This is a monthly feature that will cast a spotlight on an individual or group of people who are members of the Special Olympics Suffolk and who go the extra mile to represent our organisation through sport. We hope you enjoy it!

We would very much appreciate your input – why not nominate a person/group to feature in the Spotlight Series – send photos (with permissions) and a few words to specialolympicssuffolk@gmail.com

December 2025

The final Spotlight of 2025 shines brightly on our fabulous volunteers.

Volunteers are the backbone of Special Olympics Suffolk. They give up their time regularly and freely so that our athletes can enjoy taking part in regular sports activities, tournaments and socials. They organise fun training sessions to keep us fit and ready for competitions. Some of our volunteers work behind the camera taking photos that record our achievements and to display on our social media. Others work behind the scenes, attending meetings and undertaking the paperwork, documentation and governance that keeps our organisation on track and following the rules and guidelines set by our governing body (Special Olympics GB) and safe, others plan competitions, book venues and raise money.

Our volunteers are passionate and dedicated – they don’t grumble, they just get on with things and care deeply about making Special Olympics Suffolk a really great organisation to belong to, and giving people with intellectual disabilities the best sporting experiences ever.

This December, please make sure you thank the volunteers that run the sports club, plan sessions and train our athletes to be the best they can be. Take a moment to thank those that do the paperwork, book the venues, arrange transport, keep you safe and fundraise – they’re doing it all so that you can take part in weekly training sessions, keep healthy and active and be the best that you can be.

So, as 2025 draws rapidly to an end, huge THANKS to all who volunteer for Special Olympics Suffolk. Thank you for your time, your patience and for all you do to support athletes with intellectual disabilities to enable them to take part and enjoy sports.

June 2025

June’s Spotlight shines on Ed and Donna, two Special Olympics Athletes who were invited to join the first cohort of undergraduate physiotherapy students to celebrate their final week at the University of Suffolk.

Donna and Ed were warmly welcomed and thanked for their part in supporting the students by attending ‘Healthy Living’ workshops and working alongside them at the ‘Special Olympics Celebration of Sport’ held at St Joseph’s College, Ipswich in March. The Course Leader, Danielle Ramsey gave a special mention to SO Suffolk and to Donna and Ed, thanking us for providing students with unique opportunities to gain valuable experience of working with people with learning disabilities as they trained to become physiotherapists.

Huge congratulations from all at Special Olympics Suffolk to the physio students for their hard work over the three year degree course. It was an absolute privilege to work with you – we wish you every success in the future!

May 2025

The Special Olympics Suffolk Spotlight for May falls on our fabulous Athlete Leaders. These are our very own athletes who have taken on some leadership training offered by Special Olympics GB to become Athlete Leaders https://www.specialolympicsgb.org.uk/athletes/athlete-leadership.

Our trailblazer Abbie from Athletics was the first to successfully complete the SOGB Athletic Leaders Training programme in 2022, with Donna (badminton), Grace and Jack (gymnastics) completing in 2024. We are so proud of them and very grateful for the support and help they give athletes in their own clubs and within Special Olympics Suffolk by helping with fundraising activities and other sporting events and activities that we host throughout the year. They are such great role models and fabulous leaders.

The latest recruits to the programme are Hamish (athletics), Connor (alpine skiing) and Poppy (gymnastics). All three candidates are currently following the course online and joining in with workshops hosted by Special Olympics GB. We wish them every success with the training and look forward to welcoming them as Athlete Leaders in the future.

If you are interested in the Athlete Leadership Train (ALT), please do keep a look out on the SOGB website or contact our Chairperson, Allison Boggis (allisonboggis@hotmail.com) for further information.

April 2025

For the second year, the undergraduate physiotherapy students from the University of Suffolk invited Special Olympics Suffolk athletes to a Healthy Living Workshop this Spring. The visit took place on 8th April and our athletes were joined by Project 21 https://project21uk.com/.

Those who attended learned so much about the importance of keeping themselves active. They also learned about keeping healthy and looking after their wellbeing. In turn, the physio students gained some really valuable practical experience of working alongside people with learning disabilities which will help them in their future careers. Our athletes made some great friends and had a lot of fun and Special Olympics Suffolk continued to build on established community relationships with Project 21 and the University of Suffolk.

