Ability2play brochure

Cricket

Football

Dance

Trampoline

Tuesday 5-6pm Blyth Sports Centre 8-13yrs £3

Our Blyth academy has been running for a couple of years now and the team recently competed at Lords. We welcome people of all abilities whether you’ve played cricket before or would like to just come along and give it a try.

Tuesday 4.30-5.30pm Blyth Sports Centre 6-17yrs £3

Wednesday 4.30-5.30pm Concordia Leisure Centre 6-17yrs £3

It’s what Tiggers do best! Come along and have a go at trampolining. From seat drops to somersaults our coaches are qualified to tailor the session to suit the needs of the individual. We have a choice of days and venues for our trampoline sessions. Please book early to avoid any disappointment.

Thursday 4.30-5.15pm Concordia Leisure Centre 5-17yrs £2

Come and join our fantastic award winning Move It Community Dance team. Learn routines to the latest dance songs as well as classic party dances. We have a number of dance shows throughout the year for you to participate in.

Martial Arts

Youth club

Bounce & Splash

Monday 5-6pm Blyth Sports Centre 5-24yrs £3

Ability 2 Play has teamed up with the NUFC Foundation. Come along and be coached by one of the Newcastle United Coaches. All abilities are welcome and sessions are tailored to include everyone.

Saturday 9-10am Blyth Sports Centre 8-17yrs £3

A relatively new class for Ability 2 Play. Our martial arts classes focus on channeling energy and focusing the mind rather than physical contact. This class is specifically designed to suit children with various forms of learning difficulties and autism. What a great way to start your weekend.

Wednesday 5-7pm Ashington Leisure Centre 12-24yrs £3

A 2 hour session aimed at the older participants. A chance for them to come along and relax and make friends in a fun, safe environment. We make use of the centres snooker hall before heading into the sports hall for a multitude of different sports and activities

My name is Ronnie Scheu and I am the lead officer and main point of contact for the Ability 2 Play programme.Ability 2 Play was founded in 2006 and will be celebrating our 8th birthday this year. Like many of our users we have grown in strength and confidence over the years. The programme originally started as a 1 hour a week Rugby session. We are now proud to be able to offer over 10 hours a week of term time activities covering a whole host of different sports and activities as well as a jammed packed holiday programme comprising of over 250 hours of fun.

Ability 2 Play is an inclusive programme. We pride ourselves on our ability to adapt our sessions in such a way as to include everyone regardless of their disability. We are a diverse organisation and welcome people from a whole host of backgrounds. Our users range from people with mild learning difficulties to Autism & ADHD as well as people with anxiety disorders and physical disabilities.

Providing a place where our users can access sport & leisure in a fun and safe environment without fear of prejudice is central to what we do at Ability 2 Play. Our focus is on letting individuals be individuals and offering them a chance to make friends and socialise outside of the school environment. We offer much needed respite for parents/carers and the chance for them to build up a support network with people in similar circumstances.

Saturday 10-11am Blyth Sports Centre 8-17yrs £5

Our very popular Saturday morning session. The first hour is spent in the sports hall playing on the bouncy castle, dino karts and various other games before heading into the swimming pool and having a play in the water. We have our session in the diving tank of the big pool where we can raise the floor to a level where everybody feels comfortable and confident in the water. Please note that any participants under 8 years of age must be accompanied in the water by a responsible adult.

What is Ability 2 Play?Ability 2 Play is a leisure inclusion programme that is aimed at young people with learning difficulties or physical disabilities. It doesn’t matter what your disability is. Our coaches will aim to tailor the sessions to include everyone. You don’t even have to be registered as disabled to take part. We offer an inclusive programme and anyone is welcome.

Who Can Access Ability 2 Play?Everybody and anyone? We mainly target 8-24 year olds but this is not set in stone. We can cater for older and younger participants wanting to join in. Parents/carers wishing to get involved can also join in the fun. Or you can just enjoy the respite while we keep the children busy.

Can my child bring a friend if they are not disabled?Yes. As we are an inclusive project anyone is welcome. So if your child has a friend/sibling who would make their involvement with us more comfortable/fun then they are more than welcome to join in.

Do you provide transport?We often run away trips in which case we provide transport from a central pick up point. We do not offer door to door pick-ups and drop offs. We rely on parents/carers bringing the children to and from the sessions.

Is there much paperwork involved?No. All you need to fill in is an “inclusion form”. This form doesn’t just ask for contact details and medical info, it also asks questions such as how is your child best handled if upset/angry?

Our coaches go to great lengths to get to know your child individually in order to help them get the most out of the programme

My child is very apprehensive about new things. I don’t know if they’ll like it?A lot of our new starters can be very shy and apprehensive. There is no pressure on them to join in straight away. They can sit and watch until they feel ready. It doesn’t take long for them to want to be part of the action

Do I have to stay with my child?This is your call. If you would like to stay you are more than welcome. If you would like to use the time as respite that’s fine with us too. If your child has more complex difficulties and requires 1 to 1 support such as toileting, feeding, administering medication ect then it is the parent/carers responsibility to provide the extra care.

Who can I contact if I need more info or if I have any concerns/ideas?The lead co-ordinator for our Ability 2 Play programme is Ronnie Scheu. You can contact him any time for information on 01670 622181 or email [email protected]

Is there anywhere else I can get the information or receive updates?Lots of places. You can visit our website www.bval.co.uk You can can follow us on Facebook by liking our page BVAL Make-A-Move. Or you can Tweet us @bval_makeamove.

FAQ’s

Email [email protected] Tel 01670 622181Mob 07889320377 Web www.activenorthumberland.org.uk