Amber Valley
Ripley Leisure Centre and William Gregg VC Leisure Centre at Heanor are now operational with fully accessible facilities.
They have:
Anyone using the facilities will need to call ahead before they attend with their own carers and bring their own slings.
Bolsover
As part of the successful Community Investment Fund bid made by Bolsover District Sports Partnership, people with mental health issues have been given the chance to take part in a sport they may have enjoyed many years ago or try something new.
Bolsover Sports Development Team has formed a partnership with the Bolsover Community Mental Health Team and Chesterfield College (Clowne Campus) to provide sports sessions across the District of Bolsover.
The three-year Return to Sport project is currently starting its second year and has seen successful results; 17 participants have attended more than 20 sessions including boccia, kurling, table tennis, tri golf, football, badminton, hockey, table cricket, poly bat and fishing.
The sessions have also resulted in participants seeing improvements in their health, and so it is hoped to develop the programme further.
Chesterfield and North East Derbyshire
A new disability football club is to be launched in Chesterfield.
The Chesterfield PAN Disability Football Club will hold its first session on September 15, from 6pm until 7pm, and will then run weekly, every Tuesday evening.
Sessions will be held on the Outdoor Artificial Grass Pitch at Queens Park Sports Centre, with a charge of £1.50 per player.
All sessions will be led by FA qualified coaches and are open to players aged 8 to 16.
They are designed for players to enjoy fun based football coaching adapted to the player’s individual needs and ability/disability.
Derby
Derby Wheelblazers hosts event in memory of former team member
Derby Wheelblazers hosted an action-packed weekend of wheelchair basketball in memory of one of the members of its junior team, who died last year.
The Josh Ginns Memorial Weekend charity fundraiser was held at Derby College, Mackworth, on Saturday, August 1 and Sunday, August 2.
Saturday saw teams of six from businesses go head to head in a round robin tournament, while on the Sunday, 12 teams from the Great Britain Wheelchair Basketball League competed in a round robin competition.
The event was organised in memory of Josh Ginns, one of the founding members of the Wheelblazers Youth Team, who was just ten years old when he died last year.
Josh had been diagnosed with an ependymoma and had to undergo a catalogue of intense treatment including surgery and chemotherapy, but doctors could not remove the brain tumour entirely.
More than £1,500 was raised from this year’s event, and will be split between Bens Den, a charity that gives free holidays to sick children and their families, and the Josh Ginns Memorial Trust, which is raising money to purchase a family holiday home to offer holidays to sick and disabled children and families.
Midland Games
The 2009 Midland Games were held at Moorways Sports Centre in Derby. The athletics event is specifically organised for adults with a learning disability and encourages all abilities of athletes to participate, with the emphasis on participation rather than performance. However, through such events elite athletes have been recognised and their talents have been taken further.
On the day 325 athletes took part, and events included track and field events using specially adapted equipment.
There were 11 teams from across the East Midlands, with the Derby City team coming out on top. Medals were presented by the Mayor of Derby.
Young disabled people enjoy sports festivals
Two school sport festivals have been held in Derby. A Kwik Cricket Festival was held at the Gateway Centre on May 19, with 43 young disabled people taking part from four special schools in the city. The event was organised with help and support from Derbyshire County Cricket Club.
More than 160 young disabled people also took part in an Athletics Festival at Moorways Sports Centre on July 2, with pupils aged eight to 18 years taking part from ten schools.
Derbyshire Dales
An alternative PE day was held at Highfields School in Matlock on July 17.
More than 60 students with special needs attended from various secondary schools, and activities were led by sports leaders from Highfields. Activities included running, throwing and golf.
The event was a huge success and students were presented with rosettes, certificates and medals for their efforts. The winners of the golf were presented with Tri Golf caps donated by the British Golf Foundation.
Erewash
Erewash Disability Sports Group has been in consultation with West Park Leisure Centre regarding planned refurbishments to its wet side changing rooms and reception area.
The group’s thoughts and concerns have been listened to and it is planned that the changing areas at the Long Eaton centre will be fully accessible, with an adjustable and moveable changing bed and a tracking hoist in the disabled changing area. It is hoped that a tracking hoist from the changing room to the pool will also be put in place, and the group has also put forward suggestions to include pool steps that are of a less gradient than those currently built in.
The next meeting of the Erewash Disability Sport Network is due to be held on September 30 at the Outlook Centre, Briars Gate, Long Eaton, from 4.30pm. Contact Roland Harrison on roland.harrison@erewash.gov.uk
High Peak
A pilot project which has been running in the High Peak to support sports clubs to become more inclusive is now being evaluated, and a report will be available in October.
The project was initiated by the High Peak Disability Sports Group in 2008 to support sports clubs. Through lengthy discussions there were several different points raised that led to the development of the project:
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Sports clubs are predominantly run by volunteers, many of whom have family and work commitments outside of their sporting role
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Being critical of volunteers is not going to improve opportunities
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Disability Sport is not the role of one person within a club
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Sports clubs, by law, have to provide access to all
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A sports club having the Club Mark (or equivalent) accreditation does not mean they are inclusive
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Providing clubs with an information booklet only, may not be enough support to clubs.
Through consultation the pilot project was offered to three clubs which put themselves forward and they were supported through the project with a Sport Development Officer in the Glossop area of High Peak.
Each club was provided with a booklet which included advice and information on disability and the law, publicity and access. There was also a self assessment access audit which helped clubs to identify a small number of actions to make their club more inclusive, and clubs were offered regular support meetings review their progress.
For more information contact Emma Champion on 01457 866612 or CSDO@st-philiphoward.derbyshire.sch.uk
The next meeting of the High Peak Disability Sports Group will be on September 14 from 5pm. This will take place at: Room DOGO5, University of Derby, Buxton, Devonshire Campus. Contact Alice Wright on hpdsg@btinternet.com
South Derbyshire
The new Etwall Leisure Centre has opened its doors to the public, and its pool is one of 15 pools across the county where specialist New Age Floatsation equipment is available for use by anybody with a disability or who has additional needs. Training for leisure centre staff has also been provided. | 
