Sharron Davies with Hannah and Harriet from the West of England School
It's London Marathon time again and this event is hugely important to BBS - a registered charity that depends upon the public for support - as it brings in much needed funds.
This year the honour of representing BBS, as 'official team cheer leader' fell, to Simon Crawford. A very clear remit ... he simply had to clap and cheer all 36,396 runners as they came up The Mall and crossed the legendary finish line. That way our 7 runners, including one blind runner and his guide, would be assured the acclaim they so richly deserved. Simon is one of the 4 Big Lottery Young funded, newly appointed Regional Development Officers (Young People), with responsibility for the South East of England. An antipodean, his presence at the great race will have been a first for him, so enthusiastic cheering was guaranteed for our BBS runners This what he thought about the day:
On a beautiful Sunday morning the Flora London Marathon kicked off, with approximately 36,000 competitors and most importantly seven British Blind Sport representatives. Our team of Mark Stredwick, Chris Walters, Scott Colman, Sarah Horton, Henry Bruce, David Clarke and guide runner Steve Jarvis all turned up to give it their best on a day that was, while delightful for spectators, much hotter than most competitors would have liked.
I was fortunate enough to be able to represent BBS as the official cheer squad, and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The inspiration you receive from watching people, from all walks of life, coming together to give themselves a challenge of a lifetime is just amazing. To see people run the whole race, only to falter metres before the finish line showed just how hard they’d pushed themselves. Then, to watch them pick themselves up again, and cross that line was so emotive, you don’t know whether to laugh or cry! And I was just standing on the sidelines, the feeling you get from participating must really be an experience of a lifetime!
I must also mention how well the event was run. Congratulations to the organisers, sponsors, volunteers and supporters for giving the competitors every opportunity they could have to enjoy the experience of running the Flora London Marathon. I would recommend to anyone who has considered running a marathon to get involved as I do not know one competitor who is not glad they participated. Sure, they may be a bit stiff today, but ‘pain is temporary, success is forever’!
And, finally congratulations to our team, they have done us proud for another year and I’m sure we will see some of them back again next year. As for me, well I hope to be invited back again next year as BBS’s official cheer squad and look forward to witnessing another fantastic day of effort, determination and inspiration.
Simon Crawford
South East Regional Development Officer (Young People)
The 2006 runners benefited from drizzle for their entire run, Team BBS 2007 had no such luck - it was a truly glorious day (if you were spectating)! Despite the sweltering conditions our runners achieved fantastic times:
The Runners |
Running times |
| Henry Bruce | 04.19.15 |
| Dave Clarke (Blind Runner) | 05.01.42 |
| Scott Colman | 04.54.10 |
| Sarah Horton | 05.04.50 |
| Steve Jarvis (Guide Runner) | 05.01.43 |
| Mark Stredwick | 03.26.58 |
| Chris Walters | 03.45.39 |
Our huge sympathy goes out to David Benson, a member of North Herts Road Runners a fantastic club which does so much to support BBS athletes, sustained a severe injury in the weeks up to the race and had to pull out at the last minute - he is a great sport and has every intention of running for BBS in 2008!
As more and more people try for ballot places more and more people are being disappointed, so why not try BBS? Our guaranteed places go quickly so plan ahead! Phone: 01926 424247 and ask for details about our Golden and Silver Bond Places.
If you need a reason to run this marathon for YOU – take a look at these pics:
If you need a reason to run for BBS - take a look at these SMILES.
Your money gives blind and partially sighted people the same chances as you to do sport; which apart from sheer good fun improves health, broadens horizons, builds new friendships, and especially important for the visually impaired fosters confidence and independence.
How would you feel if the lights went out for you and no one cared?
Go on, pick BBS to run for in FLM 2007.
Please call 01926 424247, ask for Lizzie Smith and get set to go!
Sharron Davies was joined by several BBS members including Harriet Ostler and Hannah Linfield from the West of England school for young people with little or no sight, Bob Matthews and Clive Jones, who explained how they have been helped by BBS to take part in their chosen sports and what it has meant to them.
Sharron said, ‘I’m passionate about sport and know how much satisfaction and pleasure it has given me. I also know how important and valuable it is for people with little or no vision. I feel so strongly that everyone should have access to sport – especially young people like Hannah and Harriet. They’re the next generation of athletes. But there must be so many visually impaired kids who just don’t know what opportunities there are out there. They need charities like British Blind Sport to help guide them through the process and put them in touch with the right people.’
Donations, big or small, can help to make a real difference to Harriet, Hannah, Bob and Clive as well as thousands of other visually impaired people of all ages across the UK.
Please continue to send in your donations and help British Blind Sport carry on making sport something which is available to everyone. Dig deep into your pockets to help today’s children, tomorrow’s athletes and British Paralympians of the future to realise their dreams and take part in sport.
The freephone and freepost options of sending money have now closed. However you can still donate!
To donate
Please send cheques, made payable to “British Blind Sport”, or postal orders to:
British Blind Sport, 4-6 Victoria Terrace, Leamington Spa, Warks, CV31 3AB. Please write BBC Lifeline Appeal on the back of the cheque/PO. And, for security please do not send cash through the post.
You can also donate online using your credit or debit card
Thank you for your support – it really does make a difference.
In February 2006, Paul Pearce was tragically killed whilst roadside training. Pearcey was an elite athlete; representing Team GB internationally and at Paralympic Games, he was also a committed club runner. His death has deeply affected all who knew him. None more so than his fellow club members at North Herts Road Runners (NHRR).
They say the ‘road to heaven is paved with good intentions’; in the case of NHRR it will be plastered with ‘done deeds’ and good deeds at that! NHRR decided that Paul’s passion for developing young VI athletic talent should not die with him. To this end they have selected BBS as their ‘Charity of the Year’.
