and without sufficient endowment and donation our progress will be measured. Over the coming year we need to work on our fundraising programme and take a new approach to the challenge of funding our work in delivering the objectives of the charity. Our first fundraising ParaSnowBall (see CEO report, page 6) takes place in spring 2015 and marks the beginning of this new campaign, but we need help to overcome these barriers and secure a sound basis for these exciting developments. Lisa Hall Chairman

6 CEO REPORT What a Year Fiona Young Well what a year! After all the training, the hard work, the tears, the worry, the stress, we could hardly imagine what was going to unfold in a newly built purpose ski resort in the far off mountains of Russia. All of us dreamed that the 10 athletes who qualified, and had been chosen to represent Great Britain as part of the Paralympic GB team, would achieve their personal dreams but when history was made by Kelly Gallagher, Charlotte Evans, Jade Etherington and Caroline Powell, it was beyond our wildest expectations. Kelly and Charlotte winning the first gold medal ever in British Olympic or Paralympic alpine skiing and the first two athletes, Jade and Caroline, to win four medals: 3 silvers, 1 Bronze: amazing!!! The success story didn t end there, with the rest of the athletes also achieving fantastic results: Millie Knight, 15, the youngest ever British winter Paralympian, along with her guide Rachael Ferrier, secured two top five results in their debut games; Mick Brennan attained two top ten placings; Ben Sneesby finished 11th in the slalom; James Whitley attained two top 15 finishes at the young age of 16 and Anna Turney placed 8th, 6th and 4th, narrowly missing out on a medal in the Super-G. I have to say congratulations to all the athletes, but, as always, there is a team behind the team. My thanks go out to Tony McAlister (head coach), Euan Bennett (development coach), James Redpath (team administrator), Andrew Lockerbie (performance director and games team leader), Mark Scorgie (ski tech), Paul Gould (team physio), Robbie Young (assistant ski tech and team management) and, last but not least, Penny Briscoe (Chef de mission) and all the support team from Paralympic GB has been a fantastic year for the team, but we can t rest on our laurels. We are now looking towards the future and preparing for the next games which will be held in PyeongChang, South Korea. These are exciting times; we now know our dreams can be a reality and the future for our young athletes is extremely bright. Following the excitement of the games, our 6 adaptive ski schools around the country saw a marked increase in the number of people wanting to try skiing and snowboarding. Our instructors have been kept busy delivering lessons and we have had a real interest in people wanting to enter our Access for All fun ski races. These have been held around different indoor ski slopes over the past couple of years, and this year we ran our first mountain race which was held on Cairngorm Mountain. It was great to give our skiers the thrill of competing no matter their disability, their level of experience or the results they achieved. The staff at the office were kept busy organising and delivering our activity programme. We returned to four of our favorite resorts, Niederau, Austria; La Plagne, France; Villars, Switzerland and Sestriere, Italy. The Alps had plenty of snow and from the s, tweets and Facebook messages we received, it sounds like everyone had a fantastic time. My thanks go out to all the volunteer instructors and helpers who gave their time, we couldn t run our trips without you all. A special thanks also goes out to Crystal who allow their staff to join the trips and provide much needed help. I also have to mention all the Crystal resort staff who tirelessly raise the profile and much needed funds for DSUK, thank you so much. This year we tried to organise some different fundraising events. In September, we ran our first Solent Challenge, a yacht race held in the waters between Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight. It was an event that allowed both experienced and inexperienced sailors to take part. The day comprised of training in the morning (we had some complete beginners, myself being one!) and then a series of races in the afternoon. It was a day full of spills and thrills and we experienced every kind of weather: wind, rain and sunshine. This only made the event more interesting and everyone had a fantastic day, with the winning team lifting the unique hand made trophy. The 2015 date is 3rd September, so please keep an eye on our website for information and come along and join us for a day to remember. Another first for us is our planned fundraising black tie event: the ParaSnow Ball. The ball is to be held on the 18th March at the Cumberland Hotel, London. The date, which is on the anniversary of the Sochi Paralympic Games, will be a celebration of the Games success as well as highlighting the great work of Disability Snowsport UK. It will be a spectacular evening with John Inverdale hosting the evening, the attendance of DSUK supporter Pippa Middleton and many more sporting stars sharing this fantastic evening. Please go to our website for information. We would love to have you all there. It s been a great year and I know that, growing on the many recent successes of the charity, this is just the start of bigger and better things to come. I look forward to seeing as many of you as I can over the next year, be it on one of our activity trips, at our ski schools or on one of our many fundraising events. Here s to a great DSUK Annual Report & Yearbook 2013/14

7 Leisure Island, River Drive, Tamworth, Staffordshire B79 7ND

8 SNOWSPORT REPORT Rachel Davies SNOWSPORTS MANAGER 2014 has been very exciting for DSUK and the British Disabled Ski Team. Following on from the success at the Sochi Paralympics and the media coverage it received we have seen an increase in participation at all levels of skiing. The indoor centres have put on some free taster and talent spotting days around the country. This was for new people to try skiing and for skiers to show the coaches and managers their skills, learning how to move from being a recreational to a competitive skier. The days, which were helped by the support and funding from UK Sport and Paralympics GB, were very successful. The indoor ski schools have been very busy and there has been a 13% increase in the number of lessons delivered this year. Many skiers have also gained the skiing skills to be able to attend one of our local groups to enjoy the recreational part of our charity. As Snowsports Manager, I have been working with the centre managers to promote DSUK and get new skiers on the slopes. This has been made easier and possible by being able to offer subsidies for our lessons to reduce the costs to skiers. We have had various subsidies from many trusts which enable DSUK to give taster lessons as well as give members reduced lesson costs. It is thanks to all these trusts that we can help to get more skiers on the slopes. Our ski school on Cairngorm Mountain was a success this year and even though there were some windy closed days we managed to give lots of skiers the opportunity to ski on the mountains. We are looking forward to the coming season and working with Natural Retreats, the new owners of the resort. Natural Retreats have been working with DSUK to make sure that we can continue to have access for disabled skiers on the slopes. I would like to thank the managers of all the indoor and Cairngorm ski schools. Also thanks to all the instructors who work for us delivering lessons or helping on our Activity Weeks. I am looking forward to the year ahead and maybe see you on the slopes. 8 DSUK Annual Report & Yearbook 2013/14

9 FUNDRAISING REPORT Keira Young MEMBERSHIP AND FUNDRAISING MANAGER My name is Keira and I am the new membership and fundraising manager for DSUK. Some of you may know me already, however, as I have been working for DSUK for five years now, previously as the Central Belt ski school manager. Last year, I decided that I wanted to help the charity in a different way as well as give myself a new challenge but didn t want to leave DSUK. When I saw the opening for membership and fundraising, I decided I wanted to give it a go! It definitely has been a tough challenge, but it has also been a great challenge. I have enjoyed getting my teeth into the new role and try to raise as much funds as possible for DSUK. I couldn t do it without all our fundraisers, though: you have been amazing and without your fantastic efforts which range from brave to bonkers and everything in between, we would not be here! You are all so inspiring with all the different challenges you take on, from personal challenges like cycling London to Brighton three times to shaving all your hair off. No matter how big or how small your event is, it really does make a massive different to DSUK, so if you haven t fundraised for DSUK yet and want to, please get in touch. I would love to help you set up your own DSUK personal challenge, no matter how big or small. From my own experience this year, it is definitely worth pursuing, both for your own sense of achievement but also to help with much needed funds for DSUK. We also have our organised DSUK challenges. This year we had a new exciting event, the DSUK Solent Challenge, a great new 9

10 team event sailing Match First 40 yachts. The event consisted of teams of 10 racing on the Solent down in Portsmouth. This year we had four teams and not only did it raise much needed funds for DSUK, it was also a fab team building exercise! The Solent Challenge will be happening again next year on the 3rd of September. We are also introducing a new event in 2015, the Spey Way Challenge. This challenge is a 60-mile trek along the Spey Way next to the River Spey in the beautiful Highlands of Scotland, over four days. This means three nights camping, but don t worry, DSUK will do all the carrying of equipment and setting up at the destinations: all you need to worry about is walking and taking in the views! We have also organised some treats along the way: you will get to visit one of the famous whisky trail distilleries, and there will be a lovely group meal at the end at one of Aviemore s great restaurants: how can you resist?! The Spey Way Challenge will be in June 2015 over a weekend starting Friday and finishing on the Monday. See our social media and webpage for further information coming soon This year I came to appreciate just what a massive task fundraising is for all our fundraisers. In the summer, I decided I needed to do my own challenge and give fundraising a go myself too., so I signed up for the Aviemore 10K. Now, I am in no way a runner Well, I wasn t when I started that s for sure, so this was something I wasn t convinced I would manage, let alone enjoy! But, despite my hesitations, I signed up. No backing out now! I wanted a challenge that would motivate me to raise lots of funds for DSUK as well as help me personally, to get fitter and to help with my weight loss program. It worked! By the time I got to my 10K in October I had lost one and half stone, I completed it in 1hr 7minutes and I raised 1000 for DSUK! I am now obsessed with running so you never know, maybe I might run a marathon one day for DSUK! So please, please, please keep fundraising for DSUK. We need you! We need to raise lots of funds to keep DSUK going: just under one million pounds a year! Without members and supporters doing crazy events and donating, we would struggle to provide ski and snowboard lessons to our members. So, if you haven t raised funds for DSUK before and want to join in on the fun, please get in touch. I am here to help you think of something you could do to help, no matter the size of the challenge. Go on, you never know, you may even enjoy it! 10 DSUK Annual Report & Yearbook 2013/14

