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Gloucestershire's 2008 SEN Games
24 September 2008 - Oxstalls Indoor Centre, Plock Court, Gloucester
The 2008 Games are aiming to have upwards of 350 participants in one of the largest SEN youth sports festivals in the county. The Games will run for the whole day and bring together Special Schools and mainstream schools from across the county together as part of a festival of sport. The event will be focused on providing the opportunity for young people with special educational needs to gain a range of high quality sport and physical activity experiences. The focus of the event is to display sports which have never been on the Youth Games programme before such as wheelchair basketball, orienteering and self defence etc. The sessions will primarily be run by Club coaches, to encourage the children to join local sports clubs in the future. Download Press Release.

DSE Charity Bike Ride
Monday 22 – Thursday 25 September 2008
Disability Sport Events (DSE) is the events arm of the English Federation of Disability Sport (EFDS) - CRN 1075180. DSE organises national championships in a variety of sports for people with all impairments.Three eager fundraisers rode from Londonderry in Northern Ireland to Skegness on the East coast of England in four days, to raise money for the annual National Junior Swimming Championships in March 2009 in Sheffield. This event hosts over 200 disabled swimmers who are all hopeful of reaching their international potential one day. The team consisted of Garry Hyndman (DSE’s National Events Coordinator, Regions), Patrick Bonner (EFDS’s North East Regional Development Manager) and Dave Padgen (EFDS’s South West Regional Development Manager who on 22 Jan 08, after three years of planning and preparation, became the first European with Cerebral Palsy to reach the summit of Kilimanjaro and the first disabled person ever to complete the Umbwe Route). The target is £10,000. Click to visit their sponsorship page

Cornwall Corporate Games 2008
19-21 September 2008, Newquay
Following an official launch which took place at the Eden Project before a high profile audience of Cornwall and UK sports, corporate and media leadership, Cornwall Corporate Games attracted participants from every corner of the county over the weekend of 19-21 September 2008 in Newquay. Dr Maureen Johnston, President and Founder of the Worldwide Corporate Games Community, which has more than 20 national and regional Corporate Games in progress globally, said “The Cornwall Corporate Games is the first of its kind in Cornwall and a very exciting time for us....bringing together from every size and kind of organisation the everyday athletes who play sports for the fun, health and fitness it provides. All are there to represent their company, institution or workplace. They are not elite, but they play hard and enjoy the camaraderie and respect that real competition in sport and life can offer. Newquay is an ideal and beautiful site for the Games. It is at once a business and tourism city with vibrant mix of the old and new, and a great business, lifestyle and sporting ambience set in spectacular ocean scenery of great beauty. It is perfect for the many visitors who will come from corporate sports region-wide and beyond.” The Games featured Badminton, Beach Volleyball, Bellboat Racing, Cricket 8s, Golf, Netball, Rounders, Touch Rugby, Running, Football 6s, Football, Squash and Tennis. All sports are open to everyone. Congratulations to all the medallists and particpants. View results.

Get sporty with At-Bristol!
Sport England has teamed up with South West tourist attraction, At-Bristol, to offer fantastic group discounts on entry to its interactive LoveSport exhibition. More than 18,000 people from across the South West have visited the exhibition so far, which is running throughout the summer to coincide with the Beijing Olympics. For group bookings of 10 or more people, At-Bristol is offering special entry prices from just £3.95 for children and £6 for adults – that’s a 50p discount on the normal ticket entry price! Or for advanced booking and production of the promotional voucher we can offer £1.50 off family entry or 50p off per person. Supported and funded by Sport England and the Millennium Commission, LoveSport aims to educate the widest possible audience on the fun, challenge, and science of sport. View promotional video (opens in new window). Download your promotional voucher, discover what's on and read more about the interactive exhibition.

UK National Skateboarding Championships 2008
The UKSA's first National Championships in the UK since the 80’s took place in September And it didn’t involve wearing numbers on your chest or anything too offensive! Click for results. For more information on the sport visit www.ukskate.org.uk .

Tour of Britain races through Somerset and Devon
The south west stage of the eight day Tour of Britain on Tuesday 9 September 2008, one of the toughest of the entire race, set off from Chard in Somerset before crossing into Devon and passing through Tiverton, South Molton. A gruelling King of the Mountains climb at North Molton saw the Tour head on to Exmoor and the finish in Burnham-on-Sea. The race was televised daily on ITV4. The south west stage of the Tour of Britain was hosted by Somerset County Council with the support of Devon County Council, South Somerset District Council, Exmoor National Park Authority and the South West Regional Development Agency.

