Annual Report. February 2013 February Graham Harvey FVDS Branch Co-ordinator

Transcription

1 Annual Report February 2013 February 2014 Graham Harvey FVDS Branch Co-ordinator

2 Acknowledgements Forth Valley Disability Sport wishes to thank the many agencies which have supported its activities in the last year, and wish to thank the following in particular: Clackmannanshire Council Falkirk Council Falkirk Community Trust Stirling Council Active Stirling sportscotland Scottish Disability Sport Clackmannanshire Sorts Council Lloyds TSB Foundation for Scotland 2e-volve Awards for All Kerry Bio Science Menstrie Rotary club Bridge of Allan Morrison Supermarket Tesco Supermarket Stirling Albion FC ASDA Community Programme The Robertson s Trust The Rank Foundation Voluntary Action Fund BG Group Dunan Adams James Strang Ltd RJM Sport LTD Cameron Trophies Ogilvie Homes Rock and Road Cycles Morrisons Garage Ltd Summer Harvest Oils Arnold Clark Automobiles Ltd R S Erskine & Co ltd Optometrists Rotary club of Grangemouth 2

3 Contents 1.0 Chairperson s Foreword Background Introduction Local Authority Reports 7 Page 4.1 Active Stirling Clackmannanshire Council Falkirk Community Trust Forth Valley Disability Sport Review Forth Valley Disability Sport Branch Co-ordinator FVDS Youth Worker in Sport Trainee Lloyds TSB Foundation for Scotland Capacity Building Programme Student Placements FVDS Regional Events FVDS Regional Events Table Club Reports The Dolphin Club, Grangemouth Stirling City All Stars F.C Arion Club Forth Valley Flyers A.C Right on Target Boccia Club Stirling wheelchair curling club Bo ness Swimming Club Future Developments FVDS Website Golf Sessions Special Olympics Branch MOR/ Sub-group Positive Sports Forum Grant Aid Newsletter FVDS Awards SDS Regional Managers Report SDS/CSP Regional Development Squads Coach Education and Training Coaching Talent Central Programme Club Development SDS National Programmes Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games Squad SDS Academy Programmes FVDS Academy Athletes Summary 41 Appendix 1 42 Appendix

4 1.0 Chairperson s Foreward I am pleased to report that 2013 has been a very successful year for Forth Valley Disability Sport and my thanks go to all of you who have contributed to this success as athletes, partners, funders and supporters, volunteers, members, committee members and post holders. Among our successes this year have been: 47 Medals at the 2013 Special Olympics Summer Games in Bath England 11% increase in junior participation numbers to % increase in adults participation numbers to 294 Securing funding from Robertson Trust / Rank Foundation to employ and train an additional member of staff full time for 3years In 2013 we said goodbye to Lynne Glen who contributed so much to the development of FVDS and welcomed Jennifer Livingstone and Cheryl Willet from SDS. In 2014 we look forward to a full on year of sport including the 2014 Commonwealth games in Glasgow where several of our athletes will compete. Angus Whyte Chairperson 4

5 2.0 Background Forth Valley Disability Sport, formerly known as Forth Valley Sports Association for People with Disabilities, was established in 1997 as a voluntary organisation. The branch is one of 16 in Scotland, all of whom acknowledge Scottish Disability Sport as their National Governing Body for sport. The branch geographically covers Falkirk, Stirling and Clackmannanshire Councils with a combined population of 290,000 people. The make up of the population is :- Falkirk Stirling 88,350 Clackmannanshire 50,450 In 2010 SportCentral became the Central Sporting Partnership which consists of the following key partners Clackmannanshire, Falkirk Community Trust, Falkirk Council and Stirling Councils, Active Stirling, Central Scotland Institute of Sport, The University of Stirling, and selected Scottish Governing Bodies of Sport. The partnership is also supported by and works closely with sportscotland. The main aims of the manager is two fold;- To increase participation To improve performance. In order to achieve these aims the manager will integrate the aims and strategies of the local authority partners, Forth Valley Disability Sport, Central Sporting Partnership and Scottish Disability Sport. The Branch appointed a part time branch co-ordinator in September The main roles of the Branch co-ordinator are the day to day running of the branch. Organising, planning and developing the adults and junior events programme. Manage Special Olympics correspondence and FVDS finances to promote and develop sporting opportunities for children and adults with physical, learning and sensory disabilities in the Forth Valley area. 5

6 3.0 Introduction This report is written by the Forth Valley Disability Sport Branch Co-ordinator and will outline the key areas of work for Forth Valley Disability Sport from February Although the main area of this report is to provide information on the developments achieved by Forth Valley Disability Sport, it will also include updates from local authority partners, clubs in the area, Central Sporting Partnership and Scottish Disability Sport. This is due to the extent of partnership working by all of the above and the integration of strategies and action plans. As you can see from the diagram below there is a close working relationship between all partners to introduce athletes to sport and realise the potential of athletes in the Forth Valley Area by developing the pathways in disability sport. Each partner has a clear role to play in the pathway. Improve Performance GB & SDS Programmes SDS Regional Squads Mainstream and Disability Specific Clubs Forth Valley Disability Sport Mainstream and Disability Specific Clubs Increase Participation Forth Valley Disability Sport Local Authority Participation Programmes Active Stirling Clackmannanshire Council Falkirk Community trust 6

7 4.0 Local Authority Reports Each local authority area has once again provided a report. 4.1 Active Stirling Staff Changes In September Claire Scott was appointed Active Schools Coordinator within the Dunblane Cluster. Claire has also been tagged with Disability Sport within the Stirling area, taking over from Blair Cremin who has now moved on to pastures new. Active Stirling would like to thank Blair for his work at Active Stirling, specifically within Disability Sport. This report will highlight work continued since Blair s departure in the summer and look at the new and exciting developments within Disability Sport in and around Stirling from September 2013 to January Classes Active Stirling has continued to deliver disability sport-specific, multi-sport and swimming classes for children aged between 5 and 15. We have continued to deliver Boccia at The PEAK, the National Centre of Excellence for Boccia, and Mulit Sports class at Wallace High School, and are now looking to expand classes into rural communities to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to participate in disability sport. Within our Multi Sport Class, we will start to see local sports clubs become more involved within the delivery of sessions to strengthen club links and ensure pathways are established for individuals who wish to continue their interest within a particular sport. Active Stirling is committed to the provision of disability sport at all levels. Within the Active Schools team and community classes we ensure that all main stream extracurricular activity clubs are inclusive to all regardless of ability. Adult Activities Boccia - Active Stirling has also been supporting adult sessions at Camphill, Blair Drummond. Coaches have been delivering Boccia sessions and continue to encourage individuals to participate in FVDS events. Dunblane HS Pupils pictured with Team GB s Angie Malone and Michael Kerr. 7 Wheel Chair Curling- Active Stirling supports the provision of Wheel Chair Curling at the PEAK who currently have 22 members. Stirling Wheel Chair Curling Club is open to all adults of any age. In October, high school pupils from Stirling were invited to Forthbank Stadium to hear a variety of talks from a athletes including 2012 Judo Olympic Silver

