NEWS

June 2012

  • New Essex Champions !

    Posted: Thursday 28th June 2012
    Category:

    Team Tendring have been crowned 2012 Essex Panathlon Champions !

    Tendring, comprising pupils from Marketfield and Shorefield Schools, defeated 2011 champions Thurrock (Beacon Hill School) by the narrowest of margins at Braintree Sports Village, claiming victory in the last race of the day.

     The final was part of Essex County Council’s School Games and involved 100 disabled young people, who had all qualified through earlier rounds.

    Tendring won the boccia and athletics events to collect 50 points, two ahead of Thurrock who won new-age kurling and polybat. In third place were West Essex (Oakview School, Loughton) with 38 points and North-West Essex (Southview School, Witham) were fourth with 32 points.

    “Panathlon was a fantastic experience for all our students,” said Joanne Caley, a teacher from Marketfield school in Clacton who was helping coach the Tendring team. “It is such a valuable and worthwhile competition.”

    Panathlon in Essex this year was funded by the Jack Petchey Foundation, who helped to fund the Young Leaders programme. This enabled 12 students from Great Baddow School to be trained by Panathlon earlier in the year and they officiated in the final as sports officials.

    Panathlon founder Ashley Iceton said: “It has been a fantastic climax to the Essex Panathlon year which started last November.

    “All the hundreds of disabled young people in Essex should be proud of their performances. As a charity, we need to thank our supporters for enabling us to carry out this much-needed work.”

    Additional support came also from BAA Stansted Airport and Hilton London Stansted who provided funding and staff to officiate at the competitions, with further corporate sponsorship from the Woodland Group. The local branch of Asda in Witham provided refreshments for all the competitors.

    NOTES TO EDITORS

    Picture attached of winning team here-

    . Contact simonlansley@connectsport.co.uk for more details

    • The Panathlon Foundation (charity no 1072638) has been delivering competitive opportunities for young disabled people since 1999. It has invested £250,000 in sports equipment and coaching funds across London, Kent, Essex and other areas since October 2011. Panathlon will involve around 2,500 disabled young people in competitions during 2012.

    • The Jack Petchey Foundation was established in 1999 and gives grants to programmes and projects that benefit young people aged 11-25. The Foundation is eager to help young people take advantage of opportunities and play a full part in society. In the last 10 years, in excess of £65 million has been given to a wide range of organisations and schools. http://www.jackpetcheyfoundation.org.uk

  • Merseyside Panathlon News & Results

    Posted: Friday 22nd June 2012
    Category:

    The Team of Halton won the Merseyside Panathlon Challenge for Primary aged children with a disability held at the Greenbank Sports Academy, Liverpool on Wednesday 13th June.

    Out of 66 children who attended, 21 disabled children where from mainstream schools across the county, competing for the first time in the Panathlon Challenge which is why this event is important to the development of disability sport.

    3 deaf footballers were spotted as potential stars of the future from a St Knotty Ash school in Liverpool, Everton in the Community have been asked to go into the school and provide coaching. Other potential Boccia players were identified as possibles for the future which will be highlighted to clubs in their areas. 

    Borough   Score Pos
    Halton      46    1
    Wirral       40    2
    St Helens  32    3
    Liverpool  30    4
    Knowsley  14    5
    Sefton       10    6

    Overall the event was another great success bringing together Sports Development, Education, Clubs, Panathlon Association and volunteers from the Greenbank Sports Academy, Liverpool Community College and individuals who gave their time to support this excellent multi sport day that the children thoroughly enjoyed.

    Wirral through their project ability funding provided a very strong team on the day recruited from 6 schools, some of whom have not entered children into sports events in the past.
     
    Some of the successful Halton team pictured here -


    Many thanks to all at Merseyside Sports Partnership for once again co-ordinating this for us.

  • New London Champions Crowned !

    Posted: Friday 15th June 2012
    Category:

    Croydon were crowned champions of the 2012 Panathlon Challenge after 250 disabled schoolchildren competed in the prestigious grand London final.

    Teams representing five London boroughs battled it out at Westway Sports Centre, London, on Thursday with 2011 champions Newham narrowly missing out on the title by two points. It was Croydon’s first victory since 2006.

    Panathlon has provided multi-sport competition for over 2500 disabled children this year, predominantly across London and the South-East. An amazing 125 London schools from all 32 boroughs have been involved, with 12,500 active hours of sport provided to young disabled people.

    GB Paralympians Helen Turner and Louise Sugden awarded the medals and Wendy Hartill, Croydon coach, said: “It is fantastic we came first, and win the London championship for the first time since 2006. Our students performed incredibly well and are very proud of their success.”

