Earlier this year over 355 children from across the Ospreys region took part in the Disability Six Nations at Llandarcy Academy of Sport.
19 schools and several teams from across Ospreylia were in attendance in a day full of rugby, from obstacle courses, kicking, wheelchair rugby to tackling our new Canterbury Tackleometer! 45 students from Neath Port Talbot group of Colleges were on hand to deliver some of the days activities, after becoming qualified rugby leaders through the OitC.
But after all the excitement, inclusive rugby took a hit, with us having to postpone our Inclusive community clubs until further notice. Whilst we were all disappointed, the health of all our attendees is of the utmost importance to us all and we’re all looking forward to when we can kick things off and be together again.
Community coach, Charlie Mundy, has been keeping in touch with members of her group at Heronsbridge School during the lockdown to keep them engaged in the sport:
“They’re all doing really good. We had a WhatsApp group set up with all the parents long before the lockdown happened to keep them up to date with sessions on a Sunday and to keep in touch. We’ve all been keeping in regular contact with each other and all the parents have sent in loads of videos and photos of what they’ve all been up to at home. There’s been some massive train tracks built in their living rooms and gardens!”
All learning difficulties are classed as vulnerable, not shielding, and a few attendees with underlying medical conditions are at a higher risk of contracting Covid-19. But that hasn’t stopped them from having fun and keeping up with their rugby skills at home.
“Outside they’re all practicing their catching and passing at home. I’m sending some activities to them each week that they can practice with their mums and dads. I try to send them on the weekends to replicate as though they were coming to the club on a Sunday.”
“We’re looking at setting up a call on Zoom so we can all have a catchup together with all the attendees, parents and coaches. We’re all missing each other and looking forward to when we can be back up and running again!”
Parents of our attendees have also been keeping us updated on all their activities: “We’ve been keeping busy and active at home, enjoying our garden in the lovely weather. We’ve been practicing our rugby skills, throwing, catching and running around to keep our fitness up!
“We have been doing cosmic yoga using YouTube videos and playing just dance on the Nintendo switch to keep moving too.
“We’ve also been doing some schoolwork and have been having lots of fun cooking together, building dens, making crafts like sock puppets and playing games.”
Our ICCs run at Heronsbridge School and Llangatwg Comprehensive School for young people aged between 6-16 years old with a range of disabilities and needs. They’re fun-based and are led by engaging community coaches who are in tune with the needs of the young people.
For more information on the growth of inclusive rugby in our community, read OitC’s end of year report here.
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