March 2025

Fifteen pupils from St Joseph’s College and 10 undergraduate physiotherapy students from the University of Suffolk volunteered to support our athletes throughout the day at the ‘Celebration of Sport’ event on March 16th at St Joseph’s College. The day was a huge success, great fun was had by all and some fabulous friendships were formed. The volunteers led their groups through a rotation of five sports events in the morning, were inspired by the athletes presentations and joined in with a flashmob dance with Project 21 in the afternoon.

Staff from St Joseph’s College and Course Leader from the University of Suffolk also volunteered at the event – we are so grateful for their help and support!

February 2025

February’s Spotlight shines on the members of the ‘Celebration of Sport’ Working Party who have been working hard behind the scenes to plan and prepare for the event taking place on 16th March at St Joseph’s College, Ipswich.

Ed and Hamish working with Charlotte from Realise Futures to design the ‘Keepsake Coins’ for all Special Olympics Suffolk athletes…

Allison, Elspeth, Kristy, Terry, Lizzie, Ed, Karen, Grace, Louise, Simon, Laura, Hamish, Loraine, Donna and Mitzi have taken on various organising roles and doing a splendid job!

Hamish and Donna talking to Sarah Lilley at BBC Radio Suffolk about the ‘Celebration of Sport’ https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0kjkxtw?partner=uk.co.bbc&origin=share-mobile

Follow this link to a great article published on the BBC website -‘Sports group to mark decade of transforming lives’ https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwyp24g5p9no

At the event, we have Louise and her mum organising the cake stall and refreshments, Mitiz and her band of helpers organising a fundraising tombola and helping with the registration desk and our athletes Donna, Simon, Hamish, Ed and Grace have volunteered to help on the day and also to give presentations highlighting how sport has influenced their lives.

What a team! We are truly grateful for your time, hard work and enthusiasm…

December 2024

As the year draws to a close it’s a good time to take a moment to think about the things we have achieved together as part of the Special Olympics Suffolk community…

Our athletes have enjoyed taking part in local, regional, national and international competition in badminton, boccia, athletics and gymnastics. They athletes have trained hard and given their best performances. All tried their hardest, achieved great things, made some great friends and proudly represented Special Olympics Suffolk, embodying real sportsmanship in everything they have done. We are so proud of them!

Our supporters have cheered our athletes on, helped to fundraise, keep us refreshed and volunteered at the various competitions. They have encouraged our athletes, provided them with transport to and from regular coaching sessions and generally kept our spirits up when things get tough. Our Steering Group met regularly throughout 2024, they helped to make links between our clubs and Special Olympics Great Britain. They have done their best to ensure that our policies and practices are safe and current, they have helped to oversee our administration and finances, fundraise, organise and volunteer at sports competitions, and generally get involved with everything that goes on within Special Olympics Suffolk. Thank you – we couldn’t do it without you!

Our coaches have given up so much of their time this year, planning and organising weekly training sessions and keeping us going throughout the year, gaining more coaching experience by attending training sessions and encouraging others to get involved, helping to fundraise and given so much encouragement to so many athletes – we can’t thank you enough for all the time, hardwork and dedication you give to our athletes, the volunteers and supporters of Special Olympics Suffolk!

Thank you all for making 2024 such a great year for Special Olympics Suffolk – we hope you have enjoyed it as much as we have!

We have so much to look forward to in 2025 – lots of competitions, social events and celebrations – so join us on March 16th at St Joseph’s College, Ipswich to celebrate our 10th Year Anniversary, more details to follow!

November 2024

Ten years ago, and after months of hard work, the Special Olympics Suffolk Action Group, a team of dedicated volunteers, announced the Launch of Special Olympics, a first for Suffolk, bringing sports coaching and competition opportunities for people with an intellectual (learning) disability across the county.

The occasion was marked with an Official Launch Event on Sunday 16^th November 2014 at Waveney Gymnastics Club in Lowestoft. The day included Special Olympics Suffolk’s first gymnastics competition. The mission of this new enterprise was to promote and provide opportunities for participation by people with an intellectual disability but also through coaching and competition provide a pathway to national and international competition with National and World Games on a 4 year cycle as for the Olympics and Paralympics.

