Taking part in a virtual PowerHouseGames
I started off by asking the girls about one of the day’s activities they had particularly enjoyed. Lulu described playing sitting volleyball, which is basically volleyball but sitting on the ground, and with a slightly lower net, as really fun:
“It was interesting to look at sport from other perspectives, which in this case is from the ground” Lulu said, “And you still got the whole aspect of working as a team, and similar goals. But I think, playing from a different angle is what sports is really about.”
Miss Diss joked that the teachers had to constantly remind them that they weren’t allowed to come off their bottoms. “It really brought to light how difficult it can be”, she said.
I asked the girls how difficult it was to remember not to stand up. “We would get carried away and get competitive. We’d try and reach up and realise, oh wait, you’re not allowed!”
Daisy’s favourite activity was goalball (a Paralympic sport for visually impaired athletes). “We each had a partner behind us, who would tell us where the ball is. I found it fun, but quite scary at times. It was really confusing to find where you are and where the goals are.”
Miss Diss was pretty sure that when the pupils got lost with their blindfolds on, “They definitely had a little peek [under their blindfolds].” She emphasised that it would be very different in real life, if you had a visual impairment, when you can’t just take off your blindfold.
In order to play our version of goalball, the blindfolded players have to rely on teammates who aren’t blindfolded to tell them where to roll the ball. Lulu said, “It was a bit loud, so it was hard to hear. But overall, my teammates were helpful, and it was really nice to work as a team.”
The self-run PowerHouseGames was supported virtually by John, Power2Inspire’s founder and CEO. He was on hand throughout the morning, via video call, to provide encouragement and to answer any questions about the games.
Both girls liked knowing that John was there, watching and supporting, even as they were engrossed in their activities. They also liked that they could go and ask him questions whenever they needed.
Lulu, Daisy, and Miss Diss were all very enthusiastic about the success of the PowerHouseGames, and were quick to encourage other schools to try this hybrid self-run virtual model. Millie Diss was keen to emphasise the fun, the ease – two teachers ran the sessions for 180 students across a morning – the value of the training videos, and being able to borrow the specialist equipment. She urged other schools to sign up to beat Covid-19!
Lulu learned a valuable lesson from the PHG. “I think I learned that it doesn’t matter, like, if you have a disability or not; you can still have fun doing sports, and it’s just nice to know that people out there are trying to do the things they love.”
For Daisy, having a disability “doesn’t stop you from doing anything. You can still do loads of things.”
Inspired? Then Get Involved!
If you are interested in hosting a virtual PowerHouseGames in your school / college / company / community group then we would love to hear from you. AS you have read we have even found a way to make our PowerHouseGames a success in lockdown so don’t hesitate to get in touch and we can plan you very own PowerHouseGames!!
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Run the Cambridge Half for Power2Inspire
Power2Inspire is delighted to have been chosen as a local partner for the Cambridge Half Marathon 2021.
This week the CHM organisers announced that due to the pandemic the race has been postponed to Sunday 17 October 2021. It will make up a Cambridge running weekend, joining the annual Town & Gown event being held on the Saturday.
Very excitingly for Power2Inspire, we can offer discounted charity spaces for the October race. We will also have spaces for a virtual event they’re planning for March 2021. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook to stay updated.
I spoke to Julie Kervadec, a friend of Power2Inspire who ran in the Cambridge Half Marathon in 2018. She told me about her innovative fundraising, and why everyone should sign up for these exciting events to support Power2Inspire.
Anna Willis: Why did you choose to support Power2Inspire when you ran the Cambridge Half Marathon in 2018?
Julie Kervadec: I came to Cambridge to start my own business and was working at the Future Business Centre where I met John, and was really inspired by him. Power2Inspire had got some special charity spaces for the Cambridge Half Marathon and offered one to me, and I took it!
How did you decide to fundraise for Power2Inspire before the race?
I’m from France, Brittany to be exact, and one of our specialities is crepes! I thought I needed something that most people will like but is also easy enough for me to make a big batch of. Crepes are still a bit unusual in Cambridge but very popular.
I spent a whole evening cooking them all, with the help of my partner. I underestimated the time it would take; it took until 2am with my partner’s help to cook all the crepes.
But it was really successful and I sold all of them – I wish I’d made more!
So you sold the crepes at the Future Business Centre?
Yes, I even got agreement from the Future Business Centre for me to sell them: I was competing a bit with their own cafeteria, as I was just in front of it with my stall.
