Each week we bring you a good news story from across the South West as part of our wedNEWSday articles.
Taunton Netball Club (TNC) are leading the way in Somerset, offering inclusive netball opportunities for all, as they launch their 'Taunton Treasures' taster sessions for all mainsteam primary aged children with additional needs or disabilities.
At the heart of TNCs core values is inclusion and ensuring all participants have the opportunity to play and enjoy sport in a safe space. With the support of “The Cooper Associates Foundation” and their sponsorship, TNC are able to offer these sessions free for young people to attend ensuring those who find cost a barrier have equal opportunity.
TNC noticed that this was an opportunity for something that hasn’t yet been tried in their area, and with the help and support of their vastly experienced volunteer group, these sessions will help provide a stepping stone for children and young people with additional needs and disabilities in Taunton and the surrounding area to try our fantastic sport.
The project lead, Susie Freeman and her dedicated team of volunteers are absolutely delighted to be able to bring these pilot sessions to life and look forward to welcoming participants on the 3rd December and 7th January.
"My son Billy is on the SEN register at school. I was recently looking at different sports clubs that can cater for his needs and unfortunately there isn’t a huge amount of options available in Taunton for his age. It made me think of how accessible Taunton Netball Club is and whether we cater for all. I would love for children like Billy to have the opportunity to play netball. I put this to club members as an idea and had an overwhelming amount of support from club members offering their time to help and this is how Taunton Treasures was formed. We will be holding two taster sessions to see what the uptake is, with the ultimate aim being this is something that we offer more regularly. We’re fortunate that many of the Treasures volunteers are either qualified netball coaches, are SEN Parents themselves, or are highly experienced in working with young children with SEN through their employment. We have also been lucky to have received financial support from The Coopers Associate Foundation, which means the taster sessions can be free for children to attend. I’m really excited and proud that Taunton Netball Club are able to offer this." - Susie Freeman (Taunton Treasures Project Lead)
If you have a good news story that you would like to share please send your story and a picture to the South West Regional Officer (southwest@englandnetball.co.uk).