Accesss Sport - transforming lives through sport

Waltham Forest Hockey Club had a fantastic turnout of 29 volunteers asthey hosted training for those who will be delivering sessions for their youth disability hockey club, Forest Flyerz. The session was run by former National Zone Hockey Development Officer and current England Hockey Masters player Nisar Chaudhry. Vanessa Moore, founder of the Waltham Forest Parent Forum, gave an introduction at the session and managed to put what the club are trying to do into context by sharing her experiences as a mother of a disabled child.

“Finding sports opportunities for your disabled child is hard, so the clubs’ commitment to getting sessions up and running is truly inspirational” said Vanessa.

Forest Flyerz co-ordinator, Pani Theodorou, added “This is a whole lot more than just hockey, this is about making the kids feel like they’re part of the community too. My aim is that the sessions are open to anyone and everyone. We will be adaptable and do what we can to make these sessions accessible to all.”

Patrick Hopkins, lead for the Disability Legacy Project at Access Sport which is working with the club to start these sessions said “It was absolutely wonderful to see so many volunteers come to support the club in starting these sessions, and it is a testament to the hard work that the club has put in so far. It is a difficult project to get off the ground, but with continued support like that from volunteers it has the potential to be very successful.”

Research suggests that this is the only pan-disability hockey group in London and it will be paving the way for other clubs to follow suit. This could be a very important project to allow hockey to reach more young people.

If you are interested in getting involved with Forest Flyerz (which will hold its first session in November) then please visit the club’s website http://www.walthamforesthc.co.uk/flyerz/index.htm.

For more details on the Waltham Forest Parent Forum please visit http://www.walthamforestparentforum.com/.