I also got help from John and from Anne [Power2Inspire’s former PA] who was helping me with the cash. I also had a friend who had come over from Brittany to help me with my business, so I told him I had a special mission and got some extra hands on that day!
How much did you raise?
I don’t quite remember, but I think the goal was £200, ideally £250 and I think I reached the goal. I was selling each crepe for around £3.
Why should people sign up to run in either event?
I think that especially in these really weird and tough times, we all realise that, whatever our health, it’s very important to be able to move, to be able to get out of the house.
I’m coming back from France and have to quarantine, so I’m not able to go for a run or even a walk, and it makes me think that for people who have any sort of disability, it’s their life, they have these limitations all the time.
We should all appreciate the difficulty that some people might encounter to do anything, especially the things that sound easy to us. Now, more than ever we are actually limited in those things that previously seemed easy to us too.
Why should people support Power2Inspire?
Through my work, I’m in touch with different charities and I know that the charity sector, and all the people who are doing good for others, is suffering from not getting the right levels of funds right now. And right now, their work is needed more than ever.
And so, if anyone has the ability to help a charity through such positive events as the half-marathon and virtual run, I think that’s great because they’re doing good for themselves and for others.
Inspired? Then Get Involved!
If you would like to pre-register your interest for the Cambridge Half Marathon 2021 with Power2Inspire please send us your email address. We will then get in touch with more details.
Daniel's story
The first time Daniel played golf was around sixteen years ago, aged seven or eight. He’s now 24, and his love of golf is as strong as ever. He’s been coming to Power2Inspire’s Festivals of Inclusive Golf since they were created five years ago, and I caught up with him and his mother to find out why he keeps coming back, and what he loves about golf.
Daniel has Downs Syndrome, and while he gets good support from his school, he rarely gets to participate in inclusive events, playing or working alongside both able-bodied and disabled people. Power2Inspire and the FiGs are particularly special for Daniel because they provide connection, enabling him to see old friends and to make new ones while playing his favourite game.
Daniel taught himself to play golf by watching and copying others, learning basic putting and driving skills. He and his dad, Richard, then began practicing on the golf course together.
For Daniel, it’s playing with other people or in a team that makes golf so enjoyable. At P2I’s FiGs you play in teams, with at least one disabled person in each team. Texas Scramble rules mean everyone plays their own shot from the same point, and the best shot is then the position everyone uses to take their next shot. This is particularly good for golf, as everyone in the team is equally valued, and they all have different skills.
For someone like Daniel, it enables him to play on an equal footing with everyone else, and his skills on the green were definitely needed when playing with new deputy CEO Alex Laybourne at November’s FiG. Daniel described playing together with Alex as “really cool”, as he got to know a new friend, and said that together “we made up a good team.”
Power2Inspire has also opened doors for Daniel: a couple of years ago, he met a professional golf coach who gave him some lessons; last year, getting to the FiG a bit early, a couple of professional golfers also playing at Cambridge Lakes Golf Course gave Daniel a lesson on the putting green.
A big double thumbs up was given when I asked what Daniel thought of Power2Inspire. Daniel finds John really inspiring and likes seeing him at the FiGs. Daniel’s confidence and self-belief has grown, according to his mother, Anne. “Inclusive events like the FiG help him to feel he is also valued and has something to contribute to the wider community.”
If you’re now inspired for Inclusive Sport then do join us at our next big event:
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Festival of Inclusive Golf 2020
On Friday 16 October 2020, twenty disabled and non-disabled people met at Cambridge Lakes Golf Course for a round of inclusive golf hosted by Power2Inspire, playing together and having fun.
Participants were allocated into teams, each including a disabled person, and set off around the course one team at a time. After everyone had finished their rounds, they reconvened for socially distanced sandwiches and snacks. Power2Inspire awarded the winners’ trophy to the ‘Below Par Triathletes’, captained by Don Hutchinson, and everyone received a medal.
Mark Thornton, who played with his daughter Becca and her two best friends, described the event perfectly: “Played golf, ate food, had fun!“
The Festival of Inclusive Golf was created six years ago by Power2Inspire in partnership with Cambridge Lakes Golf Course,a beautiful course hidden behind the trees off the Trumpington Road. John Willis, founder and CEO of Power2Inspire, wanted to create a format where disabled and non-disabled golfers could play together while having fun.