Murton Mann, the then Chair of Special Olympics Great Britain was reported to have said: ‘On behalf of Special Olympics GB, and from a personal point of view living here in our wonderful county of Suffolk, I would like to wish everyone involved in Special Olympics Suffolk every success. Congratulations and thank you to all those who have been involved in bringing Special Olympics to the county – the start of more opportunities for training, competition, personal development and fun for people in Suffolk with an intellectual disability and their families’.

Ten years on and our athletes have trained regularly in their sport and represented Special Olympics Suffolk in Alpine Skiing, Athletics, Badminton, Boccia, Equestrian and Gymnastics competing in countless local and regional competitions. Some have competed at National level representing SO Eastern Region and International level, representing SO Great Britain. Several athletes have taken on leadership roles within their clubs and have taken part in the Athlete Leadership Training programme hosted by SO Great Britain. They have been interviewed on TV and Radio, featured in newspapers and magazines and some have even been invited to Number 10 Downing Street to talk to politicians and policy makers! We are so proud of them and thank them for representing SO Suffolk so brilliantly.

Our coaches and volunteers have tirelessly supported our athletes since 2014 regularly at coaching sessions, hosting competitions and officiating locally, nationally and internationally. Our Patrons have been invaluable supporting SO Suffolk over the years. All have joined athletes and their supporters in fundraising and social activities – for this, we thank them wholeheartedly.

October 2024

This month’s spotlight shines on two people who are absolutely bonkers about sport – athletics in particular…

Three inspiring women, Mitzi , Margaret and Anne started Orwell Panthers Athletics Club 21 years ago as a summer club at Northgate Sports Centre in Ipswich. Sadly, Anne passed away some time ago, but Mitzi and Margaret carried on training and coaching the athletes and running the club.

Ten years ago, they joined forces with Special Olympics Suffolk and under their guidance and expertise, the club continues to go from strength to strength. The regular Wednesday training and coaching sessions run in summer and winter and many athletes have personally gained in skill and confidence with some competing in local, regional and international competitions. Volunteers are central to the club and many have been nurtured and encouraged to train as coaches and take on more responsibility within the club. The club is well know for being a safe space in which athletes thrive and improve their sense of self and wellbeing. This is testament to volunteers Mitzi and Margaret for their tireless enthusiasm, dedication and hard work – a big heartfelt thanks to you both for what you do for Orwell Panthers Athletics Club and Special Olympics Suffolk, the athletes and their parents and supporters. Ladies, you inspire us!

September 2024

September’s spotlight falls on the ‘Magnificent Seven’ Special Olympics Suffolk athletes who tried a new sport this summer. Suffolk Cricket and the Lord Taverners Super 1’s scheme invited Special Olympics Suffolk along to cricket coaching sessions on Monday evenings at the Ipswich Cricket Club to try out a new sport, learn new skills and meet new people. James, Eddie and Michael from Suffolk Cricket coached the six SOS athletes throughout the summer, Donna, Jordan, Joe, Ed, Liam and Hamish (plus new recruit, Rueben) in catching, throwing and batting. They even tried their hand at table cricket. Most of our athletes had never played cricket before…

At the end of the summer, Suffolk Cricket hosted a coaching day at Bury St Edmunds Cricket Club which was kindly sponsored by the Lord Taverner’s. Our athletes represented Suffolk and joined other players from Cambridge and Norfolk for the day. They all enjoyed some excellent coaching in the morning and after a pizza lunch, they were able to put their new skills to the test…

A great day was enjoyed by all athletes. Many thanks to all supporters and coaches for their part in making this happen. A winter series is to follow – more information to follow!

August 2024

We couldn’t let this month pass without a ‘nod’ to the ‘other Olympics’ that are taking place in Paris! The competition is well underway with Team GB athletes in peak condition and performing at the top of their game, giving their very best every time they step up to compete. We can’t help but admire their prowess and determination.