8 medallist Gemma Gibbons, 2006 Wheel Chair Curling silver medallist Angie Malone and Team GB Wheel Chair Rugby star Michael Kerr. Angie has recently been selected to compete at the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games, will represent Team GB for the 3 rd time in her curing career! Good luck to Angie and to all of Team GB competing at the 2014 Sochi Winter Games! Taster Sessions in Schools Multi-Sport: The start 2014 will see schools with ASN provision across Stirling have the opportunity to participate in taster sessions which will be delivered by Active Stirling trained coached in a variety of sports and activites. The main aim of the tater sessions will be to encourage pupils to participate in local and community classes. Tennis: Planning is currently underway to introduce the HHEAPS tennis programme to primary school pupils within ASN units across Stirling. Taster sessions will be delivered by LTA licenced coach and free equipment provided to participating schools. The programme will also link into the Disability Network venue being Stirling University. This will then provide an exit route for keen pupils from the schools on the project to continue playing outside of school time, together with other disability groups in the area. Festivals Wallace High School Pupils work on their technique at the Target Throw station. Graham Harvey FVDS, supporting athletes at a range of stations. The annual Fun in Athletics festival organised by the Active Stirling Athletics DO was held in December 2013 at the PEAK. The festival was well attended by children from preschool to highschool. In total 43 children from Wallace HS, St Modans HS, Riverside PS, Fillin PS and Castleview PS attended the festival, seeing an 11% increase from We hope to see numbers increase again next year! The event was also supported by Young Leaders from St Modans High School, FVDS and Student volunteers from the University of Stirling. Active Stirling also hosted a Fun in Football festival at The PEAK on the 16 th of January. 30 pupils from St. Modans HS and Castleview PS participated in a variety of fun games and activities seeing another exciting increase in participation by 87% from 2013! Coaches from Active Stirling s Football Development department led the session and were very pleased with the support from schools and pupils enthusiasm at the event. 8

9 Up and Coming Events In March 2014 the Active Stirling s University Programme Students will host a Ryder Cup Themed Golf Festival at the PEAK, which is open to all primary and secondary children within Forth Valley. This will be an extremely exciting event in the build up to the Ryder Cup and an opportunity for all to come and try golf in a fun and encouraging environment. We are confident that our students will make this a successful and enjoyable event for all. Fund Raising Staff above walked through the night from Drymen to Ardtalnaig to raise funds for PLUS. Active Stirling has continued to support local charity PLUS over In September staff took part in walking 55 miles of the Rob Roy Way and raised Thank you to all those who sponsored our walkers, and well done to all that took part. Training In November Active Stirling in partnership Y Dance delivered ASN Dance Workshop at St Modans High School seeing 12 teachers, support workers and volunteers take part in the practical workshop. The training provided great ideas on how to incorporate dance within an ASN school setting. Active Stirling have also delivered Disability Inclusion Training with support from PLUS to Stirling University Students involved in the Active Stirling Student Coaching Group. Our Active Schools coordinators also deliver disability workshops to their Sports Leaders as part of their leadership training. Congratulations A massive well done to all the winners and nominees at this year s Stirling Sports Awards 2013! It has been another fantastic year of sport for all the local clubs and individuals in and around the Stirling area - great achievement from everyone, particularly to Niall Finlayson, Forth Valley Flyers member who won the Sporting Endeavour Award (sponsored by 2e-volve). Well done to Niall from all at Active Stirling. Left to Right Graham Wardell, Team GB Coach, Niall Finlayson, Robbie Renwick 2012 Olympic Swimmer and Fraser Mathewson FVDS committee member. Future of Disability Sport in Stirling: 9

10 Athletics: Planning is currently underway to start the first disability Run, Jump, Throw (R,J,T) in Stirling as a result of the successful Fun in Athletics Festival. Cricket: Active Stirling is also in the process of supporting Callander Cricket Club in coordinating Disability Cricket sessions in Primary Schools and at Multi Sport sessions. PLUS and Jumpin Beans: Active Stirling are also excited to work in partnership with PLUS in a pilot project in supporting the provision of pre-school activities at the PEAK for children currently involved with PLUS. Our aims and aspirations of this pilot is to ensure a positive start and exciting start on the Disability Sport pathway for children progressing onto our community classes, disability R,J,T and then into a club setting. Football: Active Stirling in partnership with SDS, SFA, FVDS, and Stirling All Stars are also in the early stages of coordinating primary school tasters which we hope will create a junior section within Stirling All Stars. Finally.. Active Stirling is excited about future of disability sport in Stirling. We hope to build on this enthusiasm through the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, the Ryder Cup and the 2014 Sochi Winter Games to help inspire and motivate more people to become involved in sport at all levels. Claire Scott Active Schools Coordinator Clackmannanshire Council I hope that this report will provide you with information on the opportunities we offer to pupils and young adults with additional support needs within the Clackmannanshire area. It will highlight local programmes and clubs, achievements in local, regional and national events and the links available to local community sports clubs. Rugby 'Dream Team' The 'Dream Team' trains weekly at Tillicoultry primary school and is set up for pupils diagnosed with autistic spectrum disorder and /or behavioural difficulties. The primary school aged pupils from across Clackmannanshire train during curricular time and the sessions are led by both Clackmannanshire's Active ASN co-ordinator and the Rugby development officer. The pupils over the past 6 years have taken part in one of two of the CPSSA tag rugby festival, however in the past year they have successfully taken part in both festival. 10

11 Gymnastics ASN The gymnastics class which now takes place at the new gymnasium at the Wasp centre, continues to be a popular after school programme for both primary and secondary aged pupils as well as young adults. The class runs for 36 weeks a year, it is a structured class, although disciplined to ensure safety it is based on fun and is enjoyed by all. Swimming The swimming sessions have taken off after a 2 year period with no accessible pool. Their are 3 swimming lessons each week designed for beginners, intermediate and advanced levels. This is a very popular class were swimmers progress through each level. Swimmers from this class have also taken part in the CPSSA primary school swimming gala in November '13. The secondary school swimming gala which took place in October '13 also saw swimmers from this class successfully compete. As well as local events swimmers have also competed at FVDS regional events and SDS national events. The lessons take place at the Ochil Leisure Centre, Alva on Tuesday evenings. Dance The ASN Dance group started in September '13 as a pilot and has proved so successful it is now a regular after school programmes for primary and secondary aged pupils. The class which takes place at Alloa Academy Dance studio on Monday evenings is designed and suitable to include all disabilities. Wheelchair users who attend the programme are as fully involved as their able bodied peers. Routines are adapted and delivered to suit all in both seating and standing positions. Bowls Throughout the past year club coaches from Alloa East End Bowling Club have delivered weekly extra curricular sessions in the ASN bases at Alloa Academy, Lornshill Academy and Alva Academy. Bowling sessions have also taken place on the lawns at the club when the outdoor season began in April '13. Clackmannanshire Bowls Forum 11