The magic of the event is that it is both competitive and fun: Daniel King, who has Downs Syndrome, said “I was definitely pleased with my score”, and also really enjoyed seeing other people and making some new friends. Don, part of the winning team, said that “the atmosphere was super – fun, fun, fun!”
The Festival celebrates that success can come in many different forms: from simply hitting the ball, to sinking a putt. John described his team’s excitement when they hit a particularly good shot: “we were running around like we had won the Open!”
John was determined to put the Festival on this year, despite the extra restrictions needed due to Covid-19. “As so many people have been stuck at home during lockdown, it’s even more important for us to get out and play together.” The Festival’s success has motivated John to make next year’s event bigger and better than ever.
A huge thank you to Mick Shortland and Darren Fitzpatrick for their brilliant photos.
If you’re now inspired for Inclusive Sport then do join us at our next big event:
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Seven years of Power2Inspire
John, the founder and CEO of Power2Inspire, has been passionate about sport his whole life. Seven years after setting up Power2Inspire, he shared with us some of his sporting memories, lessons learned, and hopes for the future.
Anna Willis: Tell us about your earliest memories of sport?
John Willis: The first sport I remember watching is my parents playing hockey on Sunday mornings. They played in a mixed team called the Chameleons and they would drag my sister and I to watch them play each weekend.
What was your first Power2Inspire event?
A friend of mine, Tim Martin, had been pestering me for many years to do an able-body triathlon relay together, and in 2013, we finally did one! It was at Eton Dorney, and I did the 1500 metre open water swim. We did really well, far better than our target of not coming last. That was primarily down to Henry Brown, who did the 10,000 metre run in 36 minutes, which is really fast. But what I thought about it all was that we had more fun than any other team, as we showed that you really can have fun with different abilities in your team.
What have been the most exciting moments of Power2Inspire so far?
Doing our first University PowerHouse Games, where we brought together school kids from independent state and special needs schools with the Cambridge University Rugby Club and corporate volunteers, was not only really fun but broke down lots of barriers. Everyone made the disabled students from Castle Special school really welcome; the men and women rugby players broke down gender barriers between each other; and the state and independent school pupils got along really well too. It was a tremendous achievement: I smile every time I think back to it.
Tell us about some of the difficult moments?
At the second University PowerHouse Games, one of the pupils had both visual impairments and was mostly deaf, which added extra challenges to the games we’d prepared! But it was a great opportunity to adapt and develop activities to keep them inclusive. We found a ball with a bell she could hear, and everyone involved helped fantastically. So it just goes to show that if you can be adaptable, flexible, and accommodating, you can include anyone.
What lessons have you learned from seven years of Power2Inspire?
I’m continually inspired every time I go into a school, by the young people, their imaginations, their determination, their kindness, their enthusiasm. Their desire to have fun is truly inspirational. And I just find that inspires me to want to do more to actually help them. Just have fun, and at the same time, they learn all sorts of things. That is a fabulous lesson to learn.
How has Power2Inspire changed you?
It’s remarkably given me confidence. I didn’t believe that people wanted to hear my story. Now I believe that they do, and that I can inspire people. I went to a special needs school down near Tottenham Hotspur football ground, and to do one of my swims as part of the challenge. A profoundly disabled boy came up to me and the head teacher afterwards, and he said, and it took him a long time because of his speech impediment and his learning difficulties, he said that he’d never had the confidence to go in the deep end of the swimming pool, until he had seen me swimming in the deep end earlier that day. And he then grinned from ear to ear, because he realised that he could swim. That moment was unbelievably emotionally powerful for me: if I can do that for one other person in my life that is a fantastic thing. I challenge everybody to find something that they can inspire somebody else to just do a little bit more. And that’s what Power2Inspire is all about: that everybody has the power to inspire.
What’s the future for Inclusive Sport?
Controversially, I want to see inclusive sport disappear! I want inclusion to just be a given, for it to be natural for people to do sport together. I want it to be normal for a grandmother and her grandchild to do sport together, for a Jew and a Sikh to do sport together, for men and women, able-bodied and disabled people all to do sport together, and for it to be normal. And that’s our ultimate goal here at Power2Inspire.
Inspired? Then Get Involved!
If you would like to help John to continue inspiring thousands of people in his passion for inclusive sport then we would love to hear from you. We are always looking out for people willing to fundraise for Power2Inspire through their own inspiring means. You could volunteer at one of our events, or you could give to the ongoing work of Power2Inspire.
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Anna Willis
Freelance journalist and story teller; on Twitter @annawillis101