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BUXTON & Leek College students have bagged a top award for putting the ability into disability sport.
Their Sportability Club – part of the Athletic Union of the University of Derby Students’ Union – has more than 40 members drawn from the High Peak and Derbyshire Dales area and was named Club of the Year in the recent High Peak Sports Awards. Club members, who were praised for leading the way in encouraging disabled people to be more physically active, to participate in sport and to enjoy competition, picked up their trophy from High Peak Mayor Stewart Young at a ceremony at Buxton’s Pavilion Gardens.
Established in September 2012, Buxton Sportability is open to all who are interested in running, talking part in, or helping out with disability sport activities. The club is run by a management committee of disabled students who are elected at the club’s AGM.
Club co-ordinator Alice Wright explained: “Our aim is to encourage not only participation in a wide range of sports but also to promote and support competitive sport opportunities for people with disabilities.
“Our club is run with the principles of inclusivity and equality at its foundation and leads the way in improving access to sport, exercise and fitness for disabled people. We support local initiatives such as those offered by Cheshire FA and Derbyshire FA, by offering a weekly multi-sport session every Wednesday afternoon at Harpur Hill and by promoting and encouraging a wide variety of sports and activities both competitive and non-competitive.
“We also challenge perceptions by encouraging our members to take up leadership opportunities.”
In recent months Sportability has sent football teams to the Stockport County iCount league on a monthly basis, participated in the Derbyshire Inclusive Football tournaments organised by Derby County, sent teams to the National Pan Disability Boccia League and to local events and competitions. For the first time, the club has sent a swimming team to participate in the Swimming Festival organised by the Schools Sports Partnership. During the past year, club members have also taken part in Ice Skating, Horse Riding and Stable Management, and ten-pin bowling. They also participated in the Sport without Barriers Event in the Dome at Buxton and ran a weekly ‘Feel Good’ chair exercise session for PMLD (Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty) students.
Sportability member Sam Jackson also won runner up in the category of Disabled Sportsperson of the Year at the High Peak Sports Awards.
Pictured: left to right, are students Sam Jackson, James Stafford and Gavin Dunham who received the award on behalf of UDSU Buxton Sportability Club.