The Super 1s Disability/SEND Programme – How does Super 1s look in Wiltshire and growing the programme – WE NEED YOUR HELP.
What is Super 1s?
Super 1s is a cricket-based programme run throughout Wiltshire, giving young people with disabilities the opportunity to play cricket regularly. The aim of the programme is to use cricket as a tool for participant’s personal development, equipping them with a variety of personal, social and transferable skills that can be taken into a variety of different situations.
Super 1s sessions are run on a weekly/bi-weekly basis, for around 1 hour in the evenings. Within Wiltshire there will be a total of 4 hubs (Swindon, Chippenham, Salisbury and Trowbridge), incorporating a series of different activities developing throwing, catching and ball striking skills. During these sessions participants get the opportunity to try new activities, meet new people and explore new environments.
To ensure the development of our participants, Super 1s offers additional workshops that will occasionally take place within Wiltshire’s hub network. Workshops are usually run during half-term and are a fantastic opportunity to learn key life skills and experience travelling to new places, trying new things and meeting new people from different Super 1s Hub’s.
Festivals are also a key component of our Super 1s offer, where all 4 hubs will be brought together in a large-scale festival event, giving each participant the opportunity to make new friends and familiarise themselves with new settings. Within festivals participants will take part in larger-scale games and activities where all 4 hubs will be encouraged to mix and work together.
Why Super 1s?
The Super 1s programme is vital due to the imbalance of disability provision currently available when compared to mainstream provision. Super 1s gives those with impairments an opportunity to get involved in an inclusive sporting environment, with a range of benefits. Super 1s provides a platform for individuals to learn sport-specific and wider social skills that will benefit them in multiple different environments. By working with our participants, we believe that as a result of Super 1s they will be better equipped to deal with life’s challenges whether that be in environments such as the classroom all the way through to employment.
Super 1s provides a fantastic opportunity to meet new people from different schools and communities. This is particularly important for individuals with impairments as they have been found to be at a greater risk of suffering from loneliness when compared to those without impairments. Bringing these individuals together in one place gives them an opportunity to interact through cricket and create bonds that go beyond Super 1s.
Super 1s in Wiltshire
The Disability Development Officer role within Wiltshire began on the 25th August 2020. Since then, we have made good progress with our Super 1s Programme, we have 3 Super 1s Hubs up and running in Swindon, Chippenham, and Salisbury.
Chippenham Super 1s Hub:
- Sheldon School – Indoor Sports Hall (SN14 6HJ)
- Every Tuesday – 5-6pm
Swindon Super 1s Hub:
- Swindon Academy – Indoor Sports Hall (SN2 1JR)
- Every Thursday – 5-6pm
Salisbury Super 1s Hub:
- Downton Leisure Centre – Indoor Sports Hall (SP5 3NF)
- Every Monday – 5-6pm
Our first hub began in Chippenham (Chippenham Cricket Club) after several taster sessions, delivering in sessions run by Wiltshire Council, levels of interest were good. We have grown the hub to 8 participants, and are hopeful that these numbers will continue to grow, aided by more disability groups and school / community taster sessions. The participants within this hub have shown great levels of progression in the development of the social, personal and sport-specific skills.
Our second Hub began on 22/07/21 in Swindon, at the commencement of this plan this hub is our most successful with 18 participants signed up and a regular attendance of around 10-15. We have had a variety of different activities with the majority of participants enjoying what we have delivered, again showing great development of transferable skills as a result of the programme. The partnership with the Swindon Downs Syndrome Group has been fundamental to the success of the programme, and we thank them for their involvement.
Our third hub (Salisbury) started on 09/08/21 Wiltshire Cricket have decided to carry out a 6-week trial period at Downton Leisure Centre, at the commencement of this plan we have 4 individuals signed up for the programme and are hopeful that this will grow through utilising our local partnerships including the Wiltshire Parent Carer Council (WPCC). At our first session we had 3 participants, which we will be looking to grow using similar methods to that of Chippenham and Swindon.
We need your help!
The Super 1s Programme is looking to grow its numbers at each of its weekly sessions (Super 1s Hubs). In order to do this, we are looking for others to help support us in a number of ways:
- Distributing our flyers and session information to relevant disabled/SEND members + parents/carers (either through email or word of mouth)
- Displaying our flyers/information in newsletters or display boards etc
- If you have a group of disabled/SEND young people, we would be happy to have you along to one of our Super 1s Cricket Hubs (sessions) – please contact harry.mattingley@wiltshirecricket .co.uk to find out more
- Allowing us to deliver Taster sessions to your group(s) of young people.
Please contact the above email if you have any other questions regarding the sessions or can help support the programme in any way!
Wiltshire Cricket is looking forward to growing the programme and providing more, readily available sporting opportunities for SEND and Disabled individuals and would hugely appreciate anything you can do to spread the word about this fantastic opportunity.
Contact our Disability Development Officer below:
