Special Olympics Suffolk compete in Action packed Badminton Tournament

Posted on December 3, 2024 by specialolympicssuffolk

Special Olympics Suffolk delivery partner, ActivLives, held an Inclusive Badminton Tournament recently at Gainsborough Sports Centre in Ipswich. The event, delivered by ActivLives, in partnership with Special Olympics Suffolk, was action packed with 30 competitors from inclusive groups in Ipswich, Wimbledon, Canterbury and Lincoln taking part.

These inclusive events are specifically for athletes who have an intellectual (learning) disability, they are sanctioned and supported by Special Olympics GB, as part of their calendar of events held across the country.

Allison Boggis, Chair of Special Olympics Suffolk, said, ‘The event was really successful. The standard of play was high and there was some fabulous competition with new and experienced badminton players from Suffolk and beyond taking part. It was fantastic to see the great support the players received from coaches, volunteers and family members’.

Many thanks to the brilliant team of volunteers who made the event happen, and to all of the partner organisations involved – including, ActivLives, Special Olympics Suffolk, Special Olympics GB, Suffolk Community Foundation and Ipswich Borough Council.

If you would like to find out more about getting involved with badminton for players with a learning disability, please call ActivLives on 01473 345350 or email mike@activlives.org.uk

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.

Inclusive Boccia Tournament hosted in Suffolk – July 2024

Posted on July 30, 2024 by specialolympicssuffolk

Special Olympics Suffolk delivery partner, ActivLives,held the second Inclusive Boccia Tournament recently in Stowmarket, Suffolk. The event attracted 42 competitors, who played a total of 70 ends of boccia, over 26 matches, scoring 123 points. There were over 75 people attending the event, during the course of the day.

Boccia (pronounced ‘botcha’), is a target game, played with balls, where all of the participants are required to sit down whilst they play. “It is one of those sports that is relatively easy to play, but devilishly tricky to play well”, said Mike McCarthy, from ActivLives. The sport is particularly suitable for players with a disability, and will be part of the Paralympic programme being held in Paris next month.

The tournament in Stowmarket consisted of three divisions, where players competed in teams of three, in a round-robin format. The day concluded with a ‘spider decider’ mass team event, with all 42 players involved.

“The atmosphere has been absolutely brilliant, with plenty of very close matches throughout the day. It has also been great to welcome visiting players from Special Olympics Peterborough and Kent”.

Many thanks to all of the athletes, to our brilliant team of volunteers, to our supporting partners Special Olympics Suffolk, Special Olympics GB, the Suffolk Community Foundation and to our hosts for the day at Mid Suffolk Leisure Centre.

If you would like to find out more about how to get involved with boccia in the Stowmarket, Ipswich or Felixstowe areas, please call ActivLives on 01473 345350 or email mike@activlives.org.uk

Inclusive badminton tournament in Ipswich a huge success!

Posted on May 3, 2024 by specialolympicssuffolk

Special Olympics Suffolk delivery partner,ActivLives, held another Inclusive Badminton Tournament recently at Gainsborough Sports Centre in Ipswich. The event, delivered by ActivLives, in partnership with Special Olympics Suffolk, and with the support of Special Olympics GB, was a tremendous success with 26 competitors from inclusive groups in Ipswich, Wimbledon and Southampton, taking part.

The programme consisted of four divisions, where players competed in doubles and singles groups in a round-robin format. The day concluded with a team relay event, with all of the players involved. There were some very close matches and divisions with one of the gold medals being decided by just a single point!

“Each time that we host one of these tournaments, the standard of play just keeps on rising”, said Mike McCarthy, ActivSport Development Officer. “These inclusive events, which are targeted at athletes with an intellectual/learning disability, are very important for us. They are a great way to help showcase the sportsmanship, commitment and talent of all the athletes who take part.

Many thanks to our brilliant team of volunteers and also to our supporting partners Special Olympics Suffolk, Special Olympics GB, Suffolk Community Foundation and Ipswich Borough Council”.

If you would like to find out more about getting involved with badminton for players with a learning disability, please call ActivLives on 01473 345350 or emailmike@activlives.org.uk