11 MAKE A MILLION FRIENDS LOTTERY The future of DSUK depends on raising funds. By joining the Make a Million Friends Lottery you not only help us raise money but you also get the chance to win a cash prize each month. The odds are better than the National Lottery and there is no need to buy a ticket each week. Just download and complete your direct debit form here and we will do the rest The prize draw will take place on the 26th of every month It only costs 2.50 per month (or 30 per year) The more players the bigger the potential winnings! 1.50 of each ticket goes to supporting DSUK with 1.00 going into the prize fund each month For more information and to enter call or keira@disabilitysnowsport.org.uk

12 Overview of British Disabled Ski Team in James Redpath OVERVIEW was a momentous season for the British Disabled Ski Team, as years of hard work and dedication paid off in a big way. The athletes, across all levels of the Team, produced some stunning performances and won a record number of medals, culminating in a five medal haul under the auspices of the Great Britain Team at the Sochi Winter Paralympic Games. goal of representing Great Britain in Sochi. After a promising start in New Zealand and Australia, where the athletes picked up six World Cup medals, the Team returned to action in the Northern Hemisphere in late November. From Holland at the end of November, the race circuit took the Team to Canada, America, Austria, Canada and America again, France, Switzerland and finally Austria again before finally heading to Russia for the Games. During this time, the athletes won over 50 medals with the bulk of them coming at World Cup level. In late January, the Great Britain Team for Sochi was selected. The athletes selected were a mix of Medal Tally IPCAS/NC Europa Cup/ NORAM World Cup Paralympic Winter Games TOTAL Gold Silver Bronze TOTAL ELITE SQUAD For the Elite Squad, the season was all about putting in performances that would lead to selection to the Great Britain Team for the 2014 Winter Paralympics. With only three male and four female places available, competition was intense and the athletes knew that they needed to maximise every opportunity they had to allow them to reach their experience and youth with seasoned campaigners Kelly Gallagher and Anna Turney, both competing in their second games, being joined by Jade Etherington and Mick Brennan and two teenagers Ben Sneesby and James Whitley. The big surprise came with the selection of Millie Knight from the Development Squad who, at 15 years of age, became Britain s youngest ever Winter Paralympian. 12 DSUK Annual Report & Yearbook 2013/14

13 Also selected were the three guides for the Visually Impaired athletes Charlotte Evans for Kelly, Caroline Powell for Jade and Rachael Ferrier for Millie. There were high hopes for medal success at the Games, particularly in the Women s categories and the athletes didn t disappoint. Kelly and Charlotte won Great Britain s first ever Winter Paralympic Gold in the Super-G whilst Jade and Caroline became our most decorated Winter athletes by picking up three Silvers (in Downhill, Slalom and Super Combined) and a Bronze in Super-G. These five medals were supported by a whole series of great performances and personal bests by the other athletes on the team which bodes very well for future Games. In summary; DEVELOPMENT SQUADS For the Development Squads, this season was about continued focus on technical improvement and gaining race experience. This was made more difficult with the bulk of the Team s limited resources being focussed on the Elite Squad, but there were still some notable performances from the development athletes. At the top of the list was Millie Knight, who showed why she is so highly rated at the age of 15 by being selected to the Great Britain team for Sochi. During the season she picked up six medals including four Gold whilst competing at IPCAS and Europa Cup level and also qualified to compete at World Cup level in Slalom this year. There were also first medal wins at IPCAS level for Menna Fitzpatrick in Women s VI and Benji Millard in Men s Sitting. Name Classification DH SG SC SL GS Jade Etherington and Caroline Powell VI 2nd 3rd 2nd 2nd DNS Kelly Gallagher and Charlotte Evans VI 6th 1st DNF DNF DNF Millie Knight and Rachael Ferrier VI N/A N/A N/A 5th 5th Anna Turney Sitting DNF 4th DNF 6th 8th Mick Brennan Sitting N/A 10th 8th DSQ 14th Ben Sneesby Sitting N/A N/A N/A 11th DNF James Whitley Standing N/A N/A N/A 15th 14th On a sadder note, long time team member and athlete representative Tim Farr unfortunately wasn t selected to the team for Sochi and subsequently announced his retirement from the sport after nearly 10 years of competition. Tim has been a great athlete and ambassador for the BDST and disabled ski racing and we wish him well in his retirement. In the Adult Development Squad, Chris Lloyd had a good second season and is now qualified at World Cup level in Slalom and Europa Cup level in Giant Slalom. John Dickinson-Lilley had a frustrating season as he struggled to find a guide to ski with. He has found one now and will look to get back on track again in Jack Titley and Matt Short also made good progress whilst balancing University commitments and skiing. There were strong performances from the newly classified athletes as well, with Jack Peters and Kieran Nimmo in particular showing promise in their first few competitions. We have continued to actively search for and identify new talent by running a series of Talent ID days at the UK indoor snow centres and have taken another six athletes to classification in Holland in November to continue to add to the ranks of the team that will start to work towards the 2018 and 2022 Games. On the Snowboard side, we unfortunately didn t have any athletes able to represent Great Britain at Sochi, where the snowboard competitions made their debut. However, I am pleased to say that for the season we will have a small squad of athletes competing on the circuit. The short term goal is the World Championships in La Molina in 2015, but the long term aim of the programme is to develop a full snowboard team that is as competitive and successful as the alpine team. 13

14 FINANCIAL REPORT 2013/14 Income from charitable activities In last year s report, we noted that DSUK had shifted to a year end of 31 August, and that therefore the results we reported were for 15 months activity. Comparing 12 months results with those for 15 months is tricky, so this report focuses on the unaudited results for the year to 31 August This was a Paralympic Year, so it is unsurprising that we had a focus on the British Disabled Ski Team. Just over 250,000, or 35% of our expenditure, went on the Team. Much of the year s expenditure was funded by UK Sport and other donors, but the charity s effort has been reflected by the huge amount of staff time that went into supporting the team. We are delighted that UK Sport have committed to funding the BDST professionally through to the next Winter Paralympic Games. Aside from the Paralympics, we maintained our usual areas of activity: 30% of expenditure was on the ski schools that we run throughout the country, and 35% on the programme of activity weeks that we run outside the UK. Total expenditure was 865,000 against income of 855,000, a small deficit of 10,000. With tiny reserves, DSUK can ill afford a deficit, and our team have done all they can to minimise costs. They have also worked hard to raise funds in what remains a difficult fundraising environment. We charge users for our activities: those taking lessons at ski schools have to pay, and participants on our Activity Weeks have to pay, too. Of course, this mirrors what happens for non disabled people, who also pay for their snowsport activities. Our goal is to level the playing field so that disabled participants pay no more than other people would, despite the fact that costs (equipment and especially people costs) are higher. We raise funds to effect this subsidy, and are grateful to all the individuals and institutions that understand what we do and contribute to our work. Fundraised income in 2013/14 amounted to 375,000. Final accounts will be posted on our website once audited, but if you have any questions, or wish to donate, please call the office on or us at finance@disabilitysnowsport.org.uk Ski schools British Disabled Ski Team Overseas Activities Total expenditure 865,239 Ski schools Overseas activity weeks British Disabled Ski Team Other expenditure Total Income 855,245 Income from charitable activities Grants and donations Other income 14 DSUK Annual Report & Yearbook 2013/14

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16 Compliance Officer Kim Ross I have recently been employed by DSUK as their Compliance Officer. My role involves working through the organisation s policies, ensuring that they are up-to-date, relevant and that they are being implemented into the different activities; from lessons to Activity Weeks to the British Disabled Ski Team. A particular focus of my role is safeguarding and equality. DSUK has achieved preliminary level for both, and we are now working towards the foundation levels. This involves providing evidence that our policies, such as Safeguarding Children and Adults at Risk, are being adhered to by our staff, volunteers and members, as well as publicising who you should contact if you have a safeguarding concern. This helps in our aim of promoting a safe environment for children and adults at risk. As well as updating our policies, I am working on leaflets and posters to distribute to the Local Groups and Ski Schools, so keep an eye out for these. They will provide information on who to contact if you have any concerns about the welfare of a child or adults at risk. Additionally, in order to measure, promote and achieve equality within the organisation, and help us eliminate all forms of discrimination, in the next few months we will be asking our staff, volunteers and members to fill out an Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form. Completion of the form is optional, but the more information we have, the more effectively we can operate as an organisation. All information will be stored securely and anonymously, and statistical results will only be produced when required. You may be asked to fill out an Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form at your lesson, on an Activity Week, or over the phone by our booking and reception team. Many thanks in advance for your co-operation. If you have any questions or concerns regarding safeguarding or equality, please contact the General Manager, Steven, on or steven@disabilitysnowsport.org.uk 16 DSUK Annual Report & Yearbook 2013/14

17 Everyone should have the opportunity to ski Natural Retreats CairnGorm Mountain is proud to work with Disability Snowsport, the UK s Skier s and Boarder s Charity. We believe that skiers & snowboarders, no matter what their disability, should be able to ski and ride alongside the able bodied as equals at all snowsports facilities and resorts. The funicular railway at CairnGorm Mountain provides incredible access for all, transporting visitors to a height of 1097 metres in just four minutes. 17

