In order to show Spoon largest corporate supporter TNT how the charity spends their donatoins the took TNT staff members on a grand tour of a past project at the Windsor Ascot Maidenhead Sport for the Disabled. Saida Akram, Rhys Williams,Jason Gorman and Claire Rowell from Slough, joined Godfrey Kaliu, Martin Henderson, Andrea Williams, Lesley McDonald and Tracey Cadette from Heathrow and Paul Jarvis and Brett Praprioski from Reading. They were received by Mike Davies, Operations Director, to witness the rare success story of providing of a charity providing sport for the disabled via specialised facilities. Over the past 30 years WAMDSAD has provided facilities for nearly 70 Paralympic participants. With 2012 looming large, the Chilterns felt it appropriate to help fund a second sports hall for the sports charity, enabling the simultaneous practice of weaponry sports (archery, pistol and rifle shooting) together with table tennis, wheelchair rugby etc. During the day, the unit is mainly used by more senior (mainly retired disabled sportsmen), with the youngsters coming in after school and during their holidays.
On Tuesday 24th July, the day of the visit, there was archery practice taking place in the old hall. TNT staff watched the activity and spoke with the archers before moving into the new facility to learn how to play a variation of Boule, called Boccia. This game can be played from a standing position, but as many of the disabled players are confined to wheelchairs, these were provided for a trial game played by two TNT teams to show how much more of a challenge sport can be for the disabled, as seen above.
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