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Showcase of disability sport commemorates one year until the Paralympic Games

19 September 2011

Chesterfield Inclusive Football Club completed a training session on the pitch at half-time, and spectators were also given a blind football demonstration led by Sam Turner from Derbyshire FA.

The event was part of a series being held around Derbyshire to increase public awareness of disability sport and the local clubs, groups and coaching sessions which are on offer for people with a disability.

Chesterfield’s six disability sport clubs were promoted on the day, with information included in the match day programme and in leaflets which were handed out to supporters.

Derbyshire Sport Director David Joy said: “There is a lot of work happening across the county to increase the sporting opportunities available to people with disabilities.

“The Paralympic Games next year will boost the profile of Paralympic sports, and hopefully inspire many more disabled people to try a sport that they have perhaps never played before, and so clubs and organisations are working hard to make sure that that expected increase in demand can be catered for.”

Rory Slater, Derbyshire’s 2012 Legacy Co-ordinator, said: “The Paralympic Games offer a fantastic opportunity for everybody to engage with some of the most inspiring and competitive sport imaginable. In Derbyshire, we have an increasingly strong offer for disabled people, old and young, to follow the inspiration of the Games in London. The activities taking place throughout September are helping to showcase some of these opportunities.”

The Paralympic Games will open in London on Wednesday, August 29, 2012. Applications for tickets to the Paralympic Games are now open and close on Monday, September 26, 2011. UK residents can also complete a paper ticket application form contained in the official ticketing guide which can be collected from your local Lloyds TSB branch.

A number of Derbyshire athletes are currently training hard in the hope of being selected to represent Team GB at the 2012 Paralympic Games. This includes wheelchair basketball players Maddie Thompson, from Hope, and Jon Hall, from Clowne, and CP footballer Leon Taylor from Chaddesden.