Top performances from Suffolk Athletes at National Indoor Athletics Competition

Posted on November 21, 2024 by specialolympicssuffolk

Athletes from Special Olympics Suffolk returned to Lea Valley Athletics Centre to compete at the National Indoor Athletics Competition on Sunday 17th November 2024. 11 Athletes representing Suffolk attended the event in London included athletes attending their very first competition.

Our athletes showcased an incredible display of determination and sportsmanship supporting one another throughout. The athletes came away with medals galore, a testament to their hard work in training and perseverance.

Congratulations to all athletes – we are so proud of you! Huge thanks to the magnificent team of coaches, volunteers and supporters.

Time to celebrate the 10th Year Anniversary of Special Olympics Suffolk!

Posted on November 13, 2024 by specialolympicssuffolk

Have you heard people exclaim “How time flies!”? Well, for Special Olympics Suffolk, not a truer word has been spoken…

This month, we celebrate the 10th Anniversary of Special Olympics Suffolk and the great thing is, there are many athletes, volunteers and coaches who remember the day back in November 2014 when the months of hard work came to fruition and Waveney Gymnastics Club hosted the launch of the organisation. You may recognise some of the faces in the photographs below – these people played a pivotal role in getting SO Suffolk started in 2014 and still play a huge role in the running and organisation of it today.

Since then, SO Suffolk has gone from strength to strength, with our athletes training hard and competing at local, regional, national and international level in Alpine Skiing, Athletics, Badminton, Boccia, Equestrian and Gymnastics. Our coaches and volunteers have worked tirelessly with athletes and behind the scenes to ensure the very best support has been available.

The athletes have been on TV and radio, featured in news paper articles and on the bill-boards high above Piccadilly Circus in London, and even visited Number 10 Downing Street to showcase disability sport and inspire others to join in.

Over the past ten years, SO Suffolk has grown and flourished thanks to a team of dedicated athletes, devoted coaches and an army of supporters and well wishers. We would like to thank them all for playing their part in making SO Suffolk so successful.

On 9th March 2025, we aim to host a Celebration of Sport to mark the 10th Anniversary of Special Olympics Suffolk and will be sending out invitations to past and present athletes, coaches, volunteers and friends – please save the date!

Scavenger Hunt raises a whopping £600 for Special Olympics Suffolk

Posted on November 5, 2024 by specialolympicssuffolk

Twelve Special Olympics Suffolk athletes met at Ipswich train station on September 8th to take part in an organised Scavenger Hunt around the historic town of Ipswich. The intrepid explorers and their supporters navigated their way around the 3k route following a map, checking in with volunteer marshalls at given points along the way. They had clues to solve and questions to answer. The final point was Christchurch Park where they gathered for a picnic lunch and a game of rounders.

Not only was the Scavenger Hunt a great opportunity to get active and meet up with other athletes from Special Olympics Suffolk, but also to raise some funds to go towards the affiliation fees paid each year to Special Olympics Great Britain.

Between them, the athletes (Grace, Rhys, Ed, Donna, Ollie, Liam, Jordan, Hamish, Joe, Cameron, Ami and Simon) raised just over £600 in sponsor money! Liam and Ami shared joint first place by answering all Scavenger Hunt Questions correctly – their affiliation fees for 2025 have been paid by an anonymous donor. Jordan raised a whopping £129 in sponsorship and in doing so won a complimentary family swim at Crown Pools, Ipswich (kindly sponsored by Ipswich Borough Council) and a £20 Sports Direct voucher (kindly donated by an anonymous donor).

Congratulations and huge thanks to the athletes, their supporters, the sponsors and the volunteers who helped out on the day.

Special Olympics Suffolk gymnasts bring home medals from Oslo, Norway

Posted on November 5, 2024 by specialolympicssuffolk

Our fabulous gymnasts from Waveney Gymnastics Club, Lowestoft brought a stash of medals back to the County from their recent travels to Oslo, Norway.

Funded partly by East Suffolk Council ‘Enabling Communities Budget’ but mostly self-funded by months of fundraising at the club, the gymnasts travelled to Oslo where they were hosted by the Norwegian Federation of Gymnasts. The standard was high as they competed against gymnasts representing 13 other countries. Months of hard work in training in the gym paid off and the gymnasts performed to very best and were cheered on and supported by family and friends, and volunteer Sandra and coaches Ellen and Alex.

The athletes journey was documented by using some of the digital equipment that was funded by East Suffolk Council and will be ready to view very soon – watch this space!

Huge congratulations to the gymnasts, coaches and supporters from all of us at Special Olympics Suffolk – you did us proud!

Special Olympics Suffolk Badminton and Cricket player plays vital role in printing the training hoodies and t-shirts at day service, Recreate Voyager

Posted on October 12, 2024 by specialolympicssuffolk

Special Olympics Suffolk badminton and cricket player, Liam attends the Recreate Voyager day services in Ipswich where he helps to create bespoke printed garments, such as t-shirts, polo shirts and hoodies.

Recreate Voyager received an order for some hoodies and t-shirts from Special Olympics Suffolk for our athletes to wear during training sessions and when attending Special Olympics Social Events..

Sarah from Recreate Voyager explained the design and printing processes involved. ‘The Special Olympics design was carefully cut from t-shirt vinyl, then it was picked/weeded to reveal the design’.

