Sports day boosts confidence for disabled people

A sports day for disabled people in Surrey will help them keep fit, meet people and gain a sense of achievement, a charity involved has said.

The event at Surrey Sports Park is a free multi-sport day for adults supported by local disability organisations, including the Halow project in Guildford, which supports people aged 16 and over with learning disabilities and autism.

Christopher Gay, from Halow, said life as an adult with learning disabilities "can be quite lonely" and sport "gets them out of the house, they keep fit and do healthy living, and that's really important".

He said the sports day would give participants a sense of achievement and was also about "having a bit of fun".

Halow supports more than 370 adults across Surrey, helping them build relationships, take part in community life and live more independently.

Gay says the charity runs a weekly sports club along with activities focused on healthy living, adding that sport is a "really good social activity" for those it supports.

Surrey Sports Park hosted a schools sports day in May for children from specialist schools.

The community sports day on Wednesday is open to people supported by Halow and LinkAble, a Woking-based charity.

The facility in Guildford, which served as a training base for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, will host the sessions.

Organisers said the programme aimed to improve wellbeing, encourage social connections and help participants develop independence and confidence.

The scheme is supported by law firm Penningtons Manches Cooper.

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