On the 19th October twelve schools from East and North Devon brought over 250 students to complete at the Autumn Devon Ability Games To Inspire. The second year of this event was designed to give students with a disability the chance to experience and compete in new sports. The students, aged 11-19, could choose to take part in three sports out of the seven on offer. These were indoor rowing, badminton, tennis, athletics, football, boccia and frisbee golf. The indoor rowing event this year combined the traditional competitive venue racing along with an opportunity for the students to play Ergo Golf and for some the chance to use adaptive equipment for the first time.
Special guests included Commonwealth Gold Medal sprinter Ryan Scott and blind Paralympian footballer Keryn Seal. They took part in the sports, signed autographs and made the day extra special for everyone. Alongside the hundreds of competitors, more than 50 young people took part as volunteers. Most came from Petroc in North Devon while ten had travelled from the University of Plymouth. Their role was to make sure that everything went smoothly and they carried out these duties with energy and good humour.
Leanne Dingle the RELAYS manager said “The young people who come along had a fantastic day. They often surprise themselves at what they can achieve. It was truly inspiring to see that they were so keen to take part in all the activities. The coaches recommended awards to those who made the greatest effort. To see their faces full of joy and pride when they were presented with their medal was especially memorable."
