A group of our Special Olympics Suffolk badminton team recently met up with the Saxons Badminton squad, before a National badminton League fixture at the Ipswich Corn Exchange. 

Our players got to meet Olympian and world ranked doubles player Sean Vendy, as they were presented with a signed Saxons shirt – we were then guests at the match against Manchester Badminton. Some of our athletes even got to have a hit on court with members of the Saxons squad – what an experience!

We are very grateful to Mike Tee, Anthony Clark and the Suffolk Saxons for their support for Special Olympics badminton in our county.     

Come and Join us!

Special Olympics Suffolk are hosting an Active Easter Trail on Sunday March 29th around Christchurch Park, Ipswich as a social event that will also be part of their fundraising campaign towards athletes representing SO Suffolk in the National Summer Games taking place later in the year.

Participants are requested to arrive around 10.30am and the Mayor of Ipswich, Stefan Long will officially start the Trail at 11am. Trailblazers will be given a ‘passport’ which has a map of the park, a route to follow and some clues to answer along the way. There will be some sport related activities dotted along the route too. Volunteer marshals shall be posted along the route and will be cheering our participants on! Each participant will pay £5 to join the Trail and those that complete it will be given a small easter egg for taking part. It promises to be a lot of fun and the event will go ahead whatever the weather!

All are invited to join together in St Margaret’s Hall (just next to the Park) afterwards for lunch (£5 please prebook) or you are invited to bring a packed lunch (but no take-aways, please!).

We will then be joined by Gulsham Kayembe, the High Sheriff of Suffolk who will join us for tea and cake plus a raffle, our AGM and athlete presentations.

Its not too late to join us – contact Allison Boggis allisonboggis@hotmail.com to book in!

HUGE thanks to;

:)all volunteers for giving up their time to support this event

🙂 DSH Home Improvements, Jenny Leslie, Nadia and Omar Bacha and the Boggis family for donating the Easter Eggs

and

🙂 Goals, Katie’s Garden, the Rumble Family for the generous donation of raffle prizes

ActivLives held another very successful Inclusive Boccia Tournament recently in Ipswich. The tournament which attracted 40, mostly Suffolk-based competitors, included three divisions of athletes with an intellectual disability. The standard of boccia played was excellent, although, as ever, it was the great atmosphere in the hall throughout the day which will last longest in the memory. This event provided some of the competitors an opportunity to help prepare for the Special Olympics GB National Summer Games, being held in August in Birmingham.

Many thanks to all of the great volunteers from ActivLives and Special Olympics Suffolk, who made this event such a success.

ActivLives are very grateful to their delivery partners Special Olympics Suffolk, and to Special Olympics GB, Sport England and Ipswich Borough Council, for their continued support with these events.

From April onwards, Special Olympics Suffolk will take the lead from ActivLives in delivering these inclusive boccia (and badminton) events. ActivLives will however, continue to support Special Olympics Suffolk in promoting and developing inclusive sport.   

If you would like to find out more about how to get involved with boccia, the world’s most inclusive sport, please contact ActivLives on 01473 345350 or email mike.inclusivesport@btinternet.com

Our very own badminton and sports coach, Mike McCarthy chatted to Gaby Roslin on the BBC radio programe ‘Making a Difference’ on Sunday about inclusive sporting activities for disabled people in Suffolk. He explained that mainstream sports aren’t accessible for all and that there are a lack of sporting opportunities for people with learning disabilities particularly when they leave school. You can find the recording on BBC Sounds at https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002qb65  (around 31 minutes into the program)

As you know, Mike is the SO Suffolk badminton and boccia coach. He trains regularly every week and gets the best out of all participants. With the help from a trusty group of volunteers, Mike organises and hosts two badminton and boccia tournaments in Suffolk every year. He recently won a well deserved 2025 BBC Radio Suffolk Make a Difference Award for his work promoting inclusive sports for people with disabilities across Suffolk. He was recognised for leading weekly sports sessions, managing inclusive tournaments and using physical activity to improve community lives.

Huge congratulations, Mike from all at SO Suffolk!

Special Olympics Suffolk and Eastern Region Badminton player, Ed and his support worker and badminton volunteer Lizzie supported the ‘ Beyond Labels’ project at The Hold at the Suffolk Archives today. The project was set up to explore the lived experience of disability in Suffolk. It is funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Together, Ed and Lizzie created a label representing SO Suffolk that will be exhibited along with other experiences of disabled people at The Hold from 27 February to 30th March this year.

Great work Ed and Lizzie – its good to see that Special Olympics Suffolk will be represented in the exhibition to demonstrate the sporting opportunities that disabled people in Suffolk are involved in. Thank you!

 Suffolk Archives at The Hold, Ipswich, IP4 1LR

Beyond Labels shines a light on the lives, achievements, and challenges of people with disabilities in Suffolk, past and present. 
It showcases the resilience and contributions of Suffolk people with lived experience of disability, and explores the barriers faced and promotes awareness and understanding. 

Explore themes of visibility, independent living, discrimination, and making change happen. Understand how national campaigns, and social and political changes have impacted lives in Suffolk. As well as discovering the histories of organisations, schools, and charities that work with and support local disabled people. 

Made possible by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, this exhibition is co-curated by local community groups and Suffolk Archives and has enabled communities to share and celebrate their authentic experiences. 

Beyond Labels celebrates disability while sparking conversations about accessibility, equality, and a call to action for work that still needs to be done. 

Special Olympics Suffolk have been invited to go along on Thursday 8th January 2-5pm. I shall be there until 3.30pm so I hope to see you there! If you can’t make it, don’t worry, there are plenty of other opportunities – please visit http://www.suffolkarchives.co.uk and select Exhibitions.

On 30th November, 14 athletes proudly represented Special Olympics Suffolk at the Lea Valley Indoor Track for the Special Olympics GB Athletics event. Two athletes made their competitive debut, adding an extra sense of excitement to the day.

The team delivered outstanding performances, achieving an impressive 12 gold, 3 silver, and 6 bronze medals across the various events. In total, eight personal bests were achieved, highlighting the athletes’ continued progress and determination.

The journey home was full of festive cheer, with Christmas tunes playing on the minibus and plenty of enthusiastic sing-alongs, rounding off the day with great team spirit.

Throughout the event, the athletes supported one another brilliantly, creating a positive and encouraging atmosphere both on and off the track. Their sportsmanship, determination, and teamwork made the day a memorable success.

A huge well done to all athletes, coaches, and supporters for a fantastic day of competition and achievement.