The UK School Games
From 28 to 31 August 2008, over 1,500 school age athletes descended upon Bristol & Bath for the UK School Games. On show were elite school aged athletes competing across nine disciplines including athletics, swimming and volleyball. For results, please visit the UK School Games website www.ukschoolgames.com

New Boat Store and Long Boat for Stithians Lake
Olympic Gold Medallist, Ed Coode, has opened a new rowing boat store and officially launched a Drascombe Long Boat at Stithians Lake near Redruth. Stithians Angling and Watersports Centre continues to go from strength to strength and attracts over 46,000 visits per year, bringing major benefits to the local economy. These new facilities will help bring even more benefits from summer 2008 as visitors and locals alike come to enjoy the superb surroundings and take part in the various watersports and land based activities on offer at the lake.

Health of the Nation 08 - Healthy Weight, Healthy Lives
Tuesday 8 July 2008 - QEII Conference Centre, Westminster
Early bird prices. Public Sector £255 + VAT; Charity/Voluntary £149 + VAT.
Recommended for a huge range of health professionals working for: NHS, DH, PCTs, Schools, Colleges, local authorities, third sector organisations. Visit website.

The Devon Youth Ability Games
The event on 2 July 2008 at University College Marjon in Plymouth was this year co-ordinated by the newly formed Devon Forum for disAbility Sport and saw over 200 young people from all over Devon take part in a festival of sport hailed as the “biggest ever” by the organisers. Participants were able to compete in Rowing, Football, Boccia, Badminton, Athletics, Goalball and Tennis with outstanding displays of skill and enthusiasm on show. Special guest Sarah Piercy (former London Marathon winner) proved an instant hit with all the competitors who were keen to talk to her about her achievements. Devon Forum for disAbility Sport would like to express their sincere thanks to all the organisations involved, the many fantastic volunteers and Devon County Council and Bacbcock Marine for their sponsorship of the event. Devon County Football Association, Devon Lawn Tennis Association, Devon Amateur Rowing Association, Devon Badminton, British Blind Sport, England Athletics (South West), the English Federation of Disability Sport, Plymouth City Council, Plymstock School and Active Devon for providing people, resources, equipment and expertise, both on the day and in the lead up to the event.

10th Annual Devon Youth Games
Over 1300 sporting youngsters from across Devon descended on Plymouth on 28 June 2008 for the Games which were officially opened by ITV West Country's Mark Tyler and Plymouth Diving's Olympic hopeful Tonia Couch. 163 individual teams from Devon’s 10 Local Authorities took part in 21 sporting competitions across 14 different sports at the Brickfields Recreation Ground, UCP Marjon and the Devonshire Health and Racquet Club. Read more.

Shine
30 June - 4 July 2008 - The National Schools Festival to celebrate and showcase talent in all our young people. Dame Kelly Holmes, National School Sport Champion: “I'd like to wish all the schools taking part in Shine the very best of luck with all their activity during the week. As I travel the country during National School Sport Week, taking place at the same time as Shine, I'm looking forward to hearing about how schools will be celebrating the wide diversity of talent in all young people, including those getting involved in PE and school sport activities during the week.” Tom Daley, 14 year old diving champion and one of our biggest hopefuls for the Olympics in 2012: "I'd encourage anyone with a talent, whatever it is, to show it to others whenever they get the chance. Signing up for Shine week is an ideal way to do this and gives young people across England the chance to show their friends, teachers, local community and all the other schools in England just what their special talent is. With so many people to show, you never know - you could get spotted just like I did". Visit www.shineweek.co.uk

Sweating the assets - Quest Benchmarking Seminar
Thursday 3 July 2008 - Wellsprings Leisure Centre, Taunton
Sport England South West are supporting this event in order to promote the benefits of the Quest scheme and to promote the dissemination of ‘Best Practice’. The Seminar will be very participative and gives you the opportunity to compare your Centre’s / Organisation’s performance against best practice within the South West. The day will include :

Presentations on excellent practice by Managers of Quest registered Centres / Organisations in the Region
Round Table benchmarking sessions facilitated by members of the Quest Team
Presentations from Sport England South West regarding the Regional Sport Plan and our part in its achievement.

