COVERED SPRING 2020

COVERED 34 TRENTBRIDGE.CO.UK Jonnie Peacock, Hannah Cockroft, Dame Sarah Storey. Names which have etched themselves into the British sporting consciousness in the past decade, and sports- people who prove that attitudes towards disability sport have changed beyond all recognition. Every four years, athletes who have reached the peak of the Paralympic movement are cheered with the same ferocity and fervour as those in the Olympics themselves. But what about when the quadrennial spotlight dims? How do you engage those who aren’t dreaming of competing with the world’s best, but need a safe space in which to exercise and socialise, regardless of the obstacles they face? The answer, in sports halls and community centres the length and breadth of Nottinghamshire, has been the Super 1s programme. The Lord’s Taverners initiative aims to provide people who have disabilities and are aged between 12 and 25 with the ideal environment in which to develop their sporting nous. But, as Graham Redfern explains, the scheme touches on a much wider range of issues – and can have a transformative impact on attendees and their family members. “The cricket side of Super 1s is obviously something we want people to enjoy, but it’s about much more than that,” says Redfern, Nottinghamshire’s Inclusion & Diversity Officer. “Fundamentally, it’s teamwork, leadership and social skills that play the largest part. “A lot of people with disabilities don’t get the chance to take part in activities like this, so Super 1s plays a great role in helping them to make friends. “You often find people are pretty nervous when they first turn up, but quite quickly they’re having a laugh, and everyone comes away feeling better about themselves. “There’s far more to it than just running around in a sports hall.” Over 300 young people countywide have enjoyed a taste of the sessions, which bear similarities to the long-established Kwik Cricket scheme by placing an emphasis on fun and the development of basic cricket skills. There can be no better illustration of how cricket is a game for all. “It’s great when you see, say, someone with a learning As attitudes towards elite disability sport become ever more enlightened, increased energy and effort are being funnelled down to the grassroots. And in Nottinghamshire, the focus is as much on life skills as sports skills. STORY BY Matthew Freeman NOT JUST CRICKET