12 On 5th December Clackmannanshire Council hosted the annual New Age Bowls festival at Alloa Leisure Bowl. This was the first time the festival has been held on an indoor bowling green. As one of our inclusive events over 26 pupils with additional support needs took part alongside their peers with over 100 pupils in total. Coaches from Clackmannanshire Bowls Forum helped deliver the sessions to the pupils involved. Football - Tullibody Community Football Club, PAN Disability The PAN disability section within TCFC is now well and truly established with over 14 members training each week at Lornshill Academy. The coaches from the club have also assisted at the FVDS annual football festival hosted by Clackmannanshire Council. Club coaches have also deliver training, and fun sessions to the entrants who attended the Clackmannanshire 'Fun Football Festival' held in October '13 as well as taster training to the ASN schools and support bases. Alloa Swim Club Alloa swimming club continue to offer ASN swimmers the opportunity to join the club and develop their skills. The ethos of the club is to integrate swimmers into mainstream training were possible, individuals who have progressed through local swimming clubs also have the opportunity to progress to regional squads as part of the partnership with FVDS. Right On Target Forth Valley Boccia Club The Boccia Club offers weekly training for individuals over the age of 8 years and has 14 members including 4 ramp players. The club is committed in providing its members with the opportunity to further develop skills to progress and compete in competition. In May 2013 the club hosted its 2nd competition which was offered for entries from across Scotland. They also hosted a 'in-house' competition in Dec 13 for club members, coaches and parents as a end of term fun event. The club trains every week in the Bowmar Centre, Alloa on Wednesdays between 6.00 pm and 7.30 pm. Alloa Academy Ex - ASN & Lochies School. The pupils from Alloa Academy, extended support base and Lochies school continue to enjoy a wide variety of activities. Jackie Perez, Physical Activity co-ordinator writes - both Lochies Primary and Alloa Academy Extended A.S.N participate in two hours physical activity during curricular time. The sports included in this are rugby, athletics, golf and football. The pupils have also had the opportunity to participate in Bowling and Boccia during lunch times organised through our active schools co-ordinator. Four pupils who are wheel chair users at Alloa Academy have been experiencing Rebound Therapy with great success and enjoyment. Some pupils have also accessed the hydro pool on a weekly basis. 12

13 Pupils from both schools have also taken part in local and regional events including Fun in Athletics, Tri golf, FVDS Athletics Championships and The Annual Football Festival. Lornshill Academy and Alva Academy - support bases Pupils from Lornshill Academy and Alva Academy support units have continued to support Active Schools activity programmes for their pupils with additional support needs. Both schools continue to work closely and support the Active Schools co-ordinator in identifying pupils, providing training opportunities for competition and supporting community club links. Due to the collaborative work we have seen an increase in attendance to after school programmes and entries to local competition. Mainstream Schools. A wide variety of activities are offered after school hours and at lunch clubs which are fully inclusive to all, allowing pupils to socialise with their peers in their own school. An after school inclusive programme in athletics also takes place on Thursday evenings at Alloa Academy for primary aged pupils. Calendar / Festival of Events ASN The ASN Calendar of Events offers competition and festivals in local, regional and national events. Clackmannanshire Primary School Sports Association, (CPSSA) and the secondary schools calendar of events have 11 events which are either fully inclusive, have a separate event to suit the needs of the individual or are disability events. There is also the opportunity for individuals to qualify from local events to Forth Valley Disability Sport regional and Scottish Disability Sport national competitions. to date over 170 primary and secondary aged pupils from Clackmannanshire have taken part in local events, 156 in regional events and 62 in regional events. Education & training Sport Development offer specific training opportunities for Education staff, Sports Development Officers, Sports Coaches, Volunteers and senior pupils to provide relevant skills and understanding in order to enable a fully inclusive approach within their lessons and classes. The Active Schools co-ordinator, ASN, also delivers ongoing CPD for school staff and sports coaches and also the inclusion element of sport as well as sport specific Makaton to our Young Leaders, Sports Leaders, Young Ambassadors and senior 13

14 pupils doing a Health and Fitness Module. Senior pupils have an opportunity to support sports development staff at events. 9 pupils from Alloa Academy doing the Health & Fitness module attended practical workshops in boccia and bowling allowing them to assist at the regional boccia championships and the local bowls festival. Play Alloa volunteers and parents have also received training in basic Makaton to assist them during play groups. Scottish Society for Autism - Struan School - Trampoline The Alloa based Struan school has also been linking to the Active Schools Coordinator with programmes being established specifically for their pupils and young adults. Trampoline classes take place every week at Alloa Academy and have been running for 3 years. Swimming classes for young adults from the Scottish Society for Autism, have also been set up at the Ochil Leisure Centre. Holiday Programmes Over the past year Clackmannanshire has hosted Easter and Summer programmes for primary and secondary aged pupils and also adult residents across Forth Valley. This 3 local authorities in Forth Valley have came together for activities such as athletics, boccia, sitting volley ball and dance. The holiday programmes set up with FVDS was piloted over the Easter holidays and proved so successful have continued with the joint programmes. Jean M Duncan, January Falkirk Community Trust : Sports Development The Falkirk Community Trust Active and Inclusive aim is to have : More active children, young people and adults with a disability in Falkirk participating in sport and physical activity and achieving their full sporting potential Active and Inclusive is about sport and physical activity, opportunity, choice and realising potential. It is a strategy that will help more children young people and adults with a disability become physically active and participating at any level. What needs to happen at a local level: We have initially identified five priority sports and supporting themes where time and resources will need to be invested to deliver the vision and key outcomes of the Active and Inclusive Disability Sports Strategy. Priority Sports: The Hub Carrongrange - Multi Sports Club Boccia Priority Themes: Being Inclusive Getting People Active 14

15 Swimming Pathways Athletics Tennis Creating Sporting Developing People Theme 1: Being Inclusive Priority aims: Offer children, young people and adults a choice of local fully inclusive sport and physical activity programmes and events in Falkirk. Create more opportunities within mainstream sports clubs for people with a disability to participate and progress in sport, both integrated and disability specific. Create more opportunities within existing disability-specific clubs for children, young people and adults to participate and progress in sport. Give all young people with a disability the opportunity to participate regularly in sport and physical activity at school as part of PE and more importantly in out-of-hours activities Theme 2: Getting people active Priority aim: Get more inactive children, young people and adults with a disability active and taking the first steps towards regular participation in physical activity and sport. Theme 3: Creating pathways Priority aims: Develop the full sporting potential of children, young people and adults with a disability through developing clear sporting pathways in each priority sport. Increase the number of Falkirk people on representative squads for our priority sports Develop stronger links with local mainstream and disability sports clubs Theme 4: Developing people Priority aims: 15

16 Increase the number of leaders and coaches delivering quality sports activities and events for children, young people and adults with a disability and coaching sports for people with a disability at all levels. Support coaches and volunteers to engage with people with a disability and provide the best possible experience to recruit and retain more people with a disability specifically in tennis Increase the number of teachers trained to deliver high-quality physical education to children with a disability in both ASN and mainstream schools. Develop a stronger voice for people with a disability within sports organisations by increasing the number of people with a disability in decisionmaking positions. Falkirk Community Trust, Sports Development currently has several sports programmes available for children, young people and adults. As well as disability specific opportunities we positively promote inclusiveness across our full range of sports and activities. Our aim is to increase opportunities for people with disabilities to participate in sport in a safe and secure environment. We aim to create and develop pathways for sports people with disabilities to realise their full potential by continuing to support and offer Local, Regional and National competitions and events. Local and Regional events continue to be well supported by the majority of our Falkirk Schools We are committed to Inclusive sports provision that will contribute to Equality, Children, Young People and Adults, Health, Social Inclusion and Respect, Employment and Skills and Sustainable Communities Falkirk Community Trust : Active Schools All Active Schools Co-ordinators in Falkirk has a responsibility for disability sports activities. We work alongside FCT Sports Development team in order to achieve the Active and Inclusive vision. Carrongrange HS Since October 2012 the after school club, Extra Time at Carrongrange has gone from strength to strength, with weekly attendance of over 20 pupils participating in a variety of activities from basketball and badminton, to swimming and boccia. The sessions are run by Teachers kindly volunteer their time and external volunteers from the wider school community. During March 2013 a three week block of transitional Extra Time was organised for the P7 s and S1, it provided a good opportunity for the pupils and parents to attend the school. 16