Download invitation. Closing date 20 June 08.

FA UMBRO Fives
The UK’s biggest five–a–side competition offes one of the best prizes in world football – a chance to play at Wembley Stadium. The FA are seeking organisers of local events, the winners of which qualify for regional finals which in turn produce the finalists for Wembley. Twenty-four men’s teams and eight women’s teams will get to play at Wembley. There is also a competition for eight Lucky Losers – teams that have been knocked out in a local heat but then picked by lottery to contest their own event at Wembley. All of the participating teams are offered the opportunity to enjoy Wembley in the same way as the world’s greatest footballers. Just have a look at this exclusive trailer. And there are prizes for organisers there are prizes too!
- Entry Fees – organisers can charge a maximum entry fee of £55 per team. £15 is retained by The FA to enhance the competition leaving organisers with £40
- Free England tckets for the forthcoming World Cup qualifying campaign are available for event organisers running heats of more than twenty participating teams. The more teams you get the more tickets you are eligible for!
- The largest events will also receive exclusive Wembley hospitality packages and other money can’t buy England experiences
- The very latest UMBRO kit and equipment
- The competition launched in March 2008 and all local events will be listed on The FA’s UMBRO Fives website with teams able to register online or with the event organiser.
Organisers can organise events for adult (+16) men or women or both and should register their events by emailing Fives@TheMediaGroup.tv or calling Jon Gordon on 0115 969 4615. Events can be registered any time before the respective regional tournaments, which take place in June and July 2008. Check www.TheFA.com/UMBROFives for more details

Forecasting the Future of Leisure 2008
3-4 June 2008 - Chesford Grange Hotel (near Warwick)
The ISPAL National Conference for the Sports and Active Leisure Sector delivered a unique platform that allowed the key decision makers in the industry to debate, interact and learn about the future direction and challenges faced by an ever changing and dynamic environment. Have your say on the future of your industry. Download details.

CCPR 36th National Conference 2008
7 May 2008 - Grange City Hotel, London
In the run up to 2012, sport in this country is being charged with making a difference. A difference to people’s lives. A difference to people’s eating habits. And even a difference to their hopes and aspirations. Playing To Win, this year’s CCPR conference, challenged government and opinion formers as well as offering an insight into the key issues affecting the sector. Keynote speakers include Gerry Sutcliffe MP - Sports Minister, Derek Casey - Director, Glasgow 2014, Jeremy Hunt MP - Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Brigid Simmonds OBE - Chair, CCPR, Matthew Syed - Journalist and former table tennis international and David Davies OBE - Conference presenter.

Dorset Active Leisure Month
A whole host of different activities were on offer in May 2008, something to tempt even the most determined of couch potatoes. Leisure Month was an opportunity to have fun, get fit and make life better. Why not try something with family, friends or on your own – there's plenty to choose from! Dorset Active Leisure Month was organised by Dorset Physical Activity Alliance, a group of people who seek to make activity an easy option for the residents of Dorset. It is supported by Dorset County Council, West Dorset District Council, Weymouth & Portland Borough Council, Wessex Healthy Living Project, Christchurch Borough Council, Purbeck District Council and North Dorset District Council. Click for more details

CP Sport - Multi Sports Development Day, Taunton
1 May 2008 (10.30am - 3pm) - Somerset County Cricket Ground, Taunton TA1 1JT
Open to any children with a disability. Ages 9-19 years. Athletics, Football, Boccia, Multi-sports. Have Fun. Make new friends. Learn new skills. Cost £5. Please download application form and return completed to Sue Todd & Phil Peat, CP Sport, Unit 5 Heathcoat Building, Nottingham Science & Technology Park, Nottingham NG7 2QJ (telephone 0115 925 7027 e mail junior@cpsport.org). Download poster.

