MAKE the most of your chance to meet a Paralympic Boccia athlete when he makes an appearance in the town on Friday October 26.

Leamington’s Nigel Murray will be in the town Sainsbury’s store on Friday between 9.30am and 11.30am to show customers the bronze medal he won in the London 2012 Games and chat about his experiences.

All welcome to come and get involved and chat to the sportsman.

via Meet sporting champion – Community – Kenilworth Weekly News.

AN athlete has celebrated his Para- lympic success with the team that helped him become a medal winner.

Swansea University’s triple medallist David Smith thanked the physios who helped him train for the London Games — and showed off the precious metal he won.

The 23-year-old already had a gold in the boccia team event from Beijing when he scooped a bronze in the same event and a silver in the individual discipline this summer.

Boccia is a ball sport specially designed for athletes with a severe degree of physical disability — it was developed by the Swedish disability sports federation in the 1970’s taking inspiration from games such as bocce and boules.

David said his achievements would not have been possible without the commitment of his Swansea University-based physio team, Dean Locking and Amanda Taylor.

via Medal winner’s thanks for top team | This is South Wales.

Among the Paralympians present were Swansea-based boccia player David Smith and table tennis star Paul Karabardak, along with swimmers Graham Edmunds and Gemma Almod.

The area’s Olympic stars had been invited but apart from weightlifter Natasha Perdue, sent their apologies.

As well as the sporting talent, volunteers, known as Games makers, who helped out at the two London-based Games, several torch bearers and young ambassadors for sport were also present.

Council leader David Phillips said in his address: “What an amazing summer it was. It proved, as if proof were needed, that Swansea truly is a city of sport.

via Swansea ceremony pays thanks to Olympic heroes | This is South Wales.

The top sports people from across Bolsover District gathered at the glitzy Bolsover District Annual Sports Awards ceremony which took place at Shirebrook Leisure Centre.

Among those recognised were Paralympic GB Basketball player Jon Hall, from Clowne, Paralympic GB Boccia coach Julie Broadhead, from Whitwell, Junior Team of the Year, Glebe Boys football team, from South Normanton, and rising football starlet Mason Bennett, from Langwith, who plays for Derby County.

In addition to the wide range of winners, the evening also helped to celebrate the diversity of sporting activities and clubs from across the district.

via Awards for Bolsover’s top sports people 

ASPIRING Paralympians are being offered the chance to take up boccia.

Boosted by £5,000 from Durham Area Action Partnership (AAP), the Boccia Durham club is offering new sessions in the sport at the city’s Freeman’s Quay leisure centre.

Co-ordinator Christopher Jackson said: “Boccia is a sport which anyone with a disability can play.

“At Boccia Durham everyone is welcome to come down and have a chat and try.”

The sport is similar to bowls. The sessions have already begun.

via Boccia sessions in Durham (From The Northern Echo).

The Council has announced its intention to award Freedom of the Borough to Eastleigh’s two  Olympic and Paralympic gold medallists.  The decision to award  honour -the highest that the borough can bestow – is set to be agreed at a Full Council meeting later this month.

Mayor of Eastleigh Councillor Rupert Kyrle made the announcement at the borough’s recent Olympic and Paralympic celebration event at Fleming Park that was attended by the borough’s London 2012 athletes, games makers, officials and torch bearers.  Dani King and David Smith are set to receive the Freedom of the Borough in recognition of their dedication and services to their sport.

David Smith won a Paralympic gold medal in Boccia in the 2008 Paralympics in Beijing and further silver and bronze medals in Boccia at London 2012.

via Olympic medallists to get Freedom of the Borough.

Promising Crossgates BC4 boccia player Kieran Steer was chosen for the David McCrae Bursary, given to support young Scottish athletes with a disability with the potential to succeed on the international stage.

Kieran has made great strides forward in the short period of time he has been playing sport. He attended the GB Boccia Championships for the first time in 2012, acquitting himself well and only losing in the bronze medal play off to Paralympian Peter McGuire.

Earlier this year he won the 2012 British Junior Boccia title after only dropping one point throughout the competition.

via  Dunfermline Press / Sport / Roundup.

DEMAND, which has its northern office at New Mill Road, helps people with disabili

ties who need bespoke equipment to help them with their everyday lives.

Its products range from sprung crutches to help a disabled child play football and washing lines for wheelchair users to special ramps to enable disabled people to play Boccia, a paralympic ball game.

via Allsops Ltd provides a helping hand to disability charity DEMAND 

The London 2012 effect has particularly assisted sports with previously low profiles, for example sitting volleyball. Neither British side got beyond the quarter-finals, but there was huge interest in the sport, especially the participation of Martine Wright, who lost her legs in the London bombings of 2005. Volleyball England said it has seen “overwhelming” interest, with three new clubs planned and the modern day popularity barometer of Facebook page “likes” for the sport rising from 850 to 7,000-plus.

It is a similar story for the Paralympic-specific pursuit of boccia, a bowls-like sport with various formats catering to a great range of impairments, where British athletes won two medals. “There’s definitely been an increase in general interest and the number of people wanting to play boccia since the Paralympics,” said Rachel Crack from Boccia England. “The success we got with a couple of medals has seems to have really put Boccia on people’s radar.”

And whether its boccia or one of the other disciplines, surely more than one of the British stars of the Rio 2016 Paralaympics will have been inspired to take up sport by London’s triumphant summer.

via Paralympics boom echoes around British sport | Sport | guardian.co.uk.

Bethesda boccia ace Jacob Thomas was given a hero’s welcome on his return to Pembrokeshire College.

Jacob represented Team GB in singles and doubles boccia at the London 2012 Paralympics and was greeted by fellow students, staff, carers and former teachers with a specially made banner.

Jacob said: “I’d like to say thank you to the college for all their support. The experience was fantastic.”

Seventeen-year-old Jacob said of his Paralympic debut: “The noise and all the support was incredible. I was really proud to be out there representing my country.

via Banners out for boccia brilliance (From Western Telegraph).