18 OBE Fi FIONA YOUNG I have to admit I did break the rules slightly, as I did tell Robbie. I needed him to read the letter to make sure it was the real thing! I have to say, the hardest thing was to keep our secret for the next two months. This was made even harder, as Robbie and I celebrated renewing our wedding vows last December over in Colorado with family and our closest friends. I really worried about Robbie, as I knew how proud he was and he really wanted to share it with all our friends as we celebrated together. I m happy to report that we kept the secret and announced the news at a family dinner on the 29th. I then had to wait to be given a date for my investiture. This could be held anytime from January to the end of July at any of the three venues, Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle or Holyrood Palace. I finally received my invitation to attend Holyrood Palace, Edinburgh, on the 1st July I must say I was a little apprehensive about the venue, only because the weather in Scotland in July can be so unpredictable, however I shouldn t have worried as it was a beautiful day with not a cloud in the sky. It was a fantastic day; I was presented my award by her majesty the Queen in front of my family: Robbie, Keira and my 83-year-old mother, Beryl, who made the trip up from the Isle of Wight. It was a surreal experience for all of us but a memory we will all cherish. It was late October, I had just arrived back from holiday and I was going through my post. Among the usual mail was a very official looking letter. My first thought was Robbie (my husband) had been caught speeding, again!!! I was totally unprepared for what I was going to find inside! It was a letter from the cabinet office in London stating that I had been put forward to receive an OBE in the New Year s honours list. At first I thought it was a joke, then a mistake! I had to read it several times before I could take it in. It said once I accepted the honour I would not hear anything else until the 29th December 2013, when the award list is published in the London Gazette. It also stated that I wasn t allowed to tell anyone of my award until the above date. Fi was nominated for the honours by Sir Steve Redgrave, Andrew Lockerbie, Lisa Hall and supported by many DSUK members. Andrew writes: Fiona has worked with disability charities for 28 years. In her current role as CEO for Disability Snowsport UK, she does not get paid a great deal or get the recognition she deserves, but puts her heart and soul into the charity. She is personally involved with everything and everybody in the charity. She has made so many people s lives better. The Queens Honour of an OBE is a great way to show Fi that she is appreciated by everybody. Fiona has worked with disability charities for 28 years 18 DSUK Annual Report & Yearbook 2013/14

19 #loveskiing ELLIS BRIGHAM SHOPS NATIONWIDE London: Covent Garden, Westfield London, Westfield Stratford, Kensington High St & St.Paul s One New Change Cambridge Lion Yard Xscape Milton Keynes Bristol Tamworth Snowdome Manchester Chester Liverpool Xscape Castleford/Leeds Glasgow intu Braehead Aviemore Fort William The North Face Stores London: Covent Garden, St.Paul s One New Change, Westfield London & Westfield Stratford Cambridge Lion Yard Sheffield Meadowhall NATIONWIDE BOOT FITTING CENTRES follow us on Winter Catalogues Out Now 19

20 ACCESS FOR ALL Race League The Access for All race league is a fun, fully inclusive competition, where both disabled and non-disabled skiers race against each other. Often, this results in friendly (or sometimes even serious!) rivalry between friends and family. As no previous race experience is necessary, it is an excellent introduction to ski racing. The events are open to everyone, from novices, experienced racers and even up to members of the Paralympic and Olympic Teams. Following tradition, which sees the Access for All race league move around the different ski centres, in 2014 we held two very successful events, the first at Cairngorm mountain in March and the second at Milton Keynes in August. Additionally, the race league can be used as a talent spotting opportunity for the British Disabled Ski Team. This year, the events were particularly well attended, perhaps inspired by the successes of our Paralympic athletes. Sochi athlete Millie Knight raced for the first time with her new guide at the Milton Keynes event before heading out to train in Austria the following day. The event at Cairngorm was the first time that we have held the league at an outdoor venue. Due to its success, we are hoping to run this event again. There will also be an indoor race league at Manchester s Snow Factore which is planned for May Everyone is looking forward to racing again and enjoying a fun day on the slopes. Dates for both the race leagues will be advertised nearer the time. Keep an eye on our social media and webpages for further information, or admin@disabilitysnowsport.org.uk. 20 DSUK Annual Report & Yearbook 2013/14

21 1. I had a great time at the race yest erday. Thanks very much for your help. Albert Antona (dual skier) 2. Thank you so much for a super day at MK yesterday. It was great fun watchin g everybody get through those gates and a lovely atmosphere. We are heading to Austria today via Langraaf for a little training for Millie and her new guide. They skied together for the first time yesterday. What better way for it to start than with a race. Suzanne (Millie Knight s mum) 3. I would like to use this opportunity to thank Peter for the huge amount of effort and time that he put into making this race a success. Here s to a great winter season with lots of new lessons and Group members at MK. I should also request that thanks are passed on to the MK Snozone staff yesterd ay, they were really helpful and entered fant astically into the spirit of the event please do pass this on to them! Steve Challen (monoskier) 4. Thank you so much for the photos to remember what was a very special afternoon. It was absolutely fantastic. We had no idea what to expect but it certainly exce eded any expectations. Everyone was brillian t. We will certainly follow the instructions for joining the local group in MK, the next one of which will be the evening before the next lesson we have booked with you. Many thanks. Jo & Jeff Newall (biskiers) 5. Really enjoyed the day and grea t to meet everyone Nigel Olsen (SU skier) 21

22 LOCAL GROUP Milton Keynes Group Calling adaptive recreational skiers or would be volunteer skier/helpers: the Milton Keynes DSUK Group would love for you to join us at the MK Xscape Snozone in We meet on the second Sunday evening of each month, and, to tempt you, the first session is free for new skiers! Recreational adaptive skiing has been available at Milton Keynes Snozone for over 10 years by means of a Local Group. The MK Group s team of dedicated trained volunteers seeks to provide a safe environment for disabled skiers and boarders to practise what they have learnt through DSUK lessons, or simply enjoy a few runs together in a friendly social atmosphere be it on standard skis or snowboards, through to the seated mono or bi-skis. Past fundraising efforts means the MK Group has a comprehensive stock of adaptive equipment at their disposal, including: monoskis, bi-skis, and stand-up out riggers. This equipment is the key for instructors and helpers to enable slope access for want to be skiers or boarders, regardless of ability or disability. Whilst numbers are down from their peak, the MK Group still has a strong core membership made up of individuals and families, and in the past couple of years has been able to assist in funding BASI training for 6 volunteer helpers. Having hosted the Access For All race this year and increased publicity via local press and regional BBC radio, the Group hopes to see additional interest in lessons, recreational skiers, and volunteer helpers. If you are new to adaptive recreational skiing or have not joined the MK Group for some time we would love to see you in For more information about recreational adaptive skiing at Milton Keynes or helping the MK Group please dsukmkgroup@hotmail.com 22 DSUK Annual Report & Yearbook 2013/14

23 ParaSnowBall 2015 We are delighted to announce the launch of The ParaSnowBall, our brand new black tie event, which will take place on Wednesday 18th March 2015 at The Cumberland in London. Guests will enjoy an ice cold evening of dazzling winter sport, fine dining and sparkling entertainment in the company of Disability SnowSport UK supporter, Pippa Middleton, along with Paralympic champions. The event, hosted by John Inverdale, is a new initiative that will help to raise vital funds to support Disability SnowSport UK as well as celebrating Sochi 2014 Paralympians and their achievements. Tickets from 175. For tickets and further information about The ParaSnowBall please contact Fireball on +44 (0) , ParaSnowBall@fireball.co.uk or visit

24 SKI SCHOOLS A season as a Cairngorm DSUK Instructor David Thomas Wow what a season it has been!! I sit here on the train back home reminiscing about my first ski season in Scotland. We have had so many ups and downs this season, so where do I start? Do I start with the crazy winds in January or the great time had on trips? My time in Scotland has been amazing, with so many new things learned. The first few weeks working for DSUK were very busy, running around trying to get things fixed, found, serviced, sorted, packed, unpacked and repacked. Eventually the big van went out to Europe for the trips and things calmed down Then the lessons started to come in (when the weather let us up the hill!), what a challenge teaching on Cairngorm, especially when your first lesson is a Bi-ski lesson with not much terrain to choose from! A month had flown by when it was time to go on my very first DSUK trip. What an experience. Great skiing, great people and great times had after skiing (although I won t go into too much detail about the après ). A very challenging week and utterly knackering but as they say no rest for the wicked as I had another week in La Plagne straight afterwards. This was my favourite trip in terms of skiers, as it was the first time I really got to connect with and share special eye opening moments with clients. Eventually I was back in Aviemore and straight into a very busy half term, the week that all instructors relish/dread! Amazingly it had snowed whist I had been away so the mountain was looking great. Lots of lessons and great conditions for the first half of the week before the mountain decided it didn t want anyone skiing on her so in came that famous Cairngorm wind! Before I knew it the end of the season was coming up. It had gone all too quickly. There was still time for one last hard week though as I was out on another trip, this time with a university. I hope that my skier had a good week and I hope that they will continue skiing. What a great place to learn how to ski in a place like Les Arcs. Finally it was back to Cairngorm to finish up the season, teach a few lessons and then sort out things for next season. I can t wait to come back next season to work with the same team. Sharing more good times and plenty of smiles and laughter, but first I am off to do my next season in New Zealand. Thank you DSUK for such a great winter, I hope that we can continue to grow and expand this amazing charity so that everyone has the chance to experience the thrill of skiing or snowboarding. It s not something to be missed. 24 DSUK Annual Report & Yearbook 2013/14

