Lothian Disability Sport News

Players with a Physical Disability/Sensory Impairment

Sunday 9th August 2015 - Longniddry Bowling Club

After last year's successful annual event held at Longniddry Bowling Club, Lothian Disability Sport were delighted to be welcomed back to the club this year - with the weather also being a little kinder than this time last year.

Carole Martin (Longniddry) claimed victory in the combined section (1 and 5) for the second year in succession - however, she was pushed very close in her first match of the day by a re-invigorated Bob Sinclair (Longniddry).  The tie had to be decided by an extra end, which Carole claimed and won 6-5 overall.  This spurred Carole on as she went on to record a convincing match against Campbell Ridge (Kirkliston) and claim first place in the section. 

Results were also mirrored from last year's Ambulant Bowlers (and B3) section as Robert Kelly (Prestonpans) continued his undefeated record at Longniddry, claiming the top prize.  However this victory needed to be decided on points difference as Robert, Gary Clelland (Bellsburn) and Robert Harvey (Independant) all claimed one victory each to make for an extremely competitive group.

Players will now qualify to represent the region at the Scottish Disability Sport National Lawn Bowls Championships on Saturday 5th September at Westburn Park, Aberdeen.  We wish all the Lothian players all the very best.

Longniddry Bowling Club provided an excellent venue again this year with the green in excellent condition and the hospitality second to none.  The club operate entirely inclusively and offer opportunities to players with a disability - hosting two Bradshaw Buggies and providing players with a physical disability complete access to the green.  

Results can be found below -

Section 4 (Ambulant Bowlers and B3)

Winner:                Robert Kelly (Prestonpans Disability Bowling Club)

Runner Up:         Gary Clelland (Bellsburn Bowling Club)

3rd Place:            Robert Harvey (Independant)

Sections 1 and 5 Combined

Winner:                Carole Martin (Longnidrry Bowling Club)

Runner Up:         Campbell Ridge (Kirkliston Bowling Club)

3rd Place:            Bob Sinclair (Longniddry Bowling Club)

Lothian Disability Sport would like to explore all possibilities to try and increase participation across bowls in the region.  If you are interested in supporting this development work then please get in touch to discuss further on 0131 475 2364 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Saturday 22nd August 2015 - 10am Registration, 10.30am Warm Up

Mercat Gait Centre, Prestonpans, East Lothian.

Entries are open for the annual LDS Autumn Swimming Gala, scheduled slightly earlier this year on Saturday 22nd August at the Mercat Gait Centre, Prestonpans.  If you are interested in this opportunity, an entry form can be obtained by contacting Neal Herbert on 0131 475 2364 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The gala is open to swimmers of all ages with a physical, sensory or learning impairment.  Swimmers can be members of a club or independent entries, the only pre-requisite is that you can swim 25 meters unaided.

Nominations for the Mark Headden Memorial Trophy are also encouraged for this gala.  This Trophy is awareded to the swimmer who has reached personal achievements over the previous 12 months.

Disability Livings’ Kidz Scotland event is coming to the Royal Highland Exhibition Centre in Edinburgh. The Kidz exhibitions are the largest UK events of their kind, with the focus being equipment, products and services for children and young adults with disabilities. 

Scottish Disability Sport, in partnership with Lothian Disability Sport and local clubs, will be coordinating a sports arena including badminton, boccia, table tennis, wheelchair basketball and wheelchair tennis.  These activities will be run using a timetabled system allowing people to come and try throughout the day.   This will demonstrate to visitors that there are a variety of sporting opportunities available in the area and we will be able to advise anyone who is interested.  There will also be a stall at the event, which will provide a range of information about sporting opportunities, clubs and events that currently take place in the region and throughout Scotland.  Our aim is to raise the awareness of sport for people with a disability as well as encourage people of all abilities to be healthy, get active and take part in sport. 

