PowerHouse Games return to Campus
Inclusive sports take centre stage
Last week, the PowerHouse Games returned to The Green, pairing volunteers from across the Cambridge Biomedical Campus with local young people for a morning of inclusive and adapted sports.
The PowerHouse Games – which is the brainchild of Power2Inspire founder John Willis – is a multi-sports morning where teams made up of able-bodied and disabled adults and children, take on a range of games from Boccia, which features in the Paralympics, to sitting netball, goalball and table cricket.
The teams were a mix of Campus staff, children from the Cambridge Academy for Science and Technologyhttp://www.cambridgeast.org.uk, Rowan, a Cambridge based arts centre for disabled adults, and Gretton and Churchill SEN schools.
Below is what PowerHouse Games founder John Willis had to say about the day.
John’s Blog
It was wonderful to return to the Cambridge Biomedical Campus (CBC) – home of Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge – for our second PowerHouseGames there. And it was so much bigger: we had at least 72 participants with carers joining in! A truly joyful morning was had.
Twenty three volunteers from CBC, from a real range of companies and organisations all over the campus, were joined by four groups – from Gretton School and Churchill School, both special needs schools, from Rowan, a local adult disability group, and Cambridge Academy for Science and Technology, the most local state school, as they adjoin the campus.
Once organised into 12 teams of 6 – one from each group in each team (two from CBC) – and given a t-shirt, the teams were shown the games. Boccia, sitting netball and goalball are three of our stalwarts. Throwing games, table cricket and table curling we use when needs demand.
Taking advantage of the tents – they do look a bit like teepees – set up for the extremely well attended Cambridge Wellness Festival, the day before, we made sure bad weather wouldn’t stop us, with two tabletop games and a throwing station that could have used the cover if necessary.
This was the very first time we have tried table curling and it proved popular, especially with the older less mobile adults. Table cricket always has its champions and requires no little skill to play well. We split the throwing into two: a foam javelin throw, and a bean bag throw to a target. Foam javelins are extremely difficult to throw well so lots of hilarity ensued.
The group from CAST loved it, commenting how wonderfully inclusive it was. This was Gretton’s second PHG and Jack Lee, their teacher, is clamouring for more opportunities. Churchill came all the way from Haverhill and Kirsty Webb was magnanimous in allowing Dani Russo to come in her stead as she wants all the teachers in her school to experience the games!
It was Rowan’s first visit, and we are keen to include adult groups of disabled people at our PHGs. I was moved when I heard one carer describe how valuable an outing like this is to some who cannot get out of their homes without support. Playing with youngsters in a safe and fun environment brought smiles to their faces, only matched when they realised they could take home their t-shirt!
A big thank you to Richard Westcott, who has championed these games on the campus, for Simon Day for supporting him, and for his photos, Caiya Griffith for her enthusiasm and to Ed Watson, interim MD of CBC, for stepping in at the last moment to hand out medals.
It was a great success and we are keen to build on it next year. Thank you CBC and all participants.
John Willis, founder Power2Inspire – inclusion through sport
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