25 Central Belt Louisa Oram April 2014 was a time of change for the DSUK ski school at Snow Factor, Braehead. After several years managing the ski school here, Keira Young moved back home to the Cairngorms to work full time in the DSUK head office, dealing with fundraising and membership. At the same time, after two seasons training and teaching with DSUK at the Cairngorm ski school, and seven seasons chasing the snow around the world, it was time for me to think about staying in one place for a while. I was very excited when the opportunity came up to take over the day-today running of the ski school from Keira. It is now December 2014, and I have had a wonderful 8 months doing what I love every day of the year. I have met skiers who have been skiing here for years and introduced lots of new skiers to the thrill of snowsports. We have held two free taster days which has brought several new skiers to the sport who might not otherwise have realised skiing was available to them year round. Subsidies have allowed new and regular skiers alike to access discounted lessons and ski more often. There has also been a change in the part time instructors working for the ski school: while some very popular instructors have moved on to new challenges in other parts of the country, we have welcomed four new instructors. Rachel began as a volunteer for DSUK almost a year ago and is now a qualified adaptive and alpine instructor. Clare, Phil and Rob completed their adaptive shadowing hours with the ski school this year and are all now fully qualified to teach adaptive lessons. Another exciting development this year has been the introduction of snowboard lessons. Three highly qualified and experienced snowboard instructors responded to my adverts and came along to training to learn some more about adaptive teaching. They combined their knowledge of snowboard teaching and disabilities and came up with some great lesson plans, and the first few lessons for snowboarders with learning disabilities and autism have now been taught by Gill and Gavin. While I won t be back at Cairngorm full-time this year, I am encouraging as many of our skiers as possible to take the skills they have been learning and developing indoors to the mountains. And when the snow comes, I know I will be heading up north too to join some of the familiar and new faces skiing with the instructors up there. 25

26 Hemel Hempstead James Sterry It has been another busy year at Hemel Hempstead Ski Dome. I have now been in my position as DSUK Ski School Manager at Hemel Hempstead for three months and after a quiet start in September there has been a big increase in the number of lessons delivered in the last few months. This has been helped by having more qualified instructors available and also from subsidies, so skiing and snowboarding has become accessible to more and more people. After the amazing success of the BDST in the 2014 Paralympic Winter Games in Sochi, we were also lucky to have Caroline Powell (Jade s guide) teaching some adaptive lessons at Hemel. With her four Sochi medals, Caroline proved to be extremely popular and one Ruislip school came prepared with lists of questions for her to answer. In May, we had our first Talent Spotting and Taster session day where skiers and snowboarders came along to try the sport for the first time or have the chance to showcase their skills in front of BDST coaches. Group lessons are also on the increase and Help for Heroes Recovery Centre, Chavasse VC House, Essex, have become a regular client of DSUK, coming on a monthly basis and bringing a group of enthusiastic skiers and snowboarders. The lessons for wounded, injured and sick veterans, as well as serving personnel as part of their Health and Physical Wellbeing programme, is now in its second month. It is clear that these will be popular classes with instant benefits for the veterans. There has also been a lot of media interest in our work over the last few months as well. Blind Sports Radio, an internet radio organisation from Australia, approached us and I was interviewed on the radio about the opportunities for people with Visual Impairments to ski and snowboard. At the end of November, Imperial College London came in to exhibit their new designs for adaptive equipment. Their six designs for the development of technology and equipment within adaptive snowsports gave an insight to the future of adaptive snowsports. We have also been involved in the filming of a documentary for BBC 3 s Disability Season which is due to be screened in the Spring. So after an amazing start to my role with DSUK and a successful year in 2014, I really can t wait to see what 2015 will bring! Tamworth Paul Williams Where has the year gone this year? It only feels like yesterday when our triumphant GB Paralympic team where returning home from the Sochi Winter Paralympics and here I am in December writing my article for the 2015 DSUK yearbook. Such a lot has happened this year at Tamworth, we have had a big increase in lessons with a steady influx of new skiers and, along with our friendly regulars, this has made it our busiest year so far. One of the reasons for this is the generous donations from our supporters who have made it possible for DSUK to continue providing subsidised lessons. In January and February 2014 I was able to join in with two of our Activity Weeks. The first was in the beautiful resort of Neiderau, Austria, where I had the amazing opportunity of spending the week with the Jumbalance group. This was a special time for me as one of my skiers from Tamworth, Pippa, was about to experience her first ever time skiing on a mountain and I d be helping her to achieve a life long dream. To be honest, I had a dream too out in Austria: I had a dream that the lead instructor for the week, Steve Smaje, who some of you will know from Manchester, actually had hair! Picture attached: sorry Steve The second Activity Week I was in the resort of La Plagne in France with the Not Forgotten Association a charity where the skiers were all serving or exserving military. We had a good mixture of first time skiers and veteran skiers/boarders, a week I shall not forget with some truly amazing people. Later in the year in April 2014, I spent two weeks in Hintertux, Austria, completing and passing my BASI adaptive level 2 qualification; with the very knowledgeable Yorkshireman Dave Whitehead leading the course. Since completing the course it has been great to see an increase of new mono skiers and VI s attending lessons at Tamworth. I would like to say a big thanks to everyone involved with DSUK from the staff, skiers, volunteers, fundraisers and anyone who spreads the word about this fantastic charity, as well as a final thanks to the Tamworth SnowDome and all its staff who continue to support DSUK. Have a safe and fantastic year. 26 DSUK Annual Report & Yearbook 2013/14

27 Milton Keynes Peter Thorpe It was only a year ago when we were all looking forward to the Winter Paralympic Games in Sochi. At that time, at the start of 2014, we ran taster sessions at MK snow centre and the local press interviewed us about DSUK, what our team would be doing in Russia, and filmed us using some kit. Sochi coverage and the amazing results achieved by BDST undoubtedly helped to raise the profile of DSUK. We have seen lessons grow in the past year and also more interest from prospective helpers, often after watching us deliver lessons at the snow centre. We were pleased to get regular group attendances through 2014 including the Dwarf Sports Association, who have come as a group of up to 25 several times and whom we hope to continue to develop contact with this winter. We have looked to grow our instructor team at MK and were pleased that five instructors working for MK Snozone passed their BASI Adaptive Level 1 course this year. Some have already completed their post-course shadowing, others are getting close. Whilst helping DSUK, it also gives Snozone a wider skills range. Adaptive snowboard lessons have been another aim in the second half of the year and we are starting to see them grow. In August the Access for All race league came to MK and we had the pleasure of seeing several of the BDST development squad joining in alongside many of our regular skiers racing a GS course. Mille Knight presented medals to all competitors. Also present alongside the race event, from Holland, was Gina van der Werf from Prodaptive, the inventor of a new sit-snowboard, who demonstrated its use to our adaptive snowboard instructors. One of our regular sitskiers, Stuart Rayfield, had the privilege of being the first client taught in it on UK snow. This winter we aim to deliver more skiing and boarding lessons at MK; we also work quite closely with the DSUK Team at Hemel Snow Centre (just 40 minutes drive away), since some of our part time instructors cover both centres. The DSUK Local Recreational Group is also looking to grow their numbers of skiers, boarders and helpers, so we ll be working closely with them too, allowing clients who ve reached recreational standard to ski more. Chill Factore Steve Smaje Throughout the last 12 months at the Chill Factore, we have seen a steady increase in the number of DSUK lessons, a result of having more trained adaptive instructors now working for us who are able to deliver lessons on a regular basis. Some of this growth has also come as a result of the success we had at the Paralympic Games in Sochi. A taster and talent-spotting day was held, which was well attended by aspiring paralympians. Financial subsidies enabled clients to try skiing, in some cases for the first time. Approximately 50% of first time skiers have continued to ski with us on a regular basis with some, now firmly hooked on the sport, going on to book Activity Week holidays over the winter. Our Activity Weeks, held in various resorts during the winter, have continued to go from strength to strength. I personally enjoyed two great weeks in Switzerland and Austria; both were a real success, enjoyed by all participants. Work has continued in its quest to raise awareness of skiing as an inclusive sport for all, promoting DSUK and engaging with different organisations and hospitals in the North West England. 27

28 TRUSTS & GRANTS Ruperta Melville Charitable Trusts and Foundations have continued to be exceptionally generous over the last year for which we are very grateful, as this is an important and necessary source of income for the charity. In the Central Belt in Braehead, Glasgow, we were supported for a further year by The Robertson Trust who contribute towards the Central Belt Development Officer s salary. We are delighted to have been able to purchase a sit-ski for use in the Cairngorms thanks to a very generous donation from the Tesco Charity Trust. We were not only able to purchase a sit-ski but were able to use the remainder of the donation t o offer lesson subsidies in the Cairngorms for the coming season. The Ravensdale Trust has kindly continued to support us regularly in our work at Chill Factore in Manchester for both instructor s salaries and lesson subsidies. We have also been exceptionally fortunate to receive funding to offer subsidised lessons at all our centres to all disabled people, whatever their age or disability. Again, this has been a very successful programme and has vastly increased the numbers of people who have been able to access adaptive skiing. We are grateful to the Tesco Charity Trust, the Boshier-Hinton Foundation, the Bruce Wake Charitable Trust, the Borrows Charitable Trust, the Lynn Foundation, the Sobell Foundation, the Sir Jules Thorn Charitable Trust, the Ardwick Trust and to the Baily Thomas Charitable Trust for enabling us to offer subsidised lessons to many more people with disabilities for whom skiing is a more expensive activity than for their able-bodied peers. The Clark Bradbury Trust generously donated funds so that we could repair our van which is used in the Cairngorms. We are also indebted to the Charitable Trusts and Foundations who have donated unrestricted funds which help to pay our salaries and cover our overheads. We wish to thank every Charitable Trust and Foundation not mentioned and mentioned above, for their invaluable support. 28 DSUK Annual Report & Yearbook 2013/14

29 ACCESS At Snozone we believe everyone can experience snowsports regardless of abilities. With more coaches now disability trained and working with DSUK, everyone can enjoy the thrills of activities on real snow all year round! Snozone Milton Keynes & Snozone Castleford. (Milton Keynes) or (Castleford) for more details. Follow us on facebook & twitter 29