Tickets for the event are completely FREE and you can find out more on their website www.kidzscotland.co.uk 

For more information about the Scottish Disability Sport Sports Arena, please contact Gary Fraser on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Kids Scotland Poster

This event will be delivered by Enjoy Leisure, in partnership with Scottish Disability Sport and Scottish Swimming, to promote disability swimming and encourage any individual to come along and find out more about the opportunities and pathways in place.   

The session will be led by qualified coaches with extensive knowledge and experience, and local clubs will be on hand to support any swimmer looking to join.  This will also provide an ideal opportunity for others to start following in the footsteps of many successful disability swimmers from the region.

When:     Sunday 21 June 2015

Where:    Musselburgh Sport Centre

Who:        Physical & Sensory impairments: 10.00am – 11.00am and Learning Disabilities: 11.00am – 12.00pm

For more information contact Karen Fergusson on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 07803 203 668.

Flyer is attached here.

Meadowmill Sports Centre played host to the annual Lothian Track and Field Athletics competition on Wednesday 20th May. This was second year the venue had kindly welcomed the athletes from around the Lothian area after taking over hosting duties from Dalkeith School Campus. 

The event took a slightly different approach this year, as senior athletes were invited to participate alongside their junior colleagues for the first time. This allowed 10 senior athletes from Port Seton Resource Centre the opportunity to participate and post times and distances for the National Championships in September. In total, the entry stood at 96 athletes with some individuals making their debut at the event and some returning to try and improve upon their personal bests. It was excellent to see new faces from across the Lothian region, with Dunbar Grammar School joining Cuiken, Campie and East Calder Primary schools attending for the first time.

Like last year the weather was kind to the competitors, allowing for some fine performances on the track and field - notably the female 800m, male 400m and long jump, to name a few. The atmosphere created by all the competitors made the day thoroughly enjoyable and will hopefully encourage the athletes to access local opportunites in the sport. If you would like more information on athletic opportunities in the region, please get in touch 0131 475 2364 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Special thank you to all the officials at Scottish Athletics and volunteers from Lothian Disability Sport who both gave up their time to come and help make the day a success. Also, thanks to all the school staff and athlete's who supported this year's competition, we hope to see you next year.

Please click the link for results - LDS Track & Field results 2015

Scottish Disability Sport Senior Swim Championships

Swimmers with a Physical Disability and Sensory Impairments

Saturday 18th April - Grangemouth Sports Complex, Grangemouth.

Lothian entered a small team of three to this year's Senior Swim Championships for individuals with a physical disability or sensory impairment.  Due to a variety of reasons, the Branch were only able to enter three swimmers to compete for the team trophy at Grangemouth and found significant success throughout the afternoon with Laura Pilkington, Robert Dalgleish and Stephen Clegg compensating for the lack of numbers with some quality performances.

This year's Lothian Boccia Championship for athlete's with a physical or learning disability has been scheduled for Saturday 13th June.  After being introduced to the calendar for the first time last year, the Jack Kane Centre will again play host to the Regional competition and hopefully build on the encouraging number from last year.

The event is open to players of all ages with a physical or learning disability and will be used to select players for the National event later on in the year.  Pleased find a summary of details below:

Lothian Disability Sport Spring Swim Gala 2015

Saturday 14th March 2015

Mercat Gait swimming pool played host to the annual Lothian Disability Sport Spring Gala and again built on the number of entrants from the previous year.  The gala saw 69 swimmers from across the Lothian region and further afield with swimmers from Forth Valley (Stirling Swim and University of Stirling) and the Borders (Borders Baracudas) travelling to swim against their peers.

There was strong representation from the established clubs from the region with Lothian Racers, Loanhead Swim Team and Lothian Waves attending in numbers.  Livingston and District Dolphins Rainbow Squad also continue to grow and this was reflected in the increase of swimmers who represented the club (13 young people).  This is down to the hard work currently undertaken by the club who have facilitated talent ID days as well as supporting the SDS/Scottish Swimming/Xcite Leisure development day in the West Lothian region.  There was also increased numbers from Mercat Greats, a swimming session from East Lothian (Mercat Gait Swimming Pool) who provide opportunities for young swimmers with a learning disability and/or autism.