17 Carrongrange has also been offering the pupils a wide variety of sporting opportunities at lunchtimes, including a running club, football and basketball. Through the year Carrongrange attended lots of events from cross country to boccia and athletics. Falkirks Boccia Competition was held on Friday 15 th March with attendance from 19 teams from six primary school and ten teams from four secondary schools. There was some great boccia played and some really good team spirit and sportsmanship. St Mungo s retained the trophy for the second year. Both Hallglen and Victoria primary schools has offered the pupils boccia clubs in the schools and attended at least one boccia event during the year. It is great to see that boccia is becoming very much part of the sports available in the school. The have also tried to get the pupils out to other event where is has been possible such as the athletics and football. St. Mungo s HS FVDS Cross Country Tuesday 17 th September Declan Doherty, Jack Rawding, Brandon Gracie and Michael Yuill took part in the FVDS Cross Country at Cochrane Park in Alva on Tuesday 17 th September. They worked very hard and all came home with medals for their efforts. Well done. FVDS Swimming Championships Friday 27 th September St Mungo's had 14 pupils take part in the FVDS Swimming Championships at Grangemouth Sports Complex on Friday 27th September. All the pupils did extremely well and won a grand total of 35 gold medals, 7 silver and 5 bronze. Congratulations to all pupils. The gold medal winners were: Molly Williamson (2), Mairin Savage (5), Stacey Holden (2), Liam Dunn (3), Brandon Doherty (2), Michael Yuill (1), Aaron Paige (1), Michael Cochrane (2), Ross Kyle (1), Catie Hynes (1), Samuel Pender (1) and Leona Boles (4). The silver medal winners were: Stacey Holden (1), Liam Dunn (1), Jack Rawding (1), Michael Yuill (1), Aaron Paige (1), Ross Kyle (1) and Samuel Pender (1). The bronze medal winners were: Jack Rawding (1), Brandon Doherty (1), Aaron Paige (1) and Alex Garfitt (2). SDS National Junior Swimming Finals Wednesday 6 th November Catie Hynes and Mairin Savage were selected to compete for Forth Valley after their success at the previous FVDS Swimming Championships. Catie won gold for the 25m freestyle back (class 7) and Mairin won Gold for the 50m adapted breaststroke (Class 4). SDS National Junior Swimming Championships Wednesday 20 th November Well done to all pupils who took part and represented Forth Valley in the National Finals for the SDS Swimming Championships. They all did extremely well. Further congratulations goes to Leona Boles who won Gold for the 25m backstroke and silver for the 25m breaststroke. 17

18 Grangemouth HS Our YA/YL team run a Support for Learning club on a Thursday lunchtime for the pupils from our autistic unit. It has run since Aug and will continue until the summer. Denny HS Caitlin Ross in 6 th year and Corrie Paterson of 1 st year competes in disability sport, both pupils travelled to Bath to the Special Olympics, National Games in the Autumn, Caitlin got two silver medals in the Shot Putt and the 4x 100m relay. Caitlin also volunteers with the disability athletics club in Grangemouth. We have also had Jen Cairns in to do a Boccia training with our 1 st and 2 nd Northfield pupils, these are pupils who have recognised communication difficulties. At the moment that is all we are doing in the school. Please see below the details regarding events that schools within Falkirk have been entering. Regional Events: FVDS Cross Country FVDS School Swimming Gala FVDS Indoor Bowling FVDS Boccia : 12 Carrongrange School : 13 St Mungos HS : 3 Ladeside PS : 16 St Mungos HS : 5 Maddiston PS : 5 Carrongrange School : 5 Maddiston PS : 6 Carronshore PS : 9 Grange PS : 6 Maddiston PS : 11 Nethermains PS Local Events: Fun In Athletes : 19 Larbert Village : 12 Deanburn PS : 7 Windsor Park Fun Football Day : 9 Larbert Village, : 7 Hallglen, : 4 Ladeside 18

19 5.0 Forth Valley Disability Sport Review This section of the report will cover the period from February 2013 February 2014 and will provide an update of the work developed by the branch. Key achievements this year are:- FVDS Youth Work in Sport Trainee Mitchell Graham appointment funded by The Rank Foundation and Robertson Trust Development of the Central Disability Sport Easter and Summer programmes. Senior events programme have seen a 40% increase in attendances over the past year. Junior events programme have seen an 11% increase in attendances over the past year. Placements from Stirling University FVDS Branch Co-ordinator The FVDS branch co-ordinator is employed for 31.5 hours per week. The main role of the co-ordinator is to organise and support 26 junior and 7 senior events in partnership with local authorities and partner agencies to support events. The branch co-ordinator also managed the organisation of the Special Olympics team and Forth Valley teams to Scottish Disability Sport National events. The Branch co-ordinator continues to organise fundraising events, manage FVDS finances the day to day running of the branch and administration for regional sport sessions FVDS Youth Work In Sport Trainee I am working for Forth Valley Disability Sport as a Youth Worker. My post is funded by the Robertson Trust and the Rank Foundation. My main aims are to find more people with specific Disability in Forth Valley and increase participation in disability sport and build new relationships between FVDS its partners and new organisations. Induction, for the first three months had involved meeting all the local authorities in forth valley and clubs staff. At the same time, I contacted many different agencies to arrange meetings, hoping to build a relationship, help them to create events and bring in more young people and adults for us. It has been a hard process and I am trying to keep in contact with some of them. The main areas of my work over the past few months: Supporting the deliver of local, regional events and Forth Valley Teams to National disability events in the Forth Valley Development of a new poster to raise the profile of FVDS 19

20 Supporting fundraising events to help sustain sport activities Improving relationships between FVDS and Partners much as Active School, Falkirk young careers, Sensory Centre, Plus and Central Advocacy partners Completed Sport specific and Disability awareness courses 5.2 Lloyds TSB Foundation for Scotland Capacity Building Programme In 2013 Forth Valley Disability Sport completed work with Lloyds TSB Capacity Building Programme to develop an Evaluating and Monitoring Strategy. Angus Whyte FVDS Chairperson is now heavily involved with branch Minimum Operating Requirements and he has completed the following documents. Business plan Income Generation Strategy Evaluating and Monitoring Strategy Fundraising strategy 5. 3 Student Placements In 2013 FVDS had a work placement student from Stirling University for a period of three month. The main aim of the placement was to develop tools to help FVDS to evaluate the activities that it provides to participants with a disability. The student was tasked with development a questionnaire to gain feedback from athletes, parents and coaches involved with the charity. The placement was A great success and FVDS will be looking at another University placement and other placement opportunities over the next year Forth Valley Disability Sport Events Events held in the academic year have seen an overall increase in attendance numbers from 708 to 786 with an 11 % increase. The main reasons for this are:- :- FVDS partnership with local authorities, Scottish Disability Sport, Day centres and parent agencies working with people with disabilities. More information out to schools through local authorities and trust active school co-ordinators. Development of the Central Disability Sport Easter and summer programmes. 20