‘We were able to source some purple t-shirts and hoodies in a variety of sizes and the actual printing process was done here at Recreate Voyager in Suffolk. Once we were happy with the design, we used a heat press to apply the vinyl onto the garment.

After Liam and his fellow workers had quality-control checked each garment, they were folded and packed, ready for dispatch or collection.

What a great job our friends at Recreate Voyager do! You can see some of our athletes in the photos below looking very smart and wearing the garments they have printed. To find out more about Recreate Enterprises, please follow this link to their website https://www.recreate-enterprise.co.uk/

If you wish to order a training t-shirt (Small, medium, large or extra large), they cost £11. Training hoodies (small, medium, large or extra large) cost £20. Please email me (allisonboggis@hotmail.com or use the ‘contact us’ facility on this website.

Please note, the garments for training are different from those that can be ordered on the Clothing Shop on the Special Olympics Suffolk website

Special Olympics Regional Athletics Competition Sunday 29th September 2024

Posted on October 8, 2024 by specialolympicssuffolk

Coinciding with the 10th Anniversary, Special Olympics Suffolk hosted their annual Regional Athletics Competition at Bury St Edmunds on Sunday 29th September. Teams travelled from the Bradford, Keighley and Skipton club in Yorkshire, Worcestershire in the West Midlands, North London, St Albans and neighbouring Norfolk to compete against our own Special Olympics Suffolk athletes.

Over 70 athletes in total competed in a range of running, jumping and throwing events. Athletes are now back to their best after the disruption caused by Covid 19 with many setting personal best performances

All this would not have been possible without the support of the many qualified athletics officials who generously gave of their time and expertise so a BIG THANKS to all OFFICIALS. On the same note a THANK YOU also to the many VOLUNTEERS who helped both before and on the day

Special Olympics Suffolk athletes enjoy taking part in the ‘Big Boccia Bash’

Posted on October 1, 2024 by specialolympicssuffolk

Special Olympics Suffolk delivery partner, ActivLives, hosted a ‘Big Boccia Bash’ recently in Ipswich. This festival event was part of the nationwide celebrations of National Boccia Day. There were 44 athletes taking on a variety of skills challenges, followed by a mini-tournament. The event was specifically targeted at participants who have a learning (intellectual), physical and/or sensory disability.

Many thanks to the great volunteers who helped to make this all happen, and to ActivLives, Special Olympics GB, and Boccia England for their continued support for inclusive boccia in our county.

If you would like to find out more about boccia in south Suffolk, email mike@activlives.org.uk or call ActivLives on 01473 345350.

Mike McCarthy
ActivSport Development Officer
07531 236442
(I usually work 3 days a week)

Free Winter Cricket sessions on offer to Special Olympics Suffolk athletes

Posted on September 27, 2024 by specialolympicssuffolk

Once again, Suffolk Cricket and The Lord’s Taverners are offering FREE cricket sessions to Special Olympics Suffolk Athletes starting on 21st October at the Whitton Sports Centre, Ipswich from 5-6pm. Why not come along, challenge yourself, be more active, improve your skills and make new friends? Please register by scanning the QR code on the flyer.

See you there!!!

Posted on September 18, 2024 by specialolympicssuffolk

Special Olympics Suffolk Badminton Players in great early season form!

Special Olympics Suffolk badminton players were in great early season form recently at a tournament in Cheadle, North Staffordshire. The team of Donna Wyatt, Liam Jackson and Cam Sherman brought home a haul of medals across all of the singles and doubles events. Our players faced stiff competition from Special Olympics teams from North Staffordshire, Sandwell, Sutton Coldfield and Cardiff. Many thanks from the athletes, to all of the volunteers who made this event such a success.

If you would like to find out more about Inclusive Badminton in Suffolk contact mike@activlives.org.uk or call on 01473 345350.

Special Olympics Suffolk Athletes go on a Scavenger Hunt

Posted on September 9, 2024 by specialolympicssuffolk

Eleven Special Olympics Suffolk athletes from badminton, athletics and gymnastics and their supporters joined together with a gang of 14 volunteers on a fun Scavenger Hunt around Historic Ipswich on Sunday 8th September.

The participants started off this fundraising and social event from Ipswich Train Station and the 3k route took them past Ipswich Docks, statues of Cardinal Wolsey and Gile’s Grandma to the Town Hall, several churches and art centres to Christchurch Mansions in Christchurch Park. Thankfully, the weather was kind to us and the rain clouds kept away…

Each participant was given an map and some directions to follow and they had to answer clues along the way. The volunteer Marshals were placed at strategic check points along the route and stamped their Scavenger Hunt Passports to acknowledge their progress.

. The event was supported by Ipswich Borough Council and Health and Wellbeing Officer, Zak Butler was on hand all day to support the event which culminated in a picnic lunch in Christchurch Park and a game of rounders afterwards was enjoyed by all.

A prize of a family swim was donated by Ipswich Borough Council and will be awarded to the participant who raises the most sponsor money and Athletes Amy and Liam were awarded their prizes of affiliation fees for 2025 kindly donated by an anonymous donor, for getting all ten answers to the clues of the Scavenger Hunt correct.

Sears and Bacon, Construction and Development from East Anglia kindly sponsored the high visibility jackets and Suffolk Sounds dedicated some music to Special Olympics Suffolk whilst we enjoyed out picnic lunches in the park.

Special thanks to our volunteers who gave up their Sunday to help out at the event and also to the families and friends who supported the participants on the day – we couldn’t have done it without you!