30 SKIERS Ashwin Maliyakal I am Ashwin Maliyakal, an 11 years old living in Old Town, County Dublin in the Republic of Ireland. I came to know about DSUK from my skiing coaches at Special Olympics Ireland and the Ski Club of Ireland. DSUK opened the door for an individual like me, in-spite of my disability, to ski alongside other people and enjoy the thrill of snowsports. I moved from India to Dublin, Ireland, with my parents in June 2006 when I was just 3 years old. In 2008, I was diagnosed with an Intellectual Disability and accordingly placed in a school for education. In 2010, my parents came across Special Olympics Ireland. My parents introduced me into the sporting world and tried different sports that I might like. Since both of them were from Kerala, the coastal part of South India, they were totally blank about snow, mountains, skiing or anything connected with winter. It came as a great surprise to them when I started to show great interest in skiing through the Kilternan Karvers Special Olympics Ireland Skiing Club. I joined the club in 2010 and am still a member. The best thing is that I got one-to-one help from volunteer coaches like Edie, Katheleen, Geraldine, Alice and Sheila, who helped me climb higher and higher on the slopes at Kilternan with my skis. My achievements came in the form of medals at the end of the skiing season. Best of all, I also qualified to ski with other skiers my age through the Ski Club of Ireland. By the start of the season, my parents were advised to look out for more opportunities so that I could learn to enjoy skiing more. The coaches suggested to my parents that I should try skiing on real snow. As it does not snow much in Ireland, they looked into how they could help make this happen, even though they were concerned with whether I would be able to carry on without one-toone care which I would need in a new surrounding. This is when DSUK was introduced. My parents contacted Laura and Charlotte, the friendly staff at DSUK who answered a lot of apprehensions that my parents had. They were then guided to Paul at the Snow Dome, Tamworth. Paul gave answers to all questions, especially about one-to-one classes, but also further details regarding location, travel time from Birmingham Airport, hotel accommodation, 30 DSUK Annual Report & Yearbook 2013/14

31 and so on. Not only was I going to get to try skiing on snow, but my parents promised that if I did well, I would be taken to the home of Cadbury s Chocolate... wow! We travelled to Tamworth at Easter and met Paul for five one-to-one classes over three days. Equipped with all accessories: boots, helmet and skis, Paul was always by my side, guiding me through the snow, cracking jokes, appreciating my turns. My speed improved and I even managed some small jumps. It was just lovely to be in this great place. I could see my parents shivering at the -4C temperature inside the Snow Dome while I was thoroughly enjoying the ski along with Paul. The five classes just flew by and it was time to fly back to Dublin and back to school. I showed the pictures and video taken by my parents of me skiing to everyone at school. It was so exciting. Oh! by the way, I lost count of the chocolates I ate at Cadbury s. In July, my parents asked me where I would like to go for summer holidays and straight away I said skiing, so five more lessons over two days were organised, again with Paul at Tamworth. This time, Paul took me to the higher slopes and encouraged me to do more turns with more twists and jumps and yes, more snowballs thrown at each other. My parents want me to go further and higher in the skiing world, and they are looking forward to taking me to the mountains in Scotland through DSUK. It would be my first time skiing outdoors in the mountains, and would also be a great opportunity to visit beautiful Scotland. My dad asked me again the other day how many chocolates I got to taste at Cadbury s. I think he must be pondering a visit to a whisky distillery while in Scotland, strange, he has not told me where he would take me if I did well skiing in the mountains! Nevertheless, I am sure that I would be taught well, be guided by the right person and also enjoy the skiing. I wonder what the weather would be like brrrrrrrr!!! Bronwen Schofield My name is Bronwen Schofield, I am a below knee amputee, and I love to ski. I have been having skiing lessons with Paul Williams at the Tamworth Snow Dome, as I want to attend a ski trip with my school in February. It s important for me to be able to ski with my friends as I enjoy participating in sports and want to be the best that I can be. Also, sometimes my friends assume that I will not be as good as them or be able to keep up and I have often found it hard to participate in some sports. However, with skiing I know that with the right equipment and techniques I will be able to ski alongside my friends and may even be better than some of them. The Winter Paralympics was a great inspiration to me as it showed me that there was no reason why an amputee could not ski. I have been lucky enough to have been on two previous skiing trips. The first time I skied I was quite young and my only real memory was that my prosthetic leg, which was only secured by a strap at that time, came off and skied down the piste by itself! My Dad had to ski after it and rescue it, which gave every one on the slope a shock and left me hugely embarrassed. The second time I skied was with Redpoint in Austria, and this was my first introduction to adaptive skiing. I was taught by an adaptive specialist using outriggers to help me. By the end of the week I was able to ski independently down the beginners slopes. Since starting lessons with Paul at Tamworth I have improved immensely and am working on parallel turns at the moment. I will continue my lessons until February and will be confident that my skiing will be up to a good standard when I join my friends on the school ski trip. 31

32 Cheryl Bradshaw I have been skiing with DSUK for around five years. I caught the bug for it when I went to Xscape Glasgow for a lesson through another charity that I am part of. The instructor we had was very good at teaching us all, they were also telling us about DSUK and that they have a local group who ski there regularly. After being told this, I was really interested in learning to ski. I looked on the website, got the contact details for the organiser for the group, contacted them, and found out that they also skied at the dry slope at Bellahouston, just outside Glasgow. My first skiing lesson was at the dry slope, where I was introduced to everyone and made to feel very welcome. But I quickly discovered that I preferred skiing at Xscape rather than on the dry slope, as it was a lot easier to ski on snow, so I decided to stick to Xscape. Once I had been going for about a year, I had built my confidence and improved my skiing technique. Someone then mentioned going to Aviemore for a weekend, a trip that they ran with the help of volunteers. I was a bit apprehensive, as it would be the first time I had skied outside and there would be a lot more people around but I thought why not?. The weekend was well organised and the instructors and volunteers were very good at describing what the mountains were like and what to avoid. I felt a great sense of achievement and thrill at having made it down the mountain in one piece without having to keep stopping. I was very pleased and found it enjoyable. After attending several more weekends at Aviemore, I thought the next challenge would be to go on an activity week abroad. I decide to go to Austria, and from start to finish the holiday was fantastic. The staff were amazing, as it was the first time I had flown myself from Glasgow to Gatwick, something I was very proud of. When it came to the skiing, we got given the choice to ski in the morning or afternoon. I thought this was great as I am not really a morning person. I had a few scary moments where I fell, but I got up and tried again and again. By the end of the week I was on the red runs, which I was very happy with as I had met my goal for the week. The people who I met on the trip were very nice, we all got on great and had a good laugh. Apart from skiing there was entertainment at night which I enjoyed, especially the karaoke and the horse drawn carriage ride. After the success of the first holiday, I have booked again and I am going to Andorra I can t wait, I am very excited! 32 DSUK Annual Report & Yearbook 2013/14

33 33

34 Carl Joy Following his accident, Carl was determined he would ski again; a sport he loved doing with his family. The task for him was how to make this happen. Research led him to DSUK and now Carl is able to continue his skiing using a bi-ski, on a weekly basis with DSUK. In pursuit of his hobby, Carl s passion for skiing has taken him to our Ski School at Cairngorm Mountain in Aviemore, Scotland and further afield to Europe. He has also taken part in the Access for All event held in Manchester. Skiing has enabled Carl to develop both muscle tone and posture and both his family and physiotherapist have noticed that he is more alert. However, skiing is just one of Carl s many hobbies; his others include fishing and cycling. He can frequently be seen, in all weathers, riding his recumbent trike on the stunning picturesque moors of Blackstone Edge and in the Rossendale Valley, taking full advantage of the miles of bridle ways on offer. When he manages to find time away from his adrenaline fuelled activities he can be found soaking up the Spanish sun and enjoying a well deserved Guinness or two! Claire Holdcroft My name is Claire Holdcroft and I am 26. I have both autism, which affects me in social situations, and a physical disability, which causes everything below my hips to dislocate and dislodge. I am now a full time wheelchair user. I have always had both, although the joint problems started to show and get worse at the age of 19. I had skied on dry ski slopes and ski holidays from when I was 8 to 19. I was passionate for the sport all the way through my early teens, where I took up slalom skiing, mountain leadership and became a volunteer club instructor. When the time came where I could no longer ski anymore, because my condition was gradually deteriorating, I felt my whole world come crashing down. I felt I had lost everything I had ever being working towards. My mum searched the internet and looked into winter sports for the disabled and came up with sitskiing. That s where it all started. I love everything about sit-skiing (mono-ski) as it s very different to able-bodied skiing. It seems to be a lot faster and I find it quite easy to understand the technical side of things because of my background in the sport. Although there is, however, a lot more falling over, I just get back up and try again until I have it grasped. I feel like I have been given a second chance at skiing, with the opportunity giving me a new lease of life. It has brought out the old me, something I never thought would ever come back. I have found that I can be passionate about skiing but also use it as a reason to get fit I have now joined the gym to help build up my strength and core muscles. I am hoping this will help me to achieve my dream of working towards racing for GB in the Paralympics. I would like to say a big thank you to Paul Willams for teaching me to sit-ski and thank him for helping me to accept the fact that this is who I am now I can t change what happened but I can change how I view myself now and in the future. 34 DSUK Annual Report & Yearbook 2013/14

