We were delighted to receive the story below about Sonny and his great work to establish Boccia for All.
“We first discovered Boccia a few years ago when Sonny, then aged 13, was invited to join a sports group for disabled children. As a lifelong sports enthusiast, Sonny was instantly drawn to the idea. Unfortunately, the club never fully got off the ground, and he didn’t have the chance to play.
From that point on, Sonny dreamed of creating a sports club where children and young adults with additional needs could enjoy sport in an inclusive, supportive environment. After completing his A Levels in 2020, he turned that dream into reality by founding Inclusive Sports Ability.
For almost five years, Inclusive Sports Ability has been delivering multi-sport sessions and specialist football training to children across the local community. However, one gap remained: providing opportunities for wheelchair users and those with limited mobility. Boccia, a fully inclusive Paralympic sport, seemed the perfect answer—but high hall hire costs and the challenge of reaching participants meant it was difficult to launch.
That changed in April this year, when Sport for Confidence contacted Sonny. They were looking for an alternative provision for their members and asked whether he could deliver Boccia sessions for adults with additional needs. This was exactly the opportunity Sonny had been waiting for—and he leapt at it.
With the support of Boccia England (who provided expert advice and a bursary), Sport for Confidence, and Everyone Active (who offered reduced hall hire fees to help the project get established), Boccia for All was born in June.
The sessions started small—partly due to the summer holidays—but the response has been overwhelmingly positive. From September, two local day care centres are scheduled to join weekly sessions, marking a significant step forward.
Looking ahead, the vision is to steadily grow attendance, expand to multiple sites across the local area, and eventually open sessions to children who otherwise cannot access sport. Once the adult sessions are firmly established, the next stage will be launching after-school Boccia sessions for young people, ensuring that sport truly is accessible for everyone.”