21 FVDS will review the existing events programme and consult with schools, local authorities and sport specific officers to plan next years programme and identify further ways of increasing participation in the event programme over the coming year Each local authority delivered their own Football fun day and Fun in Athletics Festival to promote their own local programmes. Many thanks go to Clackmannanshire Council for hosting the Boccia Championships, Falkirk Council for hosting the Golf Festival and Stirling for hosting the Kwik curling and New Age Bowling respectively. Without working in partnership with Clackmannanshire Council, Falkirk Community Trust and Active Stirling the events programme would not be as successful FVDS Regional Events Table Feb Feb 2014 Event Regional School and Club Swimming Gala Regional School Athletics Track and Field FVDS Golf Festival Regional Schools Swimming Championships FVDS Regional Multi-sport event Fun In Athletics (Stirling) Fun In Athletics (Falkirk) Fun In Athletics (Clackmannanshire) Regional Schools Junior Boccia Competition Paralympic festival Football Fun Day (Falkirk) Football Fun Day (Stirling) Football Fun Day (Clackmannanshire) FVDS Regional Schools Cross Country FVDS Inter Area Decathlon Rescheduled 28 FVDS Regional Bowling Festival New Events FVDS Easter Programme FVDS Summer Programme Total

22 Please see the below table to see participation numbers in the FVDS Junior Events Sports Programme from 2006/7 to 2013/ /7 2007/8 2008/9 2009/ / / / /14 Event Participation Numbers 5.5 Club Reports Some of the clubs who cater specifically for children, young people and adults in the Central area have submitted a brief report below The Dolphin Club, Grangemouth The Club continues to progress and expand. Our fortnightly swims attract between 35 & 45 swimmers with a disability. We have regular Fun Nights, Fish & Chip Nights and other evenings with some special attraction. A few of the more accomplished swimmers participate in the Scottish Championships for swimmers with a disability. We have a summer outing and a Christmas Party with the Presentation of Awards gained. Santa Claus usually makes an appearance to distribute small gifts to each member Stirling City All Stars Football Club 22

23 Stirling City All Stars enjoyed another busy year in , with plenty of activity on and off the park. In February 2013 the club received recognition of becoming the first Scottish Football Association Disability Club in the region, presented with this accolade at the Forth Valley Disability Sport Awards night in the same month saw great recognition of the effort of our volunteers. 2 coaches were shortlisted as Development Coach of the Year at the FVDS Awards with others nominations for the SportScotland Coaching, Officiating & Volunteering Awards and even winning the SFA Central Region Volunteer in Disability Football award. On the field highlights included a multitude of tournaments throughout the United Kingdom with trips to Glasgow, Harrogate, Annan, Dumbarton, Glenrothes and Alloa amongst the highlights. The club also welcomed similar teams to Stirling on two occasions, in April and June. Saddened to learn of the loss of a player's father, Mr. John Shanks, it was agreed that the 2nd tournament we host each year be known as the Johnny Shanks Invitational tournament. In total, 15 friendlies and competitions were attended and the team performed well at many of these, returning with gold medals from the SDS 5-a-sides in April, Glenrothes in June and silver medals from the SDS 7-a-s-ides and, notably, the Special Olympics Summer Games in Bath. 14 players were joined by 5 coaches for the Special Olympics Summer Games, a new experience for many players and coaches within our ranks. Training witnessed an expansion too, with 7 new volunteers regularly helping out with training on a weekly basis. In August, the club welcomed guest coaching sessions from former professional managers John Philiben and Sandy Clark. Sandy joined the team for their first session after the Special Olympics and was joined by Rangers first-team players Jon Daly and Nicky Clark as well as media including Sky Sports News TV cameras. In October, a new tracksuit for players and coaches was launched with support from Story UK and contributions from the funeral of Mr. Johnny Shanks (including a generous sum from Central Demolition Ltd.). The club were delighted to receive such support from their new tracksuit sponsor and recognised the legacy of Mr. Shanks by embroidering his initials on the back of every tracksuit top. The players worked tirelessly promoting their team too, with sponsored hillwalks up Dumyat in June, pitch displays at Stirling Albion FC and the Player of the Year night in October. The club also helped at fundraising events with Forth Valley Disability Sport and Stirling City F.C. The club's membership presently stands at 35 players supported by 11 coaches and volunteers Arion Swimming Club 23

24 The highlight of 2014 as far as Enable Arion Swimming Club was concerned was the participation at the Special Olympics in Bath during August. Once again the Swimming Team representing Forth Valley came entirely from our small Club. We sent 19 Swimmers and 6 Volunteers. Our Swimmers won 9 Gold medals, 9 Silver Medals and 9 Bronze Weapons (this includes all receiving a medal for relay. While many individual achievements were quite outstanding it was perhaps in the relays that our Swimmers really surpassed our wildest expectations. We were successful in winning two very high standard relays where the competition comprised teams from all over England, Wales and the rest of Scotland. What was particularly impressive was the leadership shown by our senior swimmers to the younger swimmers in the relay teams in getting them to achieve standards which perhaps these younger swimmers did not even consider to be possible. The Coach also is to be praised for all that she did at these Olympics. The cost of sending our Swimmers to Bath was very large indeed, Our Club assisted our Swimmers and Volunteers through the use of reserves which we had built up and through a number of fund raising activities. Nevertheless the Swimmers and Volunteers had to find considerable sums through their own resources and is to be regretted that funds do not appear to be available centrally to defray these considerable expenses. Total amount of medals the club have won this year tallys up to 186 medals Cheers Moira & Graham Forth Valley Flyers Athletics Club The Forth Valley Flyers have had another very successful year not only in regional competitions but at the Special Olympics in Bath. With all athletes achieving awesome results bringing home 4 Gold, 7 Silver, 7 Bronze medals. With the grant and fundraising from the race night, The Tombola Stall and The Dent Family for the entertainment and face painting at our Championships also The Donation from Denny and District Darts League, we were able to buy the team kit. We also bought all the team a towel and water bottle at Bath and a photo training diary as a memento The Club is now part of the Club Together Scheme through Scottish Athletics and now has in post our Club together Officer Mr. Harry Baird. Harry is working with us and the Falkirk Vics. to help promote the club and to help the club achieve, by promoting itself and making the club bigger and better, by getting word out into the wider community promoting the need for such a club and the need for volunteers so the club can grow and continue to be successful. He will also help the club apply for future funding, sourcing info that will help the club. Our membership has seen quite a few new members joining over the year and we have been able to put volunteers and coaches on many courses over the season to benefit the club. Both Graham Ross and Brian Nolan 24

25 are now Level one coaches and are working towards their Level 2 qualification, they have both attended the official s course to give them an insight into the judging at competitions. They are attending a Jumps course in the New Year which has been organized in conjunction with Falkirk Victoria Harriers. If you know of anyone who would be interested in volunteering please don t hesitate in let us know as the more volunteers and coaches we have will only benefit the club and athletes. Our Race running bikes are being used on a regular basis on Tuesday and Friday evenings and has seen Harris continue to progress as part of the National Development Race Running Squad. The Club was awarded the endeavor award from the Wishaw Games, this is awarded to a team and its supporters: for commitment, effort, attendance, sportsmanship, etiquette, and overall performance throughout the competition. We as a committee would like to thank our Coaches and Volunteers without whom the Club would not be such an enjoyable weekly event for our athletes, we will continue to seek funding so that the club can continue to grow and be successful in providing more opportunities for our Athletes Right On Target Forth Valley Boccia Club The Boccia Club offers weekly training for individuals over the age of 8 years and has 14 members including 4 ramp players. The club is committed in providing its members with the opportunity to further develop skills to progress and compete in competition. In May 2013 the club hosted its 2nd competition which was offered for entries from across Scotland. They also hosted a 'in-house' competition in Dec 13 for club members, coaches and parents as a end of term fun event. The club trains every week in the Bowmar Centre, Alloa on Wednesdays between 6.00 pm and 7.30 pm Stirling Wheelchair Curling Club The club continues to meet regularly on Wednesdays at 12.30pm at the Peak. Although numbers fluctuate, with flexible coaching and excellent volunteers, everyone enjoys the sessions. Day centres have built visits to the Peak for wheelchair curling into their schedules. Members compete in all the Scottish Wheelchair Curling Association competitions 2 Inter Club friendly games have been organised with Lockerbie and West Stirling Ladies CC. They are always competitive and sociable. The club has a full programme of training for Skill awards. 2 members are progressing through the Level 1 Coaching Course, 4 members have passed the Wheelchair Module Course and Angie Malone has been awarded her Technical 2 RCCC coaching qualification. Congratulations also to Angie on being selected as 5 th Player for the GB Paralympic team going to Sochi in March. Debbie McKenna in only her second season has joined the Scottish Development Squad and in addition has been selected to represent Wheelchair Curling on the GB Paralympic Inspiration Programme. 25

26 Gill Keith has been invited to go to Sochi with Channel 4, so listen in! The club is hosting a new Stirling Wheelchair Curling International event in October when we look forward to welcoming overseas curlers to the Peak. Report by Fiona Glass Bo ness Swimming Club The club is still running on a every Second Saturday at the Bo ness Recreation Centre. Numbers are about the same with 12 Adults and Children. 5.6 Future Developments The part-time co-ordinator will continue to support FVDS Youth Work in Sport Trainee and the clubgolf regional golf sessions. Over the next year FVDS is looking to work with partners to develop racket sports in the Forth Valley area. FVDS will carry on the development, planning and organisation of a junior sports programme and positive sports forum adult s event programme in The Branch Coordinator will also manage teams to Scottish Disability Sport National Events. 5.7 FVDS Website / Social Networking Our website address is still Many thanks must go to Fraser Mathieson for all his hard work and effort. The website was developed three years ago by Fraser. Please feel free to view the website and find out more about FVDS and how our athletes have done in Local, Regional and National events. The website is still updated regularly with new press releases from events and there are many other topics available such as athlete profiles, club information and sports news. Fraser Mathieson has also developed a FVDS facebook page. This page will be used to keep all our members up dated with FVDS events and sports news. The facebook page will be a great why for all FVDS members to contact each other. 5.8 Golf FVDS Continues to work in partnership with clubgolf who have heavily subsidised the sessions since The golf participation centres are for children with learning, physical and sensory disabilities. Two separate sessions are delivered on Saturdays at Brucefields golf club in eight week blocks. 16 golfers regularly attend the sessions with the success of the golf sessions FVDS working with clubgolf is to look into continuing the golf sessions into

27 5.9 Special Olympics Forth Valley Disability Sport Team has excelled themselves in the 9 th Special Olympics National Summer Games which was hosted in the City of Bath between Wednesday 28 th August and Saturday 31 st August Forth Valley Special Olympics Teams medal haul has reached 47 medals overall. Fifty athletes aged 12 to 50 years of age from Falkirk, Stirling and Clackmannanshire represented Forth Valley in the Special Olympics National Summer Games which is a competition for people with learning disabilities and is organised by Special Olympics GB. The athletes have competed against 1700 athletes from 16 other regions in the UK in athletics, boccia, football, golf, and swimming. The games began with an exciting opening ceremony which set the scene for the three day competition with performances from world famous signer Susan Boyle and many other well know celebrates. Football pundit Lawrie McMenemy welcomed the athletes in their parade as they entered into the centre of the Royal Crescent in Bath to the electric atmosphere of the cheers from family and friends. The Forth Valley Team have been training hard for the competition which took place in 4 venues throughout Bath with 9 out on the 12 sports being held on the University of Bath campus at its fantastic sporting facilities. The commitment of the athletes has been evident in the results which you can see listed below. Well done to all of our Special Olympics athletes many of which medalled and recorded personal best smashing there old times by up to 6 seconds. Forth Valley Disability Sport would also like to thank everyone who helped the Special Olympics team to be so successful a few companies, clubs and organisation are listed below: RJM sports who supplied our teams Uhlsport kit, Stacey s Coaches Ltd, Bannockburn Miners Welfare Social Club, The Tartan Arms, Morrisons Supermarket, Sainsbury s Supermarket, ASDA Supermarket, Forth Valley Flyers Athletics club, Right on Target Boccia Club, Stirling City All Stars, Enable Arion Swimming Club, Carrongrange School, Ladeside Primary School, Stirling Albion FC, Clackmannanshire Healthy living and the Voluntary Action Fund The extensive individual and team medal haul is as follows:- 27

28 Athletics Name Area Gold Silver Bronze Steven Stone Falkirk 2 Other Placing Lorraine Keigan Falirk Chloe McLean Stirling 1 2 George Le Hardy Falkirk 2 2 Alana Burton Falkirk 2 Caitlyn Ross Falkirk 2 Niall Finlayson Stirling 1 2 Kenneth Holderness Falkirk 2 Bruce Anderson Stirling 2 Liam Nolan Falkirk 2 Athletics Total Individual Boccia Team 1 1 Name Area Gold Silver Bronze Lee Duncan Clackmannanshire 1 1 Other Placing Stephen Donaldson Clackmannanshire 1 1 Darren Rooney Clackmannanshire 1 5th Ellie Thompson Corey Paterson Falkirk / Clackmannanshire Falkirk / Clackmannanshire 2 1 5th Neil Carruthers Clackmannanshire 4 th / 5th Boccia Total Individual Team 1 Football Name Area Gold Silver Bronze Alan Neil Falkirk 1 Other Placing John Shanks Falkirk 1 Hendry Bell Falkirk 1 David Lenton Stirling 1 Paul Lucy Stirling 1 28

29 Callum McDonald Stirling 1 Paul Marshall Falkirk 1 Christopher McDonald John Connelly Neil Ferrier Christopher Grant Iain McLeod Jaime Whyte Shaun Wotton Falkirk Falkirk Stirling Stirling Clackmannanshire Clackmannanshire Falkirk 5th 5th 5th 5th 5th 5th 5th Football Totals 1 5th Golf Name Area Gold Silver Bronze Andrew Stuart Stirling 1 Other Placing Golf Totals 1 Swimming Name Area Gold Silver Bronze Swimming Other Placing Gavin Miller Clackmannanshire 3 Frank Maguire Falkirk 2 Claire Robertson Clackmannanshire 1 2 Robin Turner Stirling 1 2 Marc Lumsden Stirling 1 1 Craig Stirling Falkirk 1 1 Paul Wotherspoon Falkirk 1 1 Andrew Wright Clackmannanshire 1 1 Elizabeth Jackson Clackmannanshire 1 James McDonald Falkirk 1 John Thompson Stirling 2 1 Lewis Kellett Falkirk 1 2 Nathan Boyle Stirling 1 Gordon Reid Stirling 1 29

