Nottingham is one of three UK cities selected to host National Paralympic Day (NPD) on Saturday 25 July 2015,10am – 5pm.
The ‘pop up’ event taking place on Smithy Row aims to engage with disability groups, individuals and partners whilst raising awareness and profile of Paralympic sports and elite athletes ahead of RIO 2016. It will link to several other events also being coordinated by the British Paralympic Association which are being held on the same day in Plymouth and Brighton and the following day, Sunday 26 July at Queen Elizabeth Park, London.
A range of sports will be showcased throughout the day with ‘have a go’ opportunities including – Wheelchair Basketball, Tennis, Wheelchair racing, Boccia, Canoeing, Handbike racing & Ping Pong. Guest appearances include Equestrian Paralympian Sophie Wells, Paralympic swimmer Daniel Pepper and Nottingham born Paralympic Swimmer Tim Reddish OBE along. London 2012’s Paralympic Mascot Mandeville will also be making a special appearance.
NPD will also be actively linked to the World Deaf Tennis Championship finals being hosted at the tennis centre on the same day organised by the Tennis Foundation.
The successful bid to host NPD is a key part of Nottingham’s strategy to extend and develop a new and diverse programme of sport, leisure and physical activity across the city. During the event the City Council will pledge its ambition to become the ‘fastest growing regional city for disability participation’.
Councillor Dave Trimble, Portfolio Holder for Leisure and Culture said, “Nottingham has a strong track record as a sporting city and our ambition is to build on this further, as outlined in Nottingham Labour Manifesto. Developing our links with partners to deliver inclusive activity at leisure centres, parks and community venues across the city is key to this. National Paralympic Day is a key milestone and the international disability sporting events taking place this summer along with our future plans show our commitment to setting the pace in order to make this vision a reality.”
Nottingham City Council runs a programme of citywide sport and leisure opportunities for people with disabilities, including swimming, powerchair football, badminton, ice skating, tennis, Special Olympics and multi sports. The redeveloped £16m Harvey Hadden Sports Village due to open in September has been designated a hub for disability sports with sessions taking place six days a week.
The city council supports disability groups to access leisure facilities across the city through its Disability Development programme.
Space Inclusive are an East Midlands based social enterprise who work with around 110 people aged 18+ with learning difficulties and learning disabilities to improve their lives and prospects and support their transition into adulthood. One of the ways they achieve this is through accessing community facilities across the city as part of their health and fitness and social activity programme.
Richard Myett, Co-founder and Partner, said “There are a number of community facilities we use to give our members opportunities to develop their social skills and confidence”. “These facilities need to be accessible, inclusive and designed with all abilities in mind.”
“We have a group of around 25 people with autism and / or a learning difficulty who use Victoria Leisure Centre Pool on a weekly basis for instructor led swimming lessons. So many people have learnt to swim through these sessions in addition to skills such as self awareness, self confidence, participation in activities with others and of course, participation in activities that can be promoted as part of everyday life.”
“We also run group sessions on the outdoor gym equipment at Forest Recreation Ground when the weather is nice. It’s user friendly and safe – the perfect environment for us, plus it’s free too!
Space Inclusive have enjoyed the taster Skate Inclusive ice skating sessions; a partnership project between Nottingham City Council and the Capital FM Ice Arena. “Following on from these sessions we now have a group of girls who go ice skating together regularly – it’s helping to bridge gaps and is bringing people together in a way that is more client and community focused.
“Without these opportunities we wouldn’t be able to support as many people as we do. The work that Nottingham City Council is doing to support people with disabilities is fantastic and it’s great to know there are plans to develop this even further.”
Saturday’s Activity Programme
| Time | Type of activity |
| 1000 – 1010 | MC opens event |
| 1010 – 1100 | SPORT (Table tennis) |
| 1100 – 1110 | sport set up |
| 1110 – 1200 | SPORT (Boccia) |
| 1200 – 1220 | Athlete Q&A / Competition |
| 1220 – 1225 | Sport set up |
| 1225 – 1315 | SPORT (Wheelchair Basketball) |
| 1315 – 1320 | Sport set up |
| 1320 – 1410 | SPORT (Boccia) |
| 1410 – 1430 | Athlete Q&A / Competition |
| 1430 – 1435 | Sport set up |
| 1435 – 1525 | SPORT (Table tennis) |
| 1525 – 1545 | Athlete Q&A / Competition |
| 1545 – 1550 | Sport set up |
| 1550 – 1640 | SPORT (Wheelchair Basketball) |
| 1640 – 1700 | Final competition & MC close |