SPECIAL OLYMPICS: A BOROUGH Olympics team has been awarded £7,000 to develop sports training for people with disabilities.
Ellesmere Port & Neston Special Olympics group were successful in their grant application for the Local Network Fund.
Congratulating them, Allison Lewis of the borough council's community unit said: 'The grant will be used to organise, encourage, promote and develop sports training, coaching and competition for people with a learning disability in the borough.
'This will be delivered through two weekly sports sessions concentrating The exact grant is for £6,988. nThe borough's Special Olympians are taking part in the North West Special Olympic Games at Kingsway Leisure Centre in Widnes on February 11-12.
Thirty competitors from Ellesmere Port and Neston will join 350 athletes from all over the region at the event. Participants include world, European, national and regional champions.
Organisers Andy Shard, chairman of North West Special Olympics, and his wife Julie believe it will change the public's perception of sport for those with learning disabilities.
Spectators will be able to marvel at the skills and expertise of the talented sportsmen and women in the first of a chain of events which could take them to the 2011 World Games.
The Ellesmere Port & Neston entrants will be taking part in both the Boccia and football competitions that weekend.
Boccia is similar to the French game of boules. The aim of the game is to get as many of your boccia balls as close as possible to the white target ball.
Miss Lewis said: 'This will be a very exciting event for our entrants and the borough.'