30 Virginia Shaw Stirling 4 th, 5th Claire Mathewson Stirling 4th Glen Shannon Stirling 5th Sharon Sloan Stirling 6th Darren Bryne Stirling 7th Swimming Totals : Individual : Team 1 2 Overall Medal Success Gold Silver Bronze Medal Totals Individuals Team The overall total of the medal success is 18 Gold, 16 Silver and 13 Bronze. Pictured below the Special Olympics Torch at Bath University 30

31 5.10 Branch MOR/ Sub-Group Angus Whyte FVDS Chairperson is now heavily involved with branch Minimum Operating Requirements and he has completed the following documents. Business plan Income Generation Strategy Evaluating and Monitoring Strategy Fundraising strategy 5.11 Positive Sports Forum The Positive Sports Forum was set up in 2009/2010 to develop a provision to give adults an opportunity to participate in sport in the Forth Valley Area. Forum meetings are held quarterly to discuss sport for adults with disabilities in the Forth Valley Area. The meetings give adults with disabilities from day centres and individuals the opportunity to have their say on what sports Forth Valley Disability Sports will deliver. In the adult s sports programme has continued containing seven events. Over the past year 294 adults with a disability have participated in seven events and summer programme within the Positive Sports Senior Programme. This is a 40 % increase in attendance from last years 209 participants / / / /14 Senior Event Participation 31

32 5.12 Grant Aid Forth Valley Disability Sport provides financial assistance for individuals and clubs who are members of FVDS. Please see below a list of who have successfully received Grant Aid from FVDS over the passed year. James Richmond received financial support to participate in the CPISRA Intercontinental Championship in Barcelona. Niall Finlayson received financial support toward his successful selection into the Great British Team for the European Special Olympic Games in Antwerp Belgium later in Fraser Mathieson also received financial support attending the British Lawn Bowling Championships in Nottingham Newsletters FVDS annually produces four newsletters please see below our chosen deadlines to release each newsletter. Please do not hesitate to contact Graham Harvey the FVDS Branch Co-ordinator on graham.harvey@fvds.org.uk if you have any good news stories you wish to include in the newsletter. Deadline for information / Deadline for newsletter release January 1 st April 1 st July 1 st October 1 st End of January End of April End of July End of October 5.14 FVDS Awards FVDS is working towards our second awards ceremony on Monday 24 th February 2014 after the FVDS AGM. The purpose of the awards ceremony is to award the hard work and effort of Forth Valley s Athletes Coaches and Volunteers in the club s over the past year. These awards will link with other local and national awards. 6.0 SDS Regional Manager Reports With such an exciting year ahead for sport, and the pinnacle being the home Games in July with the 2014 Commonwealth hosted just a stones throw away in Glasgow, its hard not to be enthused by sport. The Commonwealth Games are one of the largest sporting events in the world and unlike the Olympics, the last two Commonwealth Games have included fully-integrated events for elite athletes with a disability, meaning any medals won by athletes with a disability count toward the final medal 32

33 count of the team for which they compete. This is an exciting time for disability sport, with Glasgow 2014 hosting the biggest ever Commonwealth Para-sport programme, and in turn will hopefully create a lasting legacy for disability sport and inspire the kids, parents and athletes within the Central region. The showcase of talent, globally, on such a prestigious platform, will be the talking point of many discussions for our home grown athletes, their performances and their achievements. Locally and regionally we must continue to promote opportunities pre and post Games to enhance the legacy of the Commonwealth in Scotland, raise the profile of disability sport and work together to reduce the barriers to encourage tomorrow s Paralympians from the Central region. So, between 23rd July and 3rd August lets support Team Scotland and..go FOR GOLD! Scottish Disability Sport would like to thank Lynne Glen for her endless time and commitment spent within Central as Regional Development Manager, the difference she has made to the lives of children, parents and athletes has been extraordinary. We would like to wish her all the best in her new position of Pathways Manager for Scottish Disability Sport. Professional Officers Group (POGs) This year has seen some changes to our local professional officers within Central. The introduction of Claire Scott (talking over from Blair Cremin) for disability sport within Active Stirling im sure will strengthen the provision in the local area, with many changes already due to take place in the coming months. I would also like to welcome back Lisa Male from Falkirk Community Trust (returning from maternity leave), she accompanies Fiona Hamilton for the disability provision for the Falkirk 33

34 area. Jean Duncan is continuing to support and promote disability sport within Clackmannanshire. Forth Valley Disability Sport co-ordinator and local professional officers are doing a fantastic job in continuing to raise participation levels in disability sport. These officers are the back bone of local and regional disability provision and it is encouraging that more pupils are benefitting from more events in the current financial climate. This year participation in junior festivals and competitions has risen from 704 to 786. Clackmannanshire Council, Falkirk Community Trust and Active Stirling are all delivering their school and community sports plans with engaging under represented groups as a priority. Each of the above partners have their own local festivals in the disability sport calendar to promote their own participation opportunities. Local Clubs Local disability specific club volunteer committees and their helpers and coaches are giving up hours of their time to widen the base of opportunities at accessible prices that families can afford in this current climate. In the Central region anyone with a disability can participate in weekly club sessions with their peers in athletics, boccia, bowls, football, swimming and wheelchair curling, with club memberships rising to 227 and the number of athletes training in mainstream clubs to 23. It is a pleasure to support the clubs and their volunteers on a professional basis as they give so much to their members in terms of training and competition throughout the year not forgetting the health and social benefits they offer their members. Please keep up all the good work you do for the children, young people and adults of the Central area. Coach Development Coach development will remain a high priority over the forthcoming year with the development of the Coaching Talent Central Programme becoming inclusive, creating a specific Disability Strand for disability specific and mainstream coaches, alongside a mentoring structure. A high priority this year will also be to support the mainstream coaches and their clubs to encourage inclusion and support the needs of athletes with a disability within their respective sports. Forth Valley Disability Sport Firstly I would like to take this opportunity to thank Angus, Graham, Mitchell and the committee for all their hard work over the last year. With the appointment of Mitchell to help support female participation, increase growth in areas of deprivation and spread awareness of disability sport, will no doubt be an asset to the branch. The work these 3 gentlemen do for the Forth Valley area alone is next to none, and this can be seen on a National platform, as it has been highlighted that FVDS is one of the strongest branches in Scotland. This year with the support of Jennifer Livingstone (Scottish Disability Sport Opportunities & Equality Manager) will no doubt strengthen 34

