The Wooden Spoon Wheelchair Sports Club was officially launched at the National Sports Centre on Wednesday (26 October). With over 60 people attending and taking part in both wheelchair rugby and wheelchair basketball activities, the launch proved to be a huge success. The club launch was well supported with guests including Hon Tim Crookall MHK, Minister for Community, Culture and Leisure, members of the Wooden Spoon Charity both Isle of Man and UK-based, IOM Basketball Association and members of the Manx Foundation for the Physically Disabled. The Wooden Spoon Wheelchair Sports Club was established in May through the ongoing work of Manx Sport and Recreation, the Wooden Spoon charity and fantastic support and effort from the newly formed wheelchair sports club committee and its members. The club was boosted by the generous donation of ?23,120 by the Wooden Spoon charity. This donation has allowed the wheelchair sports club to purchase a total of 12 adult and six junior sport specific wheelchairs. Pictured with the cheque is Peter Saunders (right), Isle of Man chairman of Wooden Spoon, presenting it during the launch to Ian Smith, chairman of the Island’s newly established Wooden Spoon Wheelchair Sports Club. The Wooden Spoon Wheelchair Sports Club is a fully inclusive club and therefore is not solely directed at individuals who habitually use a wheelchair. The club embraces people with a wide range of disabilities to participate in sport including paraplegics, amputees, and people with other conditions including spina bifida, brittle bones, cerebral palsy and multiple sclerosis. Able bodied players are also eligible to get involved and are welcome to attend. Not only is wheelchair sport a great rehabilitation from injury or illness, wheelchair sport also provides everyone with an opportunity to participate at a level that they wish. It is the club’s objective to give everyone the opportunity to play a sport whilst making new friends, having fun and keeping active irrespective of their age, fitness, ability or level of disability. The club’s first training session will commence this Wednesday (2 November) from 6-8pm in the NSC main sports hall. Weekly sessions will take place from November 2011 to March 2012. For more information on this initiative, please contact: Zoe Carney – Disability Sports Development Officer: Zoe.Carney@gov.im /Tel: 688575. ENDS