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36 Jo and Jeff Husband and wife, Jeff and Jo, came for ski tasters with DSUK at the end of 2013 at Milton Keynes. Jo has Cerebral Palsy and has hip problems so uses an electric wheelchair. Jo is the car driver of the couple, as Jeff has visual impairment (only limited sight in one eye), as well as Spina Bifida. Both are keen Milton Keynes Dons football fans and travel all over the country following their team. Despite Jeff s disabilities, he is up for anything and has climbed, abseiled and even flown a light aircraft. They have been regulars at MK for the past year now and often pop in to see the team after using the health club next to the snow centre. After initially being bucketed in a Mountain man bi-ski, Jo has now progressed to using fixed riggers and is becoming adept at gently leaning to steer the bi-ski, whilst the instructor is tethering. She is now reading the slope and deciding where to turn. Jo is also working on judging turn shape and the extent to which the fixed riggers need to be extended. Jeff first tried stand-up skiing, but preferred instead to use a bi-ski. With greater core and arm strength, Jeff was assigned to a Biunique bi-ski and has been using handheld riggers whilst being tethered. As he Sarah Kidd The greatest challenges in life are often portrayed as being similar to scaling mountains; to conquer them is to overcome some of our biggest obstacles. Skiing, however, isn t about reaching the summit; it teaches us to work with the mountain instead of always trying to defeat it. Disability has played a considerable part in my life over the last nine years after I became unwell with a neurological illness at the age of fourteen. Despite my best efforts to beat the condition, I continued to deteriorate. Adamant it wouldn t define me, I strived to live a life without limits, which in many respects has also been difficult. My determination, however, to push the boundaries and challenge perceptions, is what lead me to discover my love for the outdoors. Adventure; the word itself sends my pulse racing! On the snowy mountains of Niederau, Austria, in January 2013, the prospect of skiing for the first time was extremely exciting. It was my ultimate dream, that not too long ago I d tried to accept was unrealistic and out of reach. However it was about to become a reality thanks to Disability Snowsport is weaker on his left side, Jeff has been concentrating hard on keeping the left rigger under control to good effect. Despite his limited vision, he is now deciding where to turn and read the slope, with minimal commands from the instructor tethering. Jo and Jeff are going away for the first time skiing with DSUK to Niederau in Austria in January 2015, where they will be looking to improve their skills on the mountain. UK and the Jumbulance Trust charity; a wonderful group of people consisting of volunteer carers and nurses who make travel possible for those who are unwell. At best, I hoped the experience would be both enjoyable and memorable, little did I realise the immeasurable impact it would have on my life. As a wheelchair user I had led myself to believe that snow was just nature s way of telling me you re staying indoors! It s remarkable how what was once perceived as a barrier is now the very thing that enables me to pursue my greatest passion. Equivalent to a pair of ski boots clicking into their bindings; the very first time I was lifted from my wheelchair into the Mountain Man bi-ski, I immediately felt as though I just slotted into place, as if it was somehow meant to be. The backdrop was stunning, I instantaneously found solace on the beautiful mountains with their breathtaking views. Despite my optimism, nothing could have quite prepared me for just how incredible adaptive skiing would make me feel: desperate to savour every moment, there was no place on earth I d rather be. I relished the speed and adrenaline, it was ultimate freedom unlike anything I d ever experienced before. 36 DSUK Annual Report & Yearbook 2013/14

37 With no prior experience, it was difficult to foresee how, and to what extent, my disability might affect my skiing. Therefore rather than have any expectations, I just promised myself that I would work as hard as I possibly could and give it my all. Initially I felt as though I had very limited movement or control over my sit-ski. But, eventually I began to feel myself influencing the turns and with it came a real sense of achievement. It s extraordinary how the slightest head lean can dictate the movement of your whole body, controlling your speed and direction. The more I discover about skiing, the more it fuels my desire to learn more. Following on from the success of the first Jumbulance ski trip, I was very fortunate to be offered the opportunity to return to Austria in January A real credit to DSUK; it was an absolute privilege to work with Steve Smaje, who was my instructor on both of the trips. Nothing was ever too much trouble: Steve s patience, enthusiasm and dedication instilled confidence in me from the outset. The conditions were great. Skiing off-piste for the first time was phenomenal, I enjoyed it so much we skied it over and over again all afternoon. With Steve s help I relished the thrill of going over little jumps, executing 360 s and mixing things up by incorporating different techniques. I tried to be more aware of the fall line, the differing terrain and tactility of the snow. I focused on trying to improve at, and have more confidence in, my own movements, giving me a greater sense of control. We practiced long and short turns, and played with skids. Every afternoon would end on a high; instead of downloading in the gondola we would ski one of the long runs down to the bottom - I was in my element! Skiing captivates all of my senses. The snow is always enticing; its variability makes every run fresh and exciting. The bi-ski feels like an extension of my body, facilitating movement, intensifying every sensation as I see, hear and feel the skis carve and skid beneath me, their edges gripping the snow. You don t just experience skiing, you live and breathe it. Above all else, at the very heart of it all, what I love most about skiing is that it makes me truly happy. Knowing first-hand the profound impact that it s had on my own life, as I look towards the future my greatest wish is to not only be able to continue to pursue my passion for skiing, but to also find ways of helping more people with disabilities to participate, just like others have helped me. Illness often has a habit of manifesting itself in such a way that makes you feel like you re just existing, life becomes something that s happening to everyone else whilst you re merely a spectator. Together, the Jumbulance Trust and DSUK have enabled me to break away from the side-lines, get in on the action and experience what it s like to not only live, but to truly prosper. I would like to say a huge, heartfelt thank you to absolutely everyone involved, without whom none of this would have been possible. Adaptive skiing takes the definition of accessibility to a whole new level. The emphasis is on the things that I can do instead of the things I can t. It removes my limitations; enabling me to go far beyond what I ever imagined I was capable of. 37

38 Nick Railton Nick was a competitive motorcycle racer, but that career abruptly ended in 1986 when he suffered a motorcycle accident whilst racing at Oulton Park Race Circuit. Nick broke his back leaving him paralysed from the chest down. Since then he has been, amongst other things, a photographer, specialising in action sports principally motorcycling. Whilst limited to a wheelchair, Nick is fully mobile with his own converted car. Early in 2014, whilst scanning the Internet, Nick came across DSUK and took some lessons to see if mono-skiing would work for him. Those early days were hard work with lots of falls and Nick needed dogged determination to continue. Peter, DSUK Manager at Milton Keynes, worked with Nick from the early days and in the following months there has been a major improvement in Nick s balance and control. Nick s technical interest in the equipment led to the purchase his own second-hand mono-ski (a Praschberger). His customisation of that piece of kit has been remarkable. With motorcycle and technical expertise, extra straps and seat extensions have been added, plus a new shock absorber. These made a huge difference, allowing more direct control of the mono-ski. By October, Nick became self-sufficient on the poma lift and was therefore free to ski at Milton Keynes and Hemel snow centres. He joined the monthly DSUK Local Recreational Groups at both centres so as to practice regularly. Nick achieved his target in November 2014 of skiing on the real mountain on real snow, with weather, scenery, space and fresh air. His first trip to the mountains was to Stubaier Gletscher in Tirol. However, having achieved his goal, Nick discovered that the end is actually the beginning. There is a whole mountain to explore - not just one run. The snow conditions can make a massive difference to how you ski. And, of course, the weather can make or break your trip. Undoubtedly, learning to ski in the UK gave Nick a head start, though he said nothing in the UK could prepare him for dealing with flat light. The visibility had the biggest effect on his skiing. There were ups and downs during the week, mostly with the weather, but Nick won t be beaten and said after the last run on his last day that he ll be coming back for more he has unfinished business with the mountains! Videos of Nick are on: IN0zOggDXwl6hRHTON 38 DSUK Annual Report & Yearbook 2013/14

39 The UK s premier Snow Park chillfactore.com Tel: Trafford Way, Trafford Quays Leisure Village Manchester, M41 7JA In conjunction with Disability Snowsports UK (DSUK) we offer adaptive skiing and snowboarding in a safe, caring and therapeutic environment.

40 FUNDRAISERS David Stirling - Bromley Group I am an average recreational skier and my feeble efforts to help our local Bromley group pale into insignificance when you consider the challenges that our skiers (and their helpers) face in their daily lives. So, I decided to take up a challenge of my own. My other sporting interest is mountain biking but, at 53, I m not the youngster that I was, so I enjoy a little challenge to motivate me. I ve done the London 2 Brighton British Heart Foundation (BHF) ride a few times over the years but, along with my riding partner Simon, we embarked on the crazy idea of riding it 3 times on 3 entirely different courses day time, night time and last but not least, off road! I registered with two online charity websites and encouraged some interest through a couple of blasts before, during and after the events. Additionally, I applied to Lloyd s Charities Trust, the insurance trading market where I work, for a donation. I ride a mountain bike called a 29er, big wheels and big fat tyres that are great in the mud and on trails but are not built for speed well, neither am I, come to think of it! So my challenge was going to test me over these three different rides on three separate days in all manner of conditions. In June, a group of us set off from Clapham Common on the day ride, but with 28,000 other riders all starting between 0630 and 0900 we knew it was going to be a challenge staying together. We had fit fellas on road bikes right through to novice cyclists whose fitness was something of the past! The ride took us through south London and we managed to meet up in Chipstead for a coffee and a bacon buttie. The group then split completely with one dropping out and others firing off at the front. I just kept pedalling along and enjoyed the scenery through to Turners Hill where we met some of our partners and listened to the band. The secret of the ride is definitely finding the best tea and cake, as if you know where to find it, you have an incentive to keep riding and then refuelling! Onwards and upwards... next stop just before Ditchling Beacon at a rest stop run by the Scouts. Here we had to muster the 40 DSUK Annual Report & Yearbook 2013/14

