Events

Christmas Open Evening - 2nd December 2009

On Wednesday 2nd December from 4.00 p.m. until 6.00 p.m. Moving Forward will be holding our annual Christmas open evening at the DSC. The evening provides an opportunity for users, family and friends and staff of the DSC to enjoy some festive food and drink and to learn more about the work of Moving Forward.

This year the open evening will include a presentation from Wessex Driveability, a registered charity providing Driving Assessments for the elderly and those with medical conditions and disabilities. Wessex DriveAbility has a fully qualified, professional team of Driving Instructors and Occupational Therapists at their centre in Southampton and a range of dual-controlled vehicles and adaptations/equipment available. They see many people with medical conditions and disabilities, especially people who have amputations and their aim is to help them to continue to maintain an independent lifestyle by helping them to continue to be able to drive through the use of adaptations. Wessex DriveAbility covers a large area including Hampshire, Dorset and parts of Wiltshire, West Sussex and East Sussex. To find out more go to: www.wessexdriveability.org.uk.

The evening will also include the official opening of the DSC's Information Point.

If you would like to come along please contact Elizabeth Rogers: tel 02392 379993 or email elizabeth.rogers23@ntlworld.com

Amputee Games

Nine amputees and users of the DSC, supported by two physiotherapists (Katharine Atkin and Chantel Ostler) and a Prosthetist (Emily Harris), took part in the 2nd Amputee Games over the weekend of the 22nd - 23rd August at the Stoke Mandeville Stadium in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire.

Stoke Mandeville Stadium in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, played host to the 2^nd Amputee Games over the weekend of the 22^nd-23^rd August. The Games provided recent amputees with the opportunity of taking part in 13 different paralympic sports – basketball, fencing, powerlifting, badminton, indoor bowls, sitting volleyball, tennis, track and field athletics, archery, shooting, swimming and table tennis. The latter four being competition sports. There was also an opportunity to try cue sports.

The event, supported by Blatchfords, boost, WheelPower and the Douglas Bader Foundation, was enjoyed by about 50 amputees with various levels of amputation, at varying stages of their rehabilitation.

Two amputee Physiotherapists from Portsmouth Disablement Services Centre – Katharine Atkin and Chantel Ostler – travelled to the Games with a team of 9 amputees, and Christine Kelly, amputee Physiotherapist at the Regional Disablement Service at Musgrave Park Hospital, supported a large team of amputees from Belfast. Both teams also had a prosthetist with them.

The Games were a fantastic opportunity to progress the rehabilitation of the amputees by challenging their balance, co-ordination and strength. The Physiotherapists were on hand to trouble-shoot any prosthetic fit problems and provide advice or treatment as required. A key role was encouraging and motivating the amputees to try new sports and maximise their potential.

The Portsmouth team won 5 medals – 2 for table tennis, mens archery, womens 50m breaststroke and womens shooting – a fantastic achievement, especially for the two ladies who are less than a year post-delivery of their prostheses.

Katharine and Chantel are aiming to take a much larger team of amputees next year, and would like to encourage other amputee Physiotherapists to do the same as an opportunity like this is invaluable for amputees to try different sports, progress their rehabilitation, increase their self-confidence and maybe even be talent-spotted for future Paralympic Games!

Kayaking fund raising event - 11th July 2010

On the afternoon of Sunday 11th July 2010 Moving Forward will be holding a sponsored kayaking event on the Chichester Canal. The event is being supported by the Adventure College who will be providing the boats and staff to ensure everyone's safety. We will be giving out details in the New Year about the sponsorship forms and how to get involved.

Our last fund raising event at Calshot Activities Centre was a great success - 17 amputees and three staff from the DSC took part, abseiling over 340 metres, twice the height of the Spinnaker Tower, and raising over £3,000. We are hoping we can gone one better than Calshot and this time raise over £4,000.

If you would like to get involved in the kayaking, raise funds for Moving Forward and have a fun time, then please contact Steve Bailey: tel 07717 733796; email steve.bailey919@ntlworld.com.

Launch of Portsmouth Sitting Volleyball Club

Following the success of Portsmouth DSC's participation in the 2009 Amputee Games, Moving Forward, through the help of above knee amputee Steve Bailey, has established our very own Sitting Volleyball Club. Training sessions will be held every Thursday at the Mary Rose School in Portsmouth from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. The cost of each session is £3.00. We are indebted to the help we have received from Portsmouth City Council's Sports Development Officer (Bron Carter), Portsmouth Volleyball (Jayne Sharpe) and Volleyball England (Tom Middleton) for their advice, coaching and equipment.

On 29th November 2009 we will be entering a team to compete in the South East Sitting Volleyball Tournament to be held in Sevenoaks, Kent.

The club is open to both disabled and able bodied individuals. It's a fun way of keeping fit and meeting other people. So if you, your friends or family would like to get involved, please get in contact with Steve Bailey who will be able to provide further details: tel 07717 733796; email steve.bailey919@ntlworld.com.