No strangers to the effort that it takes to become elite athletes are three of our very own members of SOS who are all volunteers, and share the spotlight this month Sandra, Jack and Grace who I met up with at Waveney Gymnastics Club (WGC) in July…

Sandra has been volunteering at WGC club for just over 14 years. At first she supported the pre-school children, lending ‘an extra pair of hands’ to the coaches. Head Coach, Ellen spotted her talent at working with children and asked her to support young gymnasts with special needs. ‘Gym Nannie’ as the children call Sandra is always on hand to offer a warm welcome and reassurance. She supports them to build confidence and always has a cheery smile to share. Sandra travelled to the World Games in Berlin in 2023 to support gymnasts Grace, Simon and Jack who she has known since they started at the gym as very young gymnasts. She was so proud to see them all competing at the highest level of competition and achieve their ambitions of gaining Gold and Silver medals .

A self-confessed chatterbox, Sandra told me that recently she raised money at the centre by doing a sponsored silence, something that she found very hard to do!

Jack is a World Games Gold medalist gymnast and no stranger to performing and competing at the highest level of his sport, having competed at the World Games in Berlin in 2023. Jack has been interviewed on TV, on radio and he has attended a tea party at Number 10 Downing Street along with other Team GB athletes who competed at the World Games. He also was presented with Young Sports Personality of the Year in 2023.

Jack is 18 and has been training at WGC for about 10 years. He continues to train regularly with the adult gymnasts at WGC, and most recently achieved his Level 1 coaching award. He is currently studying for the Athlete Leadership Award with SOGB alongside team mate Grace. Jack told me that being a gymnast has helped him gain self confidence, and to think practically. He enjoys being part of a team and the role model who has most inspired him is Head Coach, Ellen.

Grace has featured on previous Spotlight Series for her outstanding achievements as a gymnast at the World Games in Berlin in 2023, representing SOGB and SOS and her achievements in representing SOS in Equestrian Sports. Grace has also been training at WGC since a very young age and her determination to succeed has certainly paid off! Following her success at the World Games, she too has featured on TV, radio, visited Number 10 Downing Street and even seen herself on the big screen at Piccadilly Circus! Runner-up to Jack in the Young Sports Personality Award in 2023, Grace (16) is currently studying for her Athlete Leadership Award with SOGB and is a volunteer at the club, inspiring young gymnasts. Grace named Head Coach Ellen as her greatest role model as ‘she encourages you never to give up’. Grace is keen to see more women in sport.

The

July 2024

July is going to be a busy month for competition what with a Boccia Tournament and a Gymnastics three day event. Many, many thanks to the coaches and organisers, volunteers and supporters for their hard work in making this happen. The spotlight in August will focus on both events.

Special Olympics Suffolk is making every effort to promote the organisation and the competitions are a great way to showcase the talents of our athletes. We also realise how important sports opportunities are for wellbeing and for maintaining a healthy lifestyle. We will soon publish results from research that some of you took part in about what you think a healthy lifestyle is.

We want more people to know about SOS and the great work we do, so we need to publicise the sports we already have and make new relationships with those we don’t. If you can think of any ways we can do this, please do let me know and if you can volunteer some of your time to fundraise, help with media campaigns or administrative jobs or join our Steering Group, we would love to hear from you! I’m Allison Boggis, the Chairperson of SOS and my email is allisonboggis@hotmail.com..

June 2024

This month we shine the spotlight on Special Olympics Suffolk athlete and Alpine Skier, Connor.

Connor has been skiing since he was 7 yrs old and loves competing.

He competed in the SOGB National competition in Crans Montana in Switzerland in 2020 where he won Gold in the Advance division in Slalom and GS.

He has competed in Regional competitions but has been restricted recently due to a long illness and was unable to go to this years National games in Italy because of this.

Despite his illness he still managed to get a first in the South East regional competition in Brentwood in April this year.

He is still waiting for an operation, after which he hopes to return to more regular competition.

Huge congratulations on your achievements, Connor! SOS wish you all the best – we’ll all be rooting for you!

May 2024

The May spotlight shines on two badminton players, Ollie and Ed. I caught up with them whilst they were competing at the recent badminton event held at Gainsborough Sports Centre, Ipswich.

Both Ollie and Ed have been playing badminton for SOS for a long time and regularly attend the Wednesday sessions with head coach Mike McCarthy and his volunteers where they learn new skills and improve their game. They have both been proud to represent Special Olympics Suffolk, playing in competitions and events in Wimbledon, Bournemouth and Birmingham which they really enjoyed

They told me that participating in sport regularly helped them to keep fit, stay healthy and keep keep trim. Both athletes enjoy participating in other sports and try to eat healthily to maintain a healthy lifestyle and encourage other to do the same. Special Olympics Suffolk has enabled Ollie and Ed to make new friends and take on new challenges.

