Pride of Give Them a Sporting Chance

A new twist to Sporting Chances has occurred. A former recipient who had enjoyed attending an equestrian event at the Athens Olympics enabled a large group to enjoy the experience of visiting an outdoor pursuits centre. How? Simply by recommending them for A Sporting Chance.
Any sporting or recreational dream can be turned into reality…..the recipients simply have to be suggested.

This person who recommended someone else, has been made the first person to be awarded The Pride of the Charity. The pride of Give Them a Sporting Chance.

Festival of Light

A huge thank you to Give Them A Sporting Chance for giving our family the best day out in a long time!

Our 'wish' was for our daughters, Hazel 6 and Miriam 8, to experience Christmas Lights somewhere other than a garden centre or DIY store - our usual places where we go to see them. Hazel has Down's syndrome, is tube fed and in a wheelchair. Her sister, Miriam, has her own difficulties relating to Hypermobility. A day trip anywhere is usually out of the question as Hazel's needs make it difficult to be away from home for any more than a couple of hours.

Give Them A Sporting Chance made our wish possible by taking us to Longleat's Festival of Lights just before Christmas. They even arranged for us to have our very own nurse with us - Alex, who helped make the whole day wonderfully easy for us. We spent the day exploring Longleat House, it's animals, gardens and other attractions, and watched as Miriam overcame some fears and learnt to do things she'd never done before!

Once darkness fell we were taken on a magical journey as we explored, open mouthed, the stunningly lit Fairytale scenes in the Festival of Light. We shall never forget the look on Hazel's face as she stared up at a huge Christmas tree that told a story in lights. The whole display was by far the best Christmas lights the girls have ever seen! Totally magical!

So thank you to Alex, Charlie and all at Give Them a Sporting Chance for making such special memories for our family and helping us to do something we almost certainly wouldn't have been able to do otherwise. We felt like royalty and it was a day we will never forget!

Helen & Douglas Hospice

GTASC was delighted to be able to arrange a special ‘sporting chance’ to allow six young men from Helen and Douglas House the chance to visit the British Grand Prix at Silverstone in July 2018.

Helen and Douglas House is a hospice for terminally ill children and young people. The six recipients are all sufferers of Duchennes Muscular Dystrophy and wheelchair users. It would be a totally unique experience for them all, the crowds, the noise and environment not something they could normally encounter.

They had trackside seats to watch Lewis Hamilton come second to Sebastian Vettel on a scorching day. It was by all accounts a fantastic ‘Chance’.

Myles’ Story (age 18)

Myles has just turned 18 years old. He has cerebral palsy which affects all his limbs, a moderate learning disability and Brittle Bone Disease. He also has scoliosis, a heart condition and respiratory difficulties so requires 24 hour support.

Myles attended the Phab Family Project at Bendrigg Lodge (Lake District) in October 2017. We soon found out that Myles likes to push himself to the limit and wanted to have a go at every available activity – he was always first in the queue whether it was climbing, zip wire of the freefall abseil! Nothing much frightened him but that wasn’t the same for his Mum who accompanied him! She spent a lot of the time watching him through her hands! She was so proud of his commitment to have a go and they both had an amazing weekend away. He has continued to try adventurous activities and is currently helping a designer to build an accessible surf board.

Myles has sponsored a butterfly friendly plant for Cauldwell Children to be planted at a purpose built facility for the research of neurodevelopmental conditions.

Archie’s Story (age 9)

Archie attended the Phab Family Weekend along with his Mum, Dad and two brothers. Archie is 9 years old and was born with Cri du Chat Syndrome. They all commented that it was a great experience to spend time together doing the same activities. Lisa (Mum) commented that because of Archie’s needs, the three brothers have to access separate activities but whilst away with Phab they could have fun together in a safe and supported environment. They particularly enjoyed the canoeing and climbing and have since joined their local Phab Club.

Archie and his family are raising money for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance. This is a charity close to their hearts as Archie’s father Matt (aged 43) suffered a sudden brain haemorrhage whist walking in a remote part of the Yorkshire Dales and it was the expert service of the Yorkshire Air Ambulance and the quick response of his friend that saved his life.