Lothian Schools 5-a-side Football Festival and Competition

Thursday 5th March 2015

The annual Lothian 5-a-side festival for secondary aged pupils with a learning disability saw a change of venue from previous years, as Portobello Powerleague played host for the first time.  The last minute change of venue was embraced by all nine schools entered, with representation from all four local authorities which is again very pleasing.

The format of the event remained the same, with six skill stations delivered in the morning session allowing the young people to perfect their passing, dribbling and shooting techniques before putting this into practice after lunch.  These sessions were delivered by coaches and volunteers from Street Soccer and the SFA, proving a huge hit with the majority of the young people in attendance on the day.  The close partnership working and hard work of Street Soccer and the SFA is crucial to these events, providing the platform for the school pupils to enhance their skills and participate against their peers from across the region.

Lothian Sportshall Athletics Festival 2015

West Lothian College - Thursday 6th February

Once again West Lothian College played host to the annual Regional Sportshall Athletics Festival, which saw over 140 young people from across five local authorities register to participate.  Following on from last year, pupils from the Borders travelled north to participate and compliment the numbers from the four local authorities.

The festival welcomes young people with a physical/learning disability or sensory impairment and encourages children from  both primary and secondary schools to come along and try a range of indoor athletics events, such as the javelin throw, standing long jump and shuttle runs and therefore introducing them to the sport.  The event also acts as a Regional Qualifier for the Scottish Disability Sport National Event on the 4th March, where a selected team of young people will be given the opportunity to represent Lothian against their peers from across Scotland. 

Due to the number of young people who continue to attend this event, the day was split into two sessions - morning and afternoon.  The event was again supported by students from West Lothian College, who undertake Disability Inclusion Training and an Adapted Sportshall Athletics Worhshop in the lead up to the event.  The input from the students is invaluable and this is clearly demonstrated through the positive engagement and interaction with the young people throughout the day.  Thanks is extended to Alex McEwan, Athletics Development Officer for WL and Shona Malcolm, Disability Development Officer for Scottish Athletics who continue to provide significant support before and during the event.  Also Kelly Keogh, Active Schools Co-ordinator in WL, who helped engage ten schools from the area.

The event is a staple in the School Calendar of Events and the engagement from the young people is again very positive, especially in the West Lothian area.  Hopefully this introduction to the sport will encourage the young people across the Region to explore further opportunities in athletics and sport on the whole. 

If you are interested in getting involved with sport in the Lothian region or would like more information on local events, please contact Neal on 0131 475 2364 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

As Inverclyde - our traditional Summer Camp home of over ten years - undergoes a considerable revamp in 2015, SDS have investigated alternative options for the 2015 Summer Camp.

Venues and facilities that are as accessible as Inverclyde are fairly thin on the ground.  SDS are considering the possibility of holding the 2015 Summer Camp at the following time of year and venue:8 – 10 July at Badaguish Outdoor Centre, Aviemore.  This is obviously a very different venue and a different time of year from previous Summer Camps and SDS are very keen to ascertain whether individual attendees would still be interested in attending this camp. The camp would most likely combine some traditional Summer Camp sports with some exciting outdoor activities that lend itself to the spectacular surrounding area. The many and varied physical, social and personal benefits of attending the camp would still be relevant to parents and the young attendees.We are looking for individuals with a physical or sensory disability to register their interest at this initial stage for SDS to determine the feasibility of progressing with this alternative Summer Camp date and venue.Please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or by phone or 0131 317 1130 to register your interest in the 2015 SDS Summer Camp and your name and contact will be added to a Summer Camp distribution list.Please note registering your interest does not commit you to, or guarantee your place on the 2015 Summer Camp at this stage. 

*article taken from Scottish Disability Sport