Short Break Stories

Scottish Disability Sport Junior Summer Camp

A story by Scottish Disability Sport

To support the continuation of a fully managed, all-inclusive annual multi-sport, pan-disability residential sports camp held at Badaguish Activity Centre. The camps are three days long, very positive and intensive for participants and a great chance for carer respite sustained through increased activity.

Demand for the camps is growing and we cannot expand places or provide additional equipment.

What Scottish Disability Sport Junior Summer Camp did

21 Volunteers were identified, interviewed and trained in preparation for the camp. We advertised the opportunity through all our thirteen member branches network (which covers 85% of Scotland) as well as through our Regional Networks (100% coverage of Scotland) which in turn filters through Education, Care Centres, Sports Development, Playschemes, NHS and other relevant networks.

The youngsters undertook 11 sessions in total in the beautiful surroundings of the Cairngorm National Park, and we utilised Badaguish Outdoor Centre and the Loch Insh Watersports Centre for our activities. All sessions were led by qualified coaches currently involved in the Scottish Disability Sport programme and supported by SDS staff and a raft of skilled volunteers along with specialist instructor's depending on the activity.

The young people were divided into three teams for all activities which included adapted cycling, archery, water sports in the beautiful surroundings of Loch Insh and a magnificent expedition around the shores of the atmospheric Loch an Eilean. The youngsters also had opportunities to complete significant tasks working collaboratively to achieve a successful outcome in various team building activities. At the end of the camp the participants enjoyed a final lunch with the new friends they had made over the duration of the camp and the winning team was announced.

The feedback from participants and carers has been universally positive and the participants gained so much from the venue and the activities on offer. The participants who use wheelchairs saw their chair skills greatly improve and many of the participants stated they know what is now possible and that through the camp they achieved beyond what they originally thought they were capable of prior to the attending.

Some carers had expressed an interest in volunteering at the camp this year as they wanted to support the project as their child had got so much out of the experience and this provided them with an even greater insight into what the camp entails. The feedback from carers about the impact on themselves and the wider family has been hugely positive.

An individual applied for this camp who had acquired a disability through a major stroke experienced following a game of rugby in December 2015. He was previously an exceptionally active individual who excelled at sport. Following his stroke, his confidence was at an understandably low point, he wasn’t able to use his right hand at all and had severe challenges with communication. Scottish Disability Sport received an application from him from Summer Camp in June 2016 and we were delighted to welcome him along to experience the camp for the first time.

The following is the feedback we received from his parent:

“Everyone has been very friendly, encouraging and so supportive and this has really encouraged my son to try to achieve as much as possible despite his newly acquired disability.” It was a fantastic opportunity for my son. He was slightly anxious, arriving with no knowledge of what he could do and what others could do, however the very friendly staff supported him and allowed him to flourish. He came back more self-confident and justifiably proud of his achievements which sound amazing! You are clearly a great team! He had such a wonderful time, it encouraged his independence, stretched him, and showed him how much he can actually do again! He would be very keen to come back again if that possible.

The camp was brilliantly organised, and very friendly and supportive staff made it a huge success for my son. From reassuring me when I dropped off on the first day, I knew that my child was to be in great hands. The setting in Badaguish is superb! It is lovely to feel that they can enjoy the great outdoors despite their disabilities.

It was a super spectrum of activities for them, I know that he felt challenged, but also was really proud of what he had achieved, both physically and in communication, and including looking after himself too! He enjoyed the sports, and achieving the full hike too. Amazing!

“Thank you all very much - to SDS and the funders that allow this to happen.”
Feedback from a carer:

"This is a fantastic event for all children involved. It not only offers my child a great opportunity to try new sports and push their limits, it also offers respite with the knowledge my child is having a fantastic time. The camp allows my child to build relationships with a wide range of people and boost his confidence. I really cannot praise the camp enough, thank you everyone for organising and volunteering, you do a fantastic job"

What Scottish Disability Sport has learned

The fund has benefited the carers and cared-for-participants massively through the following areas. The young people have gained confidence and competence across a number of areas which will benefit them hugely in pursuing sport and physical activity at a recreation, development or performance level.

They’ve also had to learn to work collectively to achieve a common goal. The element of competition between the three teams ensures that each individual works to their maximum potential. Every individual has learned a new skill or had a new positive experience. The challenge is still to access those individuals who would benefit most from this opportunity and we offer fully funded places which we pursue through local networks asking for referrals of those it would benefit the most. This ensures no-one misses out for financial reasons.

We use long-term carers that have been involved in our project as key ambassadors for the project to help reassure potential new carers involved in the project from a position of strength.
Top tips Scottish Disability Sport's top tips for an organisation that wants to run a similar project
Tip 1:
Carry out extensive pre-visits of proposed venues with an expert in the field as this is invaluable to providing a quality experience.
Tip 2:
Never assume an activity can't be done, there is usually a way to be inclusive and all it takes is a little bit of lateral thinking and some reasonable adjustments.
Tip 3:
Embrace the power of skilled and enthusiastic volunteers. Absolutely critical to the success of this project. Some of our best examples of volunteers were carers who wanted to attend camp to give back and thus ensured their partner carer was able to spend quality time with their other sons and daughters