April 2024

April shines a spotlight (and hopefully some sunshine too) on our brilliant athletes who took part in the SOS Athlete Leadership Programme (ALP) which was ably run and led by our very own Badminton Head Coach, Mike McCarthy.

The sessions started in 2019 and the participants met regularly , learning about the Special Olympics Movement, about what makes a good leader and the role of leaders in sport. The group learned to communicate using British Sign Language, they planned, prepared and supported the SOS Annual General Meeting (AGM) and some even enjoyed a visit to the BBC Radio Suffolk Studios where they met and chatted with BBC presenter Graeme McLoughlin.

The Athlete Leaders have been terrific advocates and role models for SOS, supporting Boccia tournaments and becoming Athlete Reps for the SOS Steering Group. The athletes were recognised at the recent AGM and since then, each Leader has been given a certificate of achievement and we thank them all for their commitment to SOS. Very well done to: Donna, Mark, Rhys, Alfie, Abigail, Ollie and Adam.

An especially big thank you also to Mike McCarthy for bringing the ALP to Suffolk, for planning, organising and running it. Great work, Mike – your hard work, enthusiasm and dedication are greatly appreciated by all at SOS!

March 2024

It’s officially Spring and so to celebrate we’ve chosen Panthers and SOS athlete, Hamish Crawford to feature on this months Spotlight Series…

Hamish has previously represented Panthers, SOS and the Eastern Region in the National Games in Sheffield and in Stirling, so he is no stranger to competition. He particularly enjoys training and competing in 50m sprint and throwing events, discus, javelin and shot. A regular member of Orwell Panthers, he trains every week where he has made many good friends and enjoys the support of great coaches.

Hamish is currently studying for a BTech L2 in Sport at Suffolk One in Ipswich and has ambitions of progressing into sports coaching and personal training. We wish you well with your onward journey, Hamish and hope you will continue to be a member of SOS for many years to come.

Hamish is going to be 20 this month, so a very Happy Birthday to you, Hamish from your friends, coaches, volunteers and fellow athletes at Special Olympics Suffolk!

February 2024

This month we shine a spotlight onto two Special Olympics athletes that train regularly with Orwell Panthers Athletics Club in Ipswich. Montell and Ben have been at the club for ‘a long time’. They both appreciate the enthusiasm of the coaches who give up their time to make the weekly sessions fun and enjoyable. Ben describes himself as a good all-rounder but particularly enjoys the disciplines that involve throwing and long jump. Montell’s specialism is the shot put which he really enjoys because it helps his co- ordination. Both athletes commented on how sport helps keep them healthy, fit and increased their confidence. They enjoy going to Orwell Panthers because they meet up with their friends.

January 2024

2024 starts off on a very positive note by shining this months spotlight on athlete Abbie Grant from Panthers Athletics Club in Ipswich. Abbie was the first athlete from Suffolk to successfully take part in and achieve the Special Olympics GB Athlete Leadership Programme – congratulations Abbie – we’re so very proud of you!

Abbie started the online programme during lockdown and soon found herself among likeminded athletes from a variety of sports around the UK regularly attending zoom calls with Sports Leaders from Special Olympics GB. “The monthly meetings were well supported and this helped me build relationships with others on the programme. I found the visual learning materials, online presentations and notes really helped me to gain the leadership skills I needed to complete the course. My confidence grew and grew over the programme” said Abbie who now feels able to put her communication skills into good use as she supports fellow athletes and leads activities during training sessions with the support of the coaches.

Abbie is determined to encourage more females to take part in sport, to take up coaching and to become leaders in sporting activities.

December 2023

Not only did SOS and ActivLives badminton players Donna Wyatt and Georgia Aitchison take part in an inclusive badminton competition held in Ipswich on Saturday, but they were presented with Special Award Medals by Head of Sports, Dr Adi Fawcett from Special Olympics Great Britain. Both Donna and Georgia were nominated for the Special Awards by the volunteers who helped out at the competition. Donna was very supportive and encouraging to her doubles partner and Georgia was very supportive of her opponents, both of whom were playing in their first competition.

