A Nottinghamshire boccia player says her dreams of representing her country at international level have been reborn after a local charity designed a special device which will allow her to take part in competitive matches.
Rachel Ross, who lives in Eastwood, has set her sights on playing for the Great Britain Paralympic team after the bespoke invention meant she would not fall foul of rules governing competitors’ behaviour.
Boccia is a sport specially designed for athletes with severe physical difficulties, who compete by rolling leather balls across a court in a bid to get it as close to a smaller ball, called a jack, as possible.
Rachel, who was born with cerebral palsy, plays with Nottinghamshire Boccia Club, which meets every Thursday at the Joseph Whitaker Sports College, and trains once a month with the Sheffield Knights.
She previously represented England at boccia but took a break from the game to concentrate on her university studies. When she returned to the game, she faced a problem, because her electric wheelchair had nowhere she could store each ball ahead of each throw.
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Boccia rulers prohibit competitors from being handed balls by an assistant and although adaptations are available for wheelchair users, they were too expensive.
Instead, Rachel turned to the Derby, Burton and District branch of the national charity Remap, which recruits retired engineers to design and build inventions to help people with physical disabilities live independent lives.
Answering her call was Remap volunteer Paul Gillians, who devised a rack made from plastic guttering and wood, which he fixed across Rachel’s lap. Although the rack worked, Rachel’s coach noticed how it was affecting her posture on each throw, so she got back in touch with Paul again.
This time, he attached the rack, which cost a few pounds to make, to the right handle of her wheelchair, which has made all the difference to Rachel’s playing experience – and means that she is compliant with official boccia rules.
She said: “I couldn’t afford to buy a disability attachment and yet mine works perfectly well and hasn’t cost me anything, and all thanks to Remap.
“I really enjoy boccia. There are so many sports out there that I can’t do, so to find one that someone like me, who has a severe disability, can do gives me something to aim for and since it’s a Paralympic sport, there is a clear ladder that I can climb.
“I hadn’t heard about Remap before but what they have done for me is fantastic. I started playing boccia for fun and there is a real social side to it, but I’m hoping to take it more seriously to see if I can represent Great Britain one day.
“I’m determined to do it, but I couldn’t get anywhere near where I want to go without Paul’s device so I’m really grateful to him.”
Paul, from Ripley in Derbyshire, was a chartered mechanical engineer by trade and has worked for Remap for a number of years.
Among his previous inventions were devices designed to enable his elderly and disabled clients to move themselves independently while they were lying in bed.
He said: “Sometimes it’s the most simple things in life that are the most effective and I get a real sense of satisfaction finding ways to help people who are struggling with their mobility to live more independent ways.
“Rachel’s rack is a very simple device and we had to make a few adjustments, but I am very pleased with the way it has turned out and I’m delighted that it is enabling her to participate fully in boccia again.”
Remap has just been given a £500 donation from Belper company Lubrizol, which will enable it to create 15 new products over the next 12 months.
Tom Grazier, vice-chairman of Lubrizol’s Charities and Community Committee, said: “We have supported Remap for a number of years and are very proud that our donations help volunteers such as Paul make a difference to people like Rachel.
“We work with a number of charities through our have a community support programme but, as a company which works in the fields of science and engineering, it’s extremely rewarding to know how the application of technology and a bit of know-how can have such a positive effect.”
ENDS