Clearly when runners ‘go for it’, they do just that, and in no time NHRR had members running for BBS in the Flora London Marathon, decided that they wanted to Sponsor an Athletics’ ‘Have A Go Day’, which took place on 30th September in Canterbury. And … as if running 2 or 3 times a week didn’t sap their considerable energy, they have held a fundraising Disco at the end of June.
Paul Pearce must have been a very rare man. Most people simply pass through life, few make such an impact. Paul’s friend and fellow athlete Wayne Buxton pays tribute to him:
It was devastating to hear of the tragic death of British Blind Sport (BBS) athlete Paul Pearcey (Pearcey), who lost his life while out on a training run.
Pearcey was a great athlete and died doing something he truly loved. He was a good friend and companion to many fellow athletes, not to mention a loving partner to Helena and caring father to his two sons, Michael and Luke.
Pearcey took part in the Paralympic Games in Athens in 2004, finishing sixth in the T13 Marathon, was IBSA World Champion at the distance in 2003, and he will be a big loss to international blind sports.
Great as these achievements are it is Pearcey the friend who will be so desperately missed by many at BBS training weekends and athletics events all over the country.
Pearcey had an exceptional talent that you don’t come across often in International athletics and it’s not one you’ll find in many coaching manuals. He undertook a strenuous, time-consuming training programme and coped with the demands that come with being an International lottery-funded athlete. Yes his great talent was to take all this in his stride and enjoy every singe moment.
You’ll struggle to find another athlete who wore the Great Britain tracksuit in Athens with such pride and joy.
Pearcey never lost sight of why he was running, which was for pure enjoyment and sheer pleasure, and it showed. Perhaps that’s why he managed to get a PB of 2:34 in the 2005 Kosice Marathon at the tender age of 43!
When meeting Pearcey you could not help but smile and laugh along with him; he always had something to say to everybody he met, whether sharing a joke, sharing experiences about training and racing or offering words of encouragement to the junior athletes in the squad.
You can guarantee Pearcey would take time to talk to all those he met and instantly become their friend.
Pearcey took almost as much pleasure from watching other athletes achieve their goals as he did when achieving his own.
Somehow he managed to find time around his training schedule, his job as a window cleaner and his family commitments to support the junior athletics squad. This was something dear to his heart and the young athletes who enjoyed his companionship as well as his advice and encouragement will miss him deeply.
Our thoughts are with Paul’s partner Helena, his sons Michael and Luke, his close family and his friends, of whom there are many.
Mordaunt-Short, the respected loudspeaker brand, joined forces with BBS to auction a pair of unique Performance 6 speakers at the beginning of July. The e-bay auction ran from 1st to 10th of July 2006.
Mordaunt-Short had customised a pair of Performance 6s in a one-off, blue-tinted, pearlescent finish complete with a subtle and patriotic St George’s Cross underneath the tweeter spike on the rear of the cabinet. This customisation was to mark England’s involvement in the World Cup.
England may have crashed out of the game on penalties but BBS and Mordaunt-short were definitely winners raising £2,550 to help our charity provide sport and recreation for the blind and partially sighted throughout the UK.
‘THANK YOU’ MORDAUNT-SHORT FOR PICKING BBS TO BE THE RECIPIENT OF YOUR FUNDRAISING ACTIVITY
We were absolutely delighted at the news in December 2005 that we had been successful with our application to the Big Lottery Young Peoples Fund for a grant of nearly £895,000 which is payable over the next 3 years.
This money will enable us to appoint Regional Development Officers in the North East, East, South and South West regions of England. Their role will be to identify and work with VI people aged 11 – 25, to develop an innovative new programme of sports provision. Until now we have relied almost exclusively on volunteers to organise a programme of activities and because of the national nature of the charity this has often meant having to travel great distances to participate in sport and leisure activities. We are also aware that many young VI people are not participating in sport, even at school, as evidenced by the 2005 study commissioned by BBS entitled "We Want To Play" - A study of young people with visual impairment and sport, by Syzygy Leisure, funded by the Big Lottery Fund. This funding will give us the opportunity to introduce young people to activities much nearer to home and will lead to the establishment of more VI sports and leisure clubs.
Annually BBS puts on a programme of sporting activities, the young people in the new regions will swell the numbers at these events and add a greater competitive edge.
Loss of sight is often linked to feelings of isolation; the bigger the network of BBS events the greater the opportunity for sportsmen, women and children to meet likeminded folk and so build a strong network based on sport.
Funded Regional Officers, will act as catalysts to the continuing hard work of the volunteers in BBS Sports sections. New resources will be developed to help teachers and coaches work with all VI people and the youngsters who benefit from these focused resources will add value to the current and future BBS sports programme. In fact this money will create more trained volunteers and coaches to help all ages of VI people participate in, and enjoy sport. The whole profile of British visually impaired sport is about to change!
This is a huge amount of money, but it is ‘ring fenced’, ie designated for the 4 new regions, for 11-25 year olds, for 3 years initially. BBS Fundraising still has the gargantuan task each year of seeking funding for its existing programme and to sustain the charity. In time those 11-25s will mature and want to participate at more competitions and national events so BBS will need to find funds to match these very real expectations. So, the quest for even more funds goes on!
Please note that very early on in this project Fundraising will be seeking monies to sustain this project beyond its initial 3 year funding.
But momentarily we can feel very proud of our Big Lottery Fund success as this is going to make a real difference to the lives of young visually impaired people in these 4 regions. It is a fantastic opportunity for us to introduce sport, leisure and leadership activities and all their associated benefits. And, just maybe we'll be providing some with their first steps to sporting success at the pinnacle of sporting achievement in this country, the London 2012 Paralympics.