41 mental and physical strength to get up the steepest part of the ride, having completed around 45 miles already. The key, I ve found, is to find the right gear early, get into a comfortable pace and follow someone who looks like they can carve you an easy route up the hill. Well, it worked I sailed up the hill and passed one of my younger colleagues who was walking. Suddenly realising that the old fella had the legs to beat him, he promptly got back on his bike and rode the hill too. I guess you just need that incentive! Once at the top we could see for miles and miles and the rest of the road was downhill into Brighton and along Madeira Drive which was absolutely full of well wishers and supporters. After meeting and sorting the bikes out we headed home to rejoin the group for a BBQ and a beer. Great day and great company. One down, two to go In July, Simon and I joined around 3,000 others and set off from Clapham in the dark for the night ride. We whizzed along, pushing each other for speed and, with limited stops, made really good time. Fortunately we had between us some powerful riding lights so it made the dark country lanes much easier to navigate and, with less people undertaking the challenge, it was much less busy. The difficulties crept in between 4 and 5am when tiredness hit and we were ready for bed. We worked hard to stay warm though, with our major hill challenge this time called Devils Dyke. It comes in two parts, so just when you think you ve cracked it the hill rises up again. I was ready to drop but Simon cannily sat on my back wheel and would NOT let me! Two rides done and not one bit of walking, despite those chunky tyres! September came around very quickly. I set off on the train up to London and then out to Roehampton University for the early start of the Big One, the off road challenge: my third and final ride! This time the ride was even longer 75 miles of trails up hills 2014 London 2 Brighton... 3 times! and down dales almost entirely off road. We kicked off through Richmond Park and saw all the deer, other cyclists and runners and at that stage I felt pretty good, but boy was this going to be a long day in the saddle. It took around 8 hours in total with 7 of those riding. I had to admit defeat at about 800 yards of one uphill segment where I walked, but other than that I rode all the way and was therefore pretty proud! Having added up the sponsorship, we raised over 4,000 and then to my delight Lloyd s Charities Trust awarded me a donation of a further 2,000 which was presented by the Chairman of Lloyd s accompanied by one of our skiers, Steve, in the iconic Lloyd s Building. 41

42 Ellen Lindley Hi, my name s Ellen. In 2014 I shaved all my hair off in aid of DSUK and raised 1,161 doing so. I have rheumatoid arthritis which I ve had on and off for over 20 years. My most recent flare has lasted over 7 years and has been the most debilitating, affecting every join in my body. In 2013, my husband and I went with some friends on a skiing holiday; I was there to enjoy the scenery as I had never learned to ski and was under the false belief that my disability would stop me from ever getting out on the slopes. After one day out skiing, my husband came back and told me of someone he d seen with a bi-ski and suddenly a world of possibilities opened up before me. I found the DSUK website before we returned home and later that year I booked a lesson with Paul at the SnowDome in Tamworth. The 55 minutes of my first lesson were some of the most exhausting of my life. I was initially convinced that my joints would prevent me from skiing normally, but after getting me into a pair of boots one size up to allow for my restricted ankle movement and shorter skis to allow for restricted knee and hip movement, I was tentatively sidestepping up the slope and gingerly snowploughing down. Because of my condition I m always scared of falling over, so Paul very quickly came to read the wideeyed panic I got whenever he suggested I pushed myself a little further, but after lesson three I was skiing from the top of the SnowDome unaided. At the start of 2014 we went on a skiing trip again, and this time I hired skis and thoroughly enjoyed myself on the beginner slopes. Skiing s given me a level of confidence I didn t know I could find, and a freedom I thought was beyond me. When I m on a slope I m comfortable with, I have a sense of calm and relaxation I don t find anywhere else. Not long after returning from holiday my hair started falling out; my beautiful bright blue hair. Rheumatoid arthritis is an auto-immune condition, and such conditions rarely come alone - I also occasionally suffer alopecia areata where my hair falls out in patches. After a bit of grieving for my hair I decided that if it was going to come out, then it may as well come off and for a good cause, considering all that skiing had given me in such a short period of time, it seemed right to try and give something back. My initial target was 250 and I cried when I hit it. When I upped it to 500 and hit that too I started to dream a little dream that I could get to 1k, but I honestly never believed I d get there, let alone surpass it. Going from the bold statement of blue hair to no hair has been quite a conversation piece, and it s allowed me to drop DSUK into conversations it would never been raised in otherwise. My whole journey has been an amazing one, and I m looking forward to the next step a few lessons up a mountain to start getting over my fear of heights! 42 DSUK Annual Report & Yearbook 2013/14

43 Tess Burrows Inspirational Adventures I had a ski injury in the Alps this year. After happy ski holidays on and off for forty years, suddenly my ski-joy was shattered when my knee ligaments and cartilage went bang. The next morning, feeling completely devastated, I hobbled out to watch a skier negotiate a stunning fresh powder off-piste slope shining brightly in the sunshine, thinking those should be my tracks! And I burst into tears. At this point a little three-legged dog came bounding by, blissfully sniffing out the snow. It brought to me a great sense of humbleness and I realised the choice was entirely mine as to how I saw my injury. I could choose to see the devastation and despair within me, or I could choose to see the beauty all around me. It s a lesson I haven t forgotten throughout the long frustration of my rehab. Nine months on, I was able to take my first tentative turns back on skis at the Hemel Hempstead Snow Centre. There I watched a DSUK instructor help a little disabled boy in a sit-ski down the slope. I saw the utter joy and sense of achievement in his face. I was humbled again, for I knew that my struggle had been nothing compared to his, and that so many brave people face huge challenges overcoming body restrictions day after day. And how lovely that DSUK is there to help make this happen. I am no stranger to challenges. Over the last decade and a half I have been on a mission to send off messages of peace from far, high, corners of the planet, taking inspiration from the Tibetans who fly prayer flags from the highest points as a way of sending out peace and harmony to all beings. I have taken thousands of messages of peace from children, from people in all walks of life and from many nations, which has involved undertaking a number of intensely severe and often lifethreatening journeys. I have climbed to the point furthest from the centre of the earth and the point nearest the sun at the turn of the Millennium; I have circled sacred mountains; I have run up the tallest mountain; I have pulled a tyre up to 6,000 metres; I have negotiated the ice at the Magnetic North Pole; and I have skied to the South Pole. I have published three books telling these tales. They share my experiences with those who may not have had such opportunities, offering inspiration for the reader to say Yes, I can do anything I want to do in my own life! I m delighted that over the last couple of years I have been able to donate some of the money raised from the sale of my books to DSUK, which has allowed me to give back to a part of my life that has always given me joy: dancing ecstatically down a mountain-side. Yes, things change, but my injury this year has taught me that the biggest challenge is always that of facing the self; and it is in flowing with the changes that we can stay in harmony with our inner being. Inspirational Adventure Books by Tess Burrows: Cry From The Highest Mountain Cold Hands, Warm Heart Touch The Sky see

44 In 2014 we held two successful Santa Runs to raise much needed funds for DSUK. The first was held in Battersea Park in London and attracted two thousand eager Santas who braved the cold, frosty conditions to run, walk or stroll the 6km course. Participants really got into the spirit of the event by sporting their complimentary Santa suits, and wore their Finishers medals with pride. Thank you to 2:09 Events and Ellis Brigham for their contributions to making this event a fantastic day. The Aviemore Santa Run, now in its fourth year, was again held the Saturday before Christmas. This year we were greeted by a cold but dry day, which made a great change from the wild weather that had greeted us in previous years! The participants each received a goodie bag, which included contributions from Macdonald Resort, Natural Retreats Cairngorm Mountain, Cairngorm Brewery, Walkers Shortbread, Tunnocks, Ellis Brigham, Mountain Spirit and Salomon. Thank you to the sponsors for helping make the goodie bags so full! Santa EVENTS We also ran two successful Santa Skis in Snow Factore and Chill Factor. These were well attended by both able bodied and non-disabled skiers. Participants enjoyed two hours on the slopes dressed in their Santa suits, which created a fun, enjoyable and festive atmosphere. Thank you and well done to everyone who participated in our 2014 Santa Events. Due to their popularity, we are planning to run the same events again in The London Santa Run will be on the 5th December, the Aviemore Santa Run will be on the 19th December, and the dates for the Santa Skis will be released nearer the time. 44 DSUK Annual Report & Yearbook 2013/14

45 ADAPTIVE SKI HOLIDAYS For independent, disabled people Get lessons, coaching and assistance from qualified adaptive instructors Stay in a top hotel with all the facilities you need Book your holiday with a dedicated team of trained staff Flights, transfers and accommodation included as standard Andorra Austria Canada France Italy Norway USA To find your next ski trip call or visit crystalski.co.uk/disabled-skiing ATOL protected. For info please see our booking conditions.