35 partnerships, increase awareness and develop disability sport within central to new heights. Forth Valley Disability Sport is in a great position and will continue to grow under the direction of the chair and the efforts of the committee. Athletes will continue to benefit from the strong relationship the branch has with local authority and trust partners, local clubs and Scottish Disability Sport as the delivery of the disability pathway in Central is very much a partnership approach and cannot be delivered with one organisation alone. 6.1 Scottish Disability Sport/ Regional Development Squads Swimmers and athletes with potential are invited to trial for the Regional athletics and swimming development squads. Athletes and swimmers are identified after regional and national championships with the regional and national manager for each sport. Currently there are 20 squad members, 10 athletes and 10 swimmers. Forth Valley Flyers Club has three sections that train over two nights, one of the sections is the regional squad level athletes. The swimmers train weekly within their clubs and for the first quarter of the year they came together once a month to train at the National Swimming Academy. The squad training sessions provide more quality training sessions with each of the coaches delivering being part of the regional coach support/mentoring programme. In addition to the athletes and swimmers there are also regional squad level athletes in the clubs, primarily, football, bowling, wheelchair curling and wheelchair rugby.the squad system is currently under review with swimmers and clubs. 6.2 Coach Education, Training and Development The Coach Education and Training Calendar is planned and co-ordinated in conjunction with the disability sport professional officers of each local authority, sports specific local development officers, Regional Managers and the local clubs. The annual programme consists of a mix of courses and workshops including of the boccia, football swimming and inclusion training. The need for courses is reviewed throughout the year in order to plan for the year ahead. As you can see from the Coach education table, 88 candidates benefitted from the planned programme last year. Coach Education and Training Table Coach Education & Training No of Candidates Attended Introduction to Pool Work 24 Boccia Leaders Course 20 Coaching Footballers with Disabilities 8 35

36 Positive Coaching Scotland Parent Workshop 8 Positive Coaching Scotland Coaches Workshop 6 UK Disability Inclusion Training Clackmannanshire 22 Total Coaching Talent Central Programme Central developed a comprehensive mentor support programme for identified coaches in the Central area. This programme targeted Athletics and Swimming coaches that are operating at squad/club level and up skills coaches who are coaching development athletes with a disability. With the programme now in it s third year of infancy, 2013 seen it fully integrated into the Coaching Talent Central Programme, which is led by Pamela Dewar, sportscotland s Regional Coaching and Volunteering Manager for Central. Each coach on the programme was appointed a mentor which resulted in tailored support for the individuals. The initiative is a partnership approach by Scottish Disability Sport, Scottish Swimming, Scottish Athletics and sportscotland. Thirteen coaches working with athletes with disabilities were part of the programme and 2013 see bowls, football and boccia coaches included for the first time. Although it is a very coach centred programme commonalities in requests from coaches in Central resulted in a series of workshops delivered by high quality tutors to bridge the gap that Sports Specific Coach Education Courses can t fill. The identified athletics and swimming coaches continue to receive one to one support from Ian Mirfin and Sue Littlejohns respectively. Plans for 2014 will see a growth in coaches access the CTC programme, with all coaches involved able to access both mainstream and disability specific courses respectively. A main priority will be to increase the number of mainstream coaches within the programme to attend the Disability Strand of CTC to allow for inclusion across clubs within the Central area. We also hope to work with Regional development Managers to create high quality sport specific mentor structures in sport, both regionally and nationally. 6.4 Club Development Supporting clubs to become inclusive is a focus of the regional manager when there is a need for an athlete to access a mainstream club as part of their development. This is done very much in partnership with the sports specific regional managers or local development officer (where there is one). 36

37 This year the following football clubs have been successful in achieving the Scottish FA Pan Disability Award: Tullibody Community Football Club Stenhousemuir Football Club to Falkirk Football Community Foundation Syngenta Football Club are working towards the Inclusive Club award and are expected to put the final pieces into place to achieve the award this year. Links from Forth Valley Flyers to Falkirk Victoria Harriers became more formalised through the appointment of an inclusion officer (Paul Boggan) being appointed. Paul will be the key link with Flyer coaches to address the needs of developing athletes to progress into the mainstream club. Forth Valley Flyers have been included in the Scottish Athletics Club Together Initiative. Through this project the club benefits from a dedicated Club Together Officer (Harry Baird). Harry s role is to work with the club to strengthen their structures, recruit volunteers and grow membership. Two new bowling clubs have opened their doors to bowlers with a disability. Camelon Bowling Club and Causewayhead Bowling have welcomed 4 new bowlers this year. The clubs that continue to offer weekly training sessions for athletes with disabilities in Central are: Forth Valley Flyers Athletics Club Falkirk Victoria Harriers Athletics Club Right On Target Boccia Club The Dolphin Swimming Club Stirling Wheelchair Curling Club Alloa Swimming Club Falkirk Wildcats Wheelchair Rugby Club Tullibody Community Football Club Stenhousemuir Football Club Alloa East End Bowling Club Central Athletics Club Stirling City All Stars Football Club The Enable Arion Swimming Club Stirling Swimming Club Falkirk Indoor Bowling Club Falkirk Otters Swimming Club Falkirk Football Club Grangemouth Swimming Club Stirling City All Stars, Forth Valley Right on Target Boccia Club and Forth Valley Flyers have continued to secure funding to organise their own club championships which have seen clubs from all over Scotland come to compete. Through the fantastic efforts and commitments of the club volunteers and coaches we have seen club membership rise from 227 with 23 athletes training inclusively with mainstream clubs. As all the clubs grow the challenge is to cater for the growth through attracting new club helpers and creating a strong volunteer network of coaches to meet the demand. The number of coaches delivering to athletes with a disability is

38 Each of the clubs and the regional manager work proactively to recruit new volunteers and provide training for them to develop as they wish. Financial support is given by FVDS, Scottish Athletics and Scottish Swimming through various funding streams tied into volunteering initiatives. It has been said many times before however it is worth a closing mention as to how important the clubs are to the athletes, coaches and Forth Valley Disability Sport. As well as offering training, competition and developing their own club, they also give up time to be part of the Forth Valley Disability Sport Committee to shape the services of the organisation for the benefit of it s members and for this I thank you. 6.5 SDS National Programmes Congratulations to 11 very committed athletes from the Central area who have represented Scotland in their sport in the last year. The close working relationship between local authorities, clubs, Forth Valley Disability Sport and Scottish Disability Sport regional manager, pathways manager and performance manager results in a much better support network for athletes who are representing Scotland and GB. Athletes who represented Scotland last year were:- Athletics Badminton Boccia Bowls Football Swimming Table Tennis Cycling Wheelchair Curling Meggan Dawson Farrell Alan Oliver Jamie Docherty Kevin Wallace Fraser Mathieson Declan Doherty James Richmond Sam Agnew Connor Gordon Laura Cluxton Gill Keith 6.6 Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games Squad (Central) Congratulations to Meggan Dawson Farrell who has confirmed her selection for Team Scotland and will compete in the T event. Meggan is excited at representing Scotland at the home games. 38

39 Kevin Wallace is still working hard to secure his place in the Para- bowls squad and will hear if he has been successful for the Physically Impaired squad in April of this year. 6.7 Scottish Disability Sport Academy Programme Vision The SDS Athlete Academy (Academy) supplements the continued development of our most promising and talented athletes and players, who have the potential to succeed at National, International, World and Paralympic Competitions. Principles The Academy will support athletes and players with their continued progression on a performance pathway by providing a system of sport specific support and education that will ensure our athletes are fully prepared for selection into the sportscotland Institute of Sport and UK World Class Programmes. The level of support provided varies depending on the needs of the individual and sport involved but will supplement and enhance their exiting program. Process Once a player or athlete is inducted into the Academy a detailed programme will then be designed and monitored to enhance their training and competitive programme. Support may be utilised in the following ways; Training Support; club membership/fees, facility access, sports equipment, competition entry fees, travel expenses and sports clothing. Sport Specific Support; classification, sport science, strength & conditioning, performance lifestyle, sports medicine and nutrition. 39