Congratulations to you both for being such good role models and inspiring others by being so supportive and encouraging. We are very proud of you!

November 2023

BBC Radio Suffolk kindly invited four more SOS athletes (Simon, Grace, Jack and Ed) to the studios in Ipswich in November where they enjoyed a tour of the studios, met with broadcaster Graeme McLoughlin and were interviewed by him and each other. The ‘fabulous four’ have all been interviewed by the media previously regarding their involvement in the Special Olympics World Games in Berlin earlier this year and so weren’t shy in front of the microphone! Massive thanks to Mike for arranging the visit and for Graeme who remains so supportive of SOS and made the visit really enjoyable and fun for all concerned.

October 2023

This month saw three SOS athletes (Alfie, Mark and Oli) enjoying a visit to the BBC Radio Suffolk studios in Ipswich where they were treated to a tour of the studios and interviewed by Graeme McLoughlin. Thanks to Mike on behalf of the Athlete Leadership Programme for organising this. A further visit is scheduled for November (watch this space)…

September 2023

The September Spotlight falls on talented Special Olympics Suffolk member, Grace who recently represented Special Olympics Great Britain in Gymnastics at the World Games in Berlin recently. Grace has been a gymnast since the age of 6 when Ellen (the coach at Waveney Gymnastics Club) talent spotted her and took her under her wing. Since then, she has been training regularly at the club and competed throughout the UK going from strength to strength. She competed at the SOGB National Games in 2017 and then represented her Country in July this year at the World Games gaining a clutch of medals and Gold overall.

However, Gymnastics is not the only sport that Grace excels in. Recently she proved herself to be a very competent horsewoman too, competing in a Special Olympics Derne Valley event in Sheffield in August where she won 3 Gold medals in Dressage, Working Trial and Knowledge, scooping up a special award for being Best Junior Newcomer. Grace competed on a pony called Carl whom she loaned from Parklands Stables in Sheffield.

Grace has her own horse, Breeze (see photograph below) who she cares for at home fitting in horse-related chores before she goes to school, exercising, feeding and grooming her. She also volunteers at her local stables.

August 2023

This months Spotlight falls on Special Olympics Suffolk representative and ActivLives badminton player, Ed Boggis.

Ed and his Personal Assistant, Lizzie Reid went to the Special Olympics World Games in Berlin in June 2023 as volunteers.

Guess what sport they were allocated to volunteer for? Yes, badminton!!!

Bet you can’t guess who they met out there? (Please see below for a HUGE clue…)

Our very own Mike McCarthy (Head Coach of Badminton and Boccia with ActivLives and Special Olympics Suffolk) who gave up his time to volunteer too, and was officiating at the World Games.

Before Ed travelled to Berlin, he had to undertake a rigorous selection process and had to complete some online training. Ed, Lizzie and Mike were interviewed by BBC Radio Suffolk. When they arrived in Berlin, they registered as volunteers along with 16,000 others and were issued with special volunteer passes and clothing.

Ed told me he was so proud to have been part of this fantastic event and had the best time ever.

He watched many other sporting events, made friends with other volunteers and met people from all over the world…When he got back to Ipswich, he was interviewed by BBC Radio Suffolk again and he also was invited to tell his fellow badminton players at ActivLives about his experiences in Berlin.

A great time was had by all!

A big THANK YOU to Ed, Lizzie and Mike for giving up their time to volunteer and also for being such great representatives of Special Olympics Great Britain and Special Olympics Suffolk – we are very proud of you!

July 2023 –

Spotlight on the Special Olympics World Games, Berlin 2023

Special Olympics Suffolk gymnasts and coaches from Waveney Gynmastics Club in Lowestoft bring home a clutch of medals…

6500 athletes, 18,000 volunteers from 126 countries and 9,000 family members met together in Berlin recently to compete in the Special Olympics World Games and we were proud that two coaches and three gymnasts from Waveney Gymastics Club represented Suffolk and Great Britain as part of the squad. Not only did they do us proud with their sportmanship and eagerness to compete at the very highest level, they came home with a clutch of well-deserved medals. Very well done Simon, Ellen, Grace, Alex and Jack – we are so proud of you!