46 Ryan Carney Maria Carney DSUK have asked me to put an article together of our family s reasons for fundraising over the last year. Tragically, we lost our 21-year-old son, Ryan Carney, in a car crash on the night of October 21st, 2013 on his way back from work. He was a chef at our local restaurant in the village of Liphook and was passionate about his chosen career. He had found his niche. Ryan was an extremely kind, compassionate, amiable and positive young man, he would light up a room when he walked through the door, and everybody loved him. He always made us laugh so much. He thought of others before himself and adored his two sisters, Emma and Robyn. He is missed so very much by everybody. Ryan had a love of sports; swimming, rugby, tennis, cricket, hockey were among his interests but his real passion became snowboarding. He was about to embark on a second season with Crystal Ski in Montgenevre, where he had spent 2012, and absolutely loved every aspect of the job. He worked in a chalet, where his passion for cooking began. Ryan died too young and with this came little knowledge of what his wishes would be, but his sisters came up with the connection of DSUK with Crystal Ski and this seemed perfect. Very soon donations came flooding into the Just Giving site and we were over whelmed, it was such a positive feeling and we have not looked back. In April last year, we had the most amazing opportunity to start raising funds for DSUK by a challenging climb of Mount Snowdon. It was the most exhilarating experience that any of us had done, 9 of us took part and 9 of us reached the summit! In total we raised over 1000 by kind sponsorship from friends and family. Our next fund raising event was with our local Tennis Club in Haslemere. Over 80 women entered a Round Robin Tournament on 9 tennis courts in the surrounding area, which was followed by a lunch and raffle. It was tremendously successful and we raised just over In June, over 65 of us entered a local charity bike ride, LIDBA Our team, #werideforryan raised a whopping 3425 and the day ended where Ryan had worked with a BBQ, band and raffle. LIDBA raise money for over 30 local charities, and we are pleased to announce that DSUK is now one of the charities on the list! We also have a #wereadforryan area in the pub/ restaurant where people donate books, which the locals love. So far we have raised over 200. As a family, we continue to look for different ways to raise money for the charity. Stickers, badges and T-Shirts have been designed by the girls and sold, with all donations going to DSUK in Ryan s memory. We are proud to be a part of the charity as it has helped us to focus on the positive, something that Ryan would always have wanted. It has also made his memory live on by changing many peoples lives and allowing them to experience the enjoyment, thrills, freedom and independence of the POW!!! which he loved so very, very much. So far, the Carney family, with the support of their friends, local community and generous donors, have raised for DSUK through the #werideforryan and #wereadforryan campaigns. DSUK would like to thank the Carney family for their continued support, and wish them all the best for the future. 46 DSUK Annual Report & Yearbook 2013/14

47 47

48 MAKE A MILLION FRIENDS LOTTERY The future of DSUK depends on raising funds. By joining the Make a Million Friends Lottery you not only help us raise money but you also get the chance to win a cash prize each month. The odds are better than the National Lottery and there is no need to buy a ticket each week. Just download and complete your direct debit form here and we will do the rest The prize draw will take place on the 26th of every month It only costs 2.50 per month (or 30 per year) 1.50 of each ticket goes to supporting DSUK with 1.00 going into the prize fund each month The more players the bigger the potential winnings! For more information and to enter call or keira@disabilitysnowsport.org.uk 48 DSUK Annual Report & Yearbook 2013/14

49 THE UK S LEADING WINTER SPORTS SPECIALIST CLOTHING, EQUIPMENT & FOOTWEAR STORES NATIONWIDE Shop online at

50 50 DSUK Annual Report & Yearbook 2013/14

51 The Oxford Ski Company are firm supporters of DSUK and are proud to have you as our chosen charity again this year. We are proud to help manage and match holidays for people of all levels of ability in chalets and hotels across the Alps and North America. With over fourteen years of experience you will be receiving the industry s best advice, combined with a tailored travel concierge service. Simply look no further. info@oxfordski.com

52 DSUK TRUSTEES Prof. Elizabeth (Lisa) Hall Chairman Robbie Young Vice- Chairman Paul Masters Treasurer Mike Todd Secretary Chris Sykes Trustee John Dickinson Lilley Trustee Ian Davis Trustee Don McCuchan Trustee. DSUK info Glenmore Lodge Grounds, Aviemore, PH22 1QU Tel: Scottish Registration SC Charity Registration General Enquiries admin@disabilitysnowsport.org.uk Membership & Community Fundraiser Keira Young fundraising@disabilitysnowsport.org.uk Finance Department finance@disabilitysnowsport.org.uk accounts@disabilitysnowsport.org.uk DSUK SKI SCHOOLS Chill Factore, Manchester Steve Smaje dsukchillfactore@disabilitysnowsport.org.uk Xscape, Castleford Steve Smaje dsukcastleford@disabilitysnowsport.org.uk Hemel Hempstead James Sterry dsukhemelhempstead@disabilitysnowsport.org.uk Tamworth, Midlands Paul Williams dsuktamworth@disabilitysnowsport.org.uk Central Belt of Scotland Louisa Oram dsukcentralbelt@disabilitysnowsport.org.uk Milton Keynes Peter Thorpe dsukmiltonkeynes@disabilitysnowsport.org.uk Cairngorm Mountain Cath Renouf January - April only skischool@disabilitysnowsport.org.uk 52 DSUK Annual Report & Yearbook 2013/14

53 DSUK STAFF Fiona Young OBE Chief Executive Officer Steven West General Manager Martina Norrie Finance Sandra Murray Finance Catherine Rose Finance Rachel Easton Davies Snowsport Manager Kim Ross Compliance and Fundraising Keira Young Members and Fundraising James Redpath Programme Manager Ruperta Melville Trusts and Grants Writer Paul Williams Ski School Manager Peter Thorpe Ski School Manager Cath Renouf Ski School Manager Steve Smaje Ski School Manager Louisa Oram Ski School Manager James Sterry Ski School Manager Duncan Freshwater Performance Director Euan Bennet Alpine Assistant Coach Nicole Brandrick Reception and Bookings Laura Reynolds Bookings and Administration Supervisor SKI SCHOOL LESSONS Tel: or

54 A BIG THANK YOU 2:09 Events A & S Lass Charities Abi Okell Andy Titley Angela Lawerence Antony Hornby Charitable Trust Ardwick Trust Baily Thomas Charitable Fund BASI Bawbags Belmont Communications John Clark Bolton School Booteze Borrows Charitable Trust Boshier-Hinton Foundation Brigade Electronics British Paralympic Association Bruce Wake Charitable Trust Cairngorm Brewery Cairngorm Hotel Cameron Hall Chill Factore Chris Tiley Clare Sinton Clark Bradbury Charitable Trust Clover Trust Combined Services Disabled Ski Team Crystal Holidays Dare 2 B David Fitzpatrick David Smith Delta Force Paintballing Disability Sports Development Trust Donald Brind Dougie Crawford Duchy of Lancaster Benevolent Trust Ellis Brigham Euan Ross Fireball Gary Shepherd & Family Get Kids Going Glencoe Ski Area Glenshee Ski Area Grover Print Newtonmore Hazel Collier Helen Robertson Charitable Trust Hemel Snowcentre Hirschel Foundation Holmlands Event Huck Cancer Foundation Interski John Lochie Jules Thorn Karen Murray Karina Mader & Family, Hotel Kössler, Hintertux Lynn Foundation Madeline Mabey Foundation Manbi Margaret H McInnes Trust Maria Carney and Family McDonald Aviemore Highland Resort McInnes Trust Meteor Meet and Greet Moffat Charitable Trust Mountain Spirit MRR Rally Team Mugdock Children s Trust Natural Retreats Cairngorm Mountain Nevis Range Nevisport Aviemore NSPCC Oxford Ski Company Patrick Green, Nevisport Aviemore Paul Gould Percy Bilton Charitable Trust Peter Harrison Foundation Rachelle Lass Rank Foundation Ratcliff Foundation Ravensdale Trust Redpoint Holidays Richard Liddle Richard Roth Robbie Young Robertson Trust Ross Green Saddlers Company Sadlers Salomon Sara Cooper ShuSnow Committee Simon Hooper Sir Edward Lewis Foundation Sir Jules Thom Charitable Trust Sir Steve Redgrave Ski Bartlett Ski Club of Great Britain Snow and Rock Snow Centre Hemel Hempstead Snow Dome Tamworth Snow Factor Glasgow Sobell Foundation Souter Charitable Trust Sport England Stock Exchange Ski Club Susan Gibson Suzanne Knight Sweet Spot Trainer Sylvia Adams Charitable Trust Sylvia Aitken Charitable Trust TASS Tay Charitable Trust Tesco Charity Trust Tess Burrows The Lynn Foundation Tim Farr Tom Hall Charitable Trust Tui Ski Tunnocks UK Sport University of Bristol Snowsports Club Walkers Shortbread Wellington School Whirlwind Charitable Trust Wolverhampton Tennis Club XScape Snowzone Ltd Yorkshire & Clydesdale Bank Foundation Yorkshire Building Society Charitable Fund Thank you also to: All local slope volunteers too numerous to mention you all. All runners and volunteers who helped at the London and Aviemore Santa Runs in Everyone who volunteers on lessons in the UK, all Activity Week volunteers and anyone who helps with other aspects of DSUK s work. All our part time instructors working tirelessly around the country. All skiers and volunteers that helped at the Santa Skis in Everyone who has taken part in an event or raised funds for DSUK. 54 DSUK Annual Report & Yearbook 2013/14

55 COMFORT INSIDE. PRECISION OUTSIDE. PERFORMANCE ALL ROUND. 20 YEARS OF BOOT FITTING EXPERTISE HAVE ALLOWED US TO UNLOCK THE PERFECT BALANCE BETWEEN COMFORT AND PERFORMANCE. OUTSIDE FIT CUSTOMIZED SHELL FOR PERFECT FOOT WRAPPING HEAT-MOLDABLE SHELL ADAPTS TO YOUR FOOT IN 20 MINUTES CUSTOM SHELL 360 PATENTED INSIDE FIT PRE-SHAPED LINER FOR INSTANT FIT PRE-SHAPED FOAM AROUND ANKLE AND HEEL NEXT-GENERATION LINER WITH SALOMON S FIT EXPERTISE CUSTOM FIT 3D PATENTED TECHNOLOGY CUSTOMIZABLE LINER DESIGNED FOR FREEDOM 55

56 GET INVOLVED IN OUR FUNDRAISING Spey Way Challenge JUNE EVENTS London Santa Run 5 DECEMBER Solent Challenge 3 SEPTEMBER Aviemore Santa Run 19 DECEMBER Keep an eye on our website and social media for more events to be announced 56 DSUK Annual Report & Yearbook 2013/14