A total of 44 students at the University of Stirling have been selected for a national sports scholarship programme.

Those chosen for the latest round of the Winning Students project include Jack McDonald, recently crowned Scottish Amateur Golfer of the Year and Scott McCowan, who represented Team GB in Boccia at the London 2012 Paralympics.

High-performance student athletes in member colleges and universities across the country are supported with scholarships of up to £5500 each year.

via Funding boost for Stirling students

A SPORTS club for disabled people due to open in Hoddesdon hopes to build on the resounding success of the Paralympics.

Peter Stannard

Wheelchair user Peter Stannard, who suffers from a disorder that causes weakness in his legs and pelvis, set up the Broxbourne Badgers boccia club.

Boccia is a ball game similar to bowls or petanque, in which players throw balls as close as they can towards a jack.

Peter, 52, said: “I’m doing this to get me away from my disability – it’s like a kind of therapy helping others.

“There’s been quite a bit of interest and we’ve already got about 10 or so signed up and are hoping for more.

“Boccia is similar to bowls but played seated and can be played on any kind of surface.

“It was originally developed for people with severe cerebral palsy, but anyone can play it – disabled or able-bodied.”

via Boccia club due to open in Hoddesdon | Hoddesdon News & Broxbourne News | Latest News & Events in Hoddesdon & Broxbourne In Hertfordshire.

All of the dates for this season’s Regional Championships 12/13 are now finalised and we are taking entries!

Details of dates can be found on the event calendar

Congratualtions to the automatic qualifiers, they are as follows, from the 2012 National Championships: David Smith, Nigel Murray, Cecilia Turk, Harry Thompson. From the 2012 GB Championships: David Smith, David Hill, Andrew Morgan, Dan Bentley, Nigel Murray, Jess Hunter.

Please everyone remember that all entries must be received 2 weeks prior to the competition date. You can download the entry form below. If you have any queries on this season’s Regional Championships then please contact the Boccia England office, 0115 9678455.

via Boccia England: Disability Sport.

Hamilton’s Stephen and Peter McGuire visited St Elizabeth’s Primary to share their London 2012 experiences with the pupils.

The brothers took part in the Boccia event, with Stephen coming fourth in his individual event and the duo losing out on a bronze medal to Portugal.

Christine Emmett, headteacher at St Elizabeth’s Primary, said: “The children had lots of questions about their Olympic training kit and about the atmosphere surrounding the ceremonies and the events.”

The athletes also joined the school on a special day, when all the pupils and staff wore pink to raise awareness of breast cancer, raising £200 for charity.

via Team GB stars head to Hamilton for primary school celebrations 

Mr. Wilson

became the first person in the ten-year history of the event to complete the treble of senior, open and doubles titles.

Boccia, one of the fastest growing disability sports, is a game similar to bowls but played sat down with red and blue balls targeting a white jack.

The senior competition attracted 14 competitors, who were split into four groups with the top two in each group qualifying for the quarter-finals.

Wilson looked in trouble in Group Four when he lost his second match to Petrina Borrill, but a fine win in his final game against Joanne Nuttall secured first place on points difference. Robert Askew was runner-up after wins over Borrill and Nuttall.

Defending champion Jimmy Grant started the defence of his title in fine style, winning Group Two. Philip Rushby joined him in the quarter-finals following a victory over Dianne Booker.

via Terrific treble for fantastic Wilson | This is Grimsby.

A tea party was held by the chairman of the council to thank volunteers in Braintree for their efforts over the year.

Thirty volunteers, who have made a significant contribution to their organisation or the community, were invited to the celebration Harvest tea party hosted by Braintree district council chairman Lynette Bowers-Flint on October 10.

​They also had the opportunity to meet Paralympian Daniel Bentley, whose team won Bronze at the 2012 London Paralympic Games in the sport of Boccia.

Alex Herod, 15, volunteers at the Coggeshall Prentice Youth Work Trust. He said: “I have been working at the trust for two and a half years now and I really enjoy it. It’s nice to see kids coming through and feeling part of the community.”

via Thank-you tea party for Braintree volunteers | This is Essex.

A new handheld grid enabling visually impaired people to participate in the sport of Boccia has been developed by Loughborough University designers.

Boccia is a Paralympic sport specifically designed for athletes with a severe degree of physical disability.  Men and women compete together in teams, pairs and individual events, attempting to throw leather balls as close as possible to a white target ball.

Until now the sport was not suitable for people with a visual impairment, but this is set to change thanks to a new device created by George Torrens from the Loughborough Design School.

George was approached by sports coaches Mark Beeby and Faye Kanchelski to help develop their concept Tactile Boccia – a spin off from traditional Boccia that would enable the visually impaired to participate in the sport.

via University device helps open up Boccia for the visually impaired.

A NEW handheld grid enabling visually impaired people to participate in the sport of Boccia has been developed by Loughborough University designers.

Boccia is a Paralympic sport specifically designed for athletes with a severe degree of physical disability.  Men and women compete together in teams, pairs and individual events, attempting to throw leather balls as close as possible to a white target ball.

Until now the sport was not suitable for people with a visual impairment, but this is set to change thanks to a new device created by George Torrens from the Loughborough Design School.

George was approached by sports coaches Mark Beeby and Faye Kanchelski to help develop their concept Tactile Boccia – a spin off from traditional Boccia that would enable the visually impaired to participate in the sport.

via University device helps open up Boccia for the visually impaired – Loughborough Echo.

Dan was first introduced to Boccia at Treloar College in Hampshire and he has now been involved in the sport for 12 years. His proudest moment in competition was winning the gold medal in Beijing in 2008.

via Daniel Bentley – British Paralympic Association.

Promising sports students in Angmering have wiped the board at a national competition – once again.

Disabled young people from The Angmering School dominated the week-long Stoke Mandeville Games, winning enough medals to make the school’s trophy cabinet groan under the weight of the new silverware.

Angmering proved a force to be reckoned with in the boccia tournament, with this year’s squad of students from year-eight through to sixth form winning in multiple age categories.

Newcomer Danny Southall took the title in the younger division, while squad members stormed through age categories B and C, earning the top four spots in both, with veteran Matt Berry leading team C to victory and year-10’s Ben Penticost winning in group B.

Manual wheelchair users and more able-bodied students also fared well. They took part in several events including archery, wheelchair basketball, table cricket and poly bat.

Year-nine student Lewis Edwards was the event’s overall winner in the younger category, while promising athlete Dan Ward clinched the prestigious Andy Wallace award for the competitor demonstrating international potential – an accolade with Paralympic legend Dame Tanni Grey Thompson among its previous recipients.

Team manager Steve Richards said: “It was an incredible performance. We dominated the competition from day one.”

via Angmering team’s national game glory – Local – Littlehampton Gazette.