With the 2010 Winter
Paralympics underway, The Snow Centre in Hemel Hempstead has forged a unique
partnership with Disability Snowsport UK (DSUK) to improve its adaptive
snowsports services and offer ongoing support to the charity.
DSUK have established an
adaptive snowsports school at The Snow Centre, which will work in tandem with
the centre’s own school, a BASI Centre of Excellence, to provide access to
snowsports for people with any disability. DSUK provides specialist adaptive
equipment and training to enable skiers with disabilities to take part in
snowsports alongside able bodied skiers.
Adaptive Snowsports can
benefit the individual in many ways including increased confidence,
independence, self-esteem as well as physical and cognitive development. With
both organisations seeking to make snowsports accessible to all, the school
will work with enthusiasts at all levels, from recreational skiers right
through to elite competitors.
The Snow Centre will continue
to support the British Paralympic Team – particularly Tim Farr and Jane
Sowerby, who train there in
the off season to keep snow contact- and will provide financial
support to the charity from fund-raising events throughout the year.
Pete Gillespie, director of
snowsports at The Snow Centre, said: “We are delighted to announce the
partnership with DSUK and get the adaptive snowsports school up and running.
Since both of us share professional links with BASI and the notion that
snowsports should be for all, the partnership makes perfect sense.
“As a result, we now have a
full range of adaptive equipment and qualified instructors in house, so I’d
urge anyone with a disability and an interest in snowsports to come down and
give it a try.”
Sophie Wood, National
Co-ordinator and Events Fundraiser at DSUK, said: “We have always had a very
strong relationship with The Snow Centre, so we are delighted to make the
partnership official. Apart from having great facilities and top quality snow,
they are very accommodating to our needs and share our ethos.
“Together, we are looking
forward to providing a first class facility for the disabled community to
access snowsports’’.
For more information or to book a lesson, visit www.thesnowcentre.com or call 0845 258
9000.
|