Joint Equality South West and the Women’s National Commission event
Wednesday 30 April 2008 - Somerset County Cricket Club, Taunton
Key note speaker: Baroness Joyce Gould, Chair of the Women’s National Commission. Other speakers: Jo Morris from the TUC and Maggie Smith-Bendall from the Romany Gypsy Council. More information from Abbie Pepperell, Office Manager for Equality South West (Tel 01823 250833, Fax 01823 447398 or Email Abbie.Pepperell@equalitysouthwest.org.uk). Visit www.equalitysouthwest.org.uk

Inclusive Fitness week
Thursday 24 April - Wednesday 30 April 2008: Nationwide
Inclusive Fitness Week signposted disabled people to accredited Leisure Facilities. Organised activities on offer may vary by site but encompased the inclusive theme and were based in the gym or involved physical activity e.g. free induction and gym session, aerobics (run by trained staff), group fitness with small equipment In the Fitness Studio, inclusive group sports where facilities permit. To find your local site, visit www.inclusivefitness.org

A first - Wheelchair Rugby comes to Plymouth!
23 Apr 2008 (10.30am meet for 11am - 12.30pm)- Brickfields Sports Centre
A demonstration of this exciting and hard hitting unisex team sport that will feature in the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games! An opportrunity to see the players in their custom made Wheelchair Rugby chairs, and then have a go! The day was assisted by the professional players of Plymouth Albion RFC and free. Liked it? Then help start the first ever Devon and Cornwall team. Download details

UK School Games reaches local Schools
The UK School Games Official School Supporters Programme, headed up by Jason Gardener, seeks to involve as many young people in the Games by providing a link to the competing teams, and engage with the UK School Games through physical education, school sport and whole school activities. Over 40 teachers from schools across Bath, Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire attended a day of workshops at the Universityof Bath in April 2008 to explore the many different ways in which they could involve the young people in the UK School Games, whether this meant inspiring them to qualify as a competitor through the relevant National Governing Body of Sport pathway, write school newspaper articles about their own school teams inspired by the UK School Games, or attend the four day event itself to sample the atmosphere and excitement of a major multi-sport event. Read more

Alive and Kicking - Inside? Outside?
Wednesday 2 April 2008 (10 – 4pm) - Norton-sub-Hamdon, Village Hall, South Somerset, TA14 6SF
Over the last two years, the dance and health project Alive and Kicking has worked with 150 childrens centres, primary and secondary schools and youth centres. Thie remit has been to promote healthy living through creative movement and dance for young people in Somerset. To mark the end of the project, they ran a full inset day for those involved in dance education or community projects. The inspiring day of Dance for educators had a focus on early years, KS1/2 but much of the material is applicable to other contexts. It provided an opportunity to develop your skills in teaching dance and creative movement by challenging the spaces that we work in. The team of dance practitioners explored a range of themes, ideas and techniques to give you new approaches and ideas in the delivery of dance. All the workshops were FREE. Download programme and booking form. For more information contact Vicky Hole at Take Art on 01460 249450 or email vicky@takeart.

Fuse 2008
Thursday 27 – Friday 28 March 2008: Dillington House, Ilminster, Somerset TA19 9DT
This creative residential two day gathering of 100 delegates was hosted by Richard Crowe, 2012 Creative Programmer, and Mary Schwarz, a highly experienced facilitator and consultant to the Olympiad project, and aimed to provide:
- progress toward populating the first year of what we intend to be a truly inspiring Cultural Olympiad in the South West
- a full briefing about the protocols for engagement with the Cultural Olympiad and progress to date in the region
- a platform to introduce existing project ideas and explore new ones
- a framework in which you can network, develop new contacts and conversations, rekindle past and ignite new partnerships
- a unique mix of artists, creative producers, delivery organisations, young people, funders and stakeholders from across the cultural sector and beyond
Download information on FUSE 2012

Play it Safe
Supporting Club & County Welfare / Child Protection Officers from the South West.
Sunday 9 March 2008 (10am – 3pm)- Aztec Hotel & Spa , Almondsbury , Bristol BS32 4TS
Cost £20.00 includes refreshments and lunch.
Are you confident with child protection policies and procedures or is your policy sitting on the shelf? Are you aware of recent updates regarding current legislation? This conference provided you with a unique opportunity to establish principles of good practice and supply you with confidence and ‘know how’ with regards to safeguarding and child protection. There were opportunities to meet with other like-minded volunteers, ask all those unanswered questions and find out the ‘how’, ‘who’ and ‘where’ of support. Guest speaker: Steve Boocock who is the Director of The Child Protection in Sport Unit of the NSPCC. For further details contact Jackie.Hilleard@uwe.ac.uk tel 0117 328 6261/ 07919 211749.

Aiming High for Young People
Monday 11 February 2008 - Taunton Rugby Club
This Conference, organised by the South West Regional Youth Work Unit, was aimed at all those in the region working with young people in statutory, voluntary and commercial settings. It looked at the Government’s new 10 year strategy for young people and its implications for practice, with a particular emphasis on young people’s participation in decision making. Speakers included the Make Space Campaign Director from 4children and Fiona Blacke from the NYA. The cost was £70 per delegate and free to the voluntary sector. Download the flyer. Contact Jane Shipton: jane_shipton@learning-southwest.org.uk .

Making an impact on coaching
Sport England South West and sportscoach UK hosted a successful regional conference at the University of Bath in 2007 that gave coaches the opportunity to meet, share good practice and develop working relationships with others around the South West.
More info

Women's Triathlon
The first ever Women's Only Triathlon training weekend in the South West took place at the Cotswold Water Park in June with over 140 women taking part. The weekend involved a Triathlon training day, followed by an open water triathlon.

Brickfields Community Celebration Weekend
The much-welcomed Brickfields Community Sports Centre in Devonport opened with a visit from some very special guests - Ed Coode, South West Olympic Rower; Keith Mills, Deputy Chairman of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games and Jack Lemley, Chairman of the Olympic Delivery Authority and the Lord Mayor of Plymouth. Read more

Wheelchair Rugby in the South West
Wheelchair Rugby is a fast and furious Paralympic sport, played by tetraplegics or individuals with some impaired upper-limb function. It is played on a basketball court with a volley ball and specialist chairs mean that it is played as a full impact sport relatively safely. Players are classified according to their body function, low points for limited function (defensive role), high points for more complete function (ball carrier). This means that whatever your level there is a role on court for you. Apart from the Paralypics and other International tournaments there is a domestic league for players that take it less seriously or who are less able. Some players just train for fitness and a better quality of life. The tournaments and training sessions also provide a great social life and travel for those who want to get more involved in the sport.

Jump Rope for Hearts – Ongoing
This is a sponsored skipping challenge that takes place in primary and secondary schools across the region. The aim is to encourage healthy habits and show children that keeping fit can be fun. Experts agree that learning how to care for your heart from an early age is the best way to prevent future heart problems. Participating groups receive a free skipping resource kit to enable them to introduce Jump Rope (or skipping) to children. Once the children have mastered the basic skills and are fuelled with enthusiasm, a ‘Jump Off’ or sponsored skip is organised.

Mid and West Devon success in winning funding for physical activity project
An innovative partnership project called 5X30 has secured an award of £301,240 from Sport England and the Big Lottery Fund under its Active England programme. Mid Devon District Council, West Devon Borough Council and the Mid Devon Primary Care Trust have worked together to devise and develop 5X30.

New facilities unveiled at Okehampton sports centre
A new £4 million sports hall and swimming pool complex opened at Parklands Sports Centre in Okehampton. The new facilities include a 25metre pool, with a movable platform to cater for children and adults, competition sports hall plus a fitness studio, multiuse studio, café, crèche, changing facilities and viewing galleries. The sports centre’s existing facilities include four tennis courts, a bowling green, cricket field, two full size football pitches, two rugby pitches and a grass athletics track. The project has been jointly funded by Sport England South West and a partnership including West Devon Borough Council and Okehampton Town Council. The new facilities were seen as a priority for the area, as it is estimated that in 10 years time Okehampton will have grown by 20%, making it one of the fastest growing communities in Devon. “The new sports hall and swimming pool at Parklands Sports Centre is a perfect example of the type of facilities that the Sport England South West Lottery Funding is designed to support,” said Phil de Glanville, Head of Delivery for Sport England South West.

Bath Judo Club Achieves Club Mark Accreditation
Local Councillor Nicole O'Flaherty, Executive member for Tourism, Culture and Leisure, congratulated Bath Judo Kwai Club on their coveted award of ClubMark accreditation: "This is a fantastic achievement for a local club. On behalf of Bath & North East Somerset Council, I would like to say ‘well done’ to all of the coaches and players who are making a positive difference to sport in our district.” The club has a thriving, expanded, junior section with representation at international level by Kelera Godwin and boasts seven coaches with British Judo Association Senior Coach Awards. For more details visit the club's website.

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