    Each team in the final progressed through two regional qualifying competitions, participating in a variety of specialised sports. These include boccia, football (SLD ambulant, powerchair and visually impaired) polybat, table cricket, new-age kurling, field and racing athletics.

    The final results were:

    ·         1st Croydon (incorporating pupils from St Giles, Priory, Bencham Manor and Woodcote Schools) 50 points

    ·         2nd Newham (Eastlea, Langdon, Kingsford, Sarah Bonnell, Brampton,  Cumberland,  Windsor and St Bonaventures Schools) 48

    ·         3rd Haringey (The Vale, William C Harvey and Moselle Schools) 42

    ·         4th Harrow (Whitmore, Harrow College and Shaftsbury Schools) 42

    ·         5th Camden Team Schools (Swiss Cottage, Jack Taylor and South Camden Schools) 28

    Panathlon founder Ashley Iceton said: “With excitement really starting to build for the London Paralympics, we are delighted to report that 2012 has been the biggest and best year for Panathlon in our 13-year history. Teachers, coaches, participants and Paralympians continually tell us we provide the most inclusive sports competition for young disabled people. We would like to thank our main funding partners for the huge part they play in bringing sport and activity into the lives of these children.”

    Panathlon London’s principal sponsors include the Mayor of London, Jack Petchey Foundation, and St James’s Place Foundation.

    As well as the annual programme of events which run from January to June, this year Panathlon Challenge participants have competed at the Olympic Stadium and Stoke Mandeville, the birthplace of the Paralympics. On April 1, they were among the first to compete on the new Olympic track in the Mayor’s Race at the Gold Challenge event.

    The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson said: “It is fantastic to see the Panathlon Challenge going from strength to strength every year, helping to inspire young people to get involved in sport. Grassroots competitions such as this are crucial if we are to achieve our goal of building a lasting sporting legacy in the capital from the 2012 Games. My Sports Legacy Fund was established to support exactly this kind of event."

    Mike Wilson, Chairman of the St. James's Place Foundation, said: "I am delighted that in our 21st year we are able to invest £265,000 to help improve the lives of so many young people and their families, through the work of Panathlon, especially at this time of economic challenge generally.”

    Trudy Kilcullen, Chief Operations Officer for The Jack Petchey Foundation, which is investing £78,245 in Panathlon in London and Essex in 2012, said: “We believe that all young people should have the opportunity to achieve their potential. Panathlon is the only organisation that enables young disabled people to participate fully in competitive sports designed to suit their needs. We fully support their work and look forward to seeing even more disabled young people becoming coaches and sports leaders in the future.”

    Ends

    Notes for editors:

    • The Panathlon Foundation (charity no 1072638) has been delivering competitive opportunities for young disabled people since 1999. It has invested £250,000 in sports equipment and coaching funds across London, Kent, Essex and other areas since October 2011. 1,500 disabled young people have been involved in London competitions this year benefiting from coaching grants, equipment provision and 20 sports competitions to date. Additionally Panathlon has delivered 20 training days - qualifying over 200 Young Leaders as Panathlon officials since last October www.panathlon.com for more details.
    • St. James's Place Foundation is the charitable arm of the St. James's Place Wealth Management Group, and started raising funds in 1992. In the 20 years it has been in existence, it has raised in excess of £24 million. It is providing £265,000 over a three year period to help Panathlon in its work, as part of a £2 million programme of support for young people over the next three years. For more information, go to http://www1.sjp.co.uk/about-st-james-place/our-responsibilities/st-james-place-foundation.aspx
    • The Mayor of London through the Sports Legacy Fund, has supported Panathlon with £255,000 over the last three years. This fund aims to encourage greater participation in sport in the build up to the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games by increasing the number of free and nearly-free sporting opportunities for Londoners. For more information please visit www.london.gov.uk/priorities/london-2012/increasing-opportunities-play-sport 
    • The Jack Petchey Foundation was established in 1999 and gives grants to programmes and projects that benefit young people aged 11-25. The Foundation is eager to help young people take advantage of opportunities and play a full part in society. In the last 10 years, in excess of £65 million has been given to a wide range of organisations and schools. http://www.jackpetcheyfoundation.org.uk

    For further information, please contact:

  • Team Ashford retain Kent title !

    Posted: Wednesday 13th June 2012
    Category:

    Ashford retained their title as county champions as over 100 disabled children competed in the Kent final of the 2012 Panathlon Challenge at Sevenoaks School.

    Twenty Kent special schools and over 250 children have been involved in this year’s Challenge, which has been held in conjunction with Kent County Council’s wider School Games initiative.

    Ashford, represented by the Wyvern and John Wallis Schools, were victorious in the new-age kurling and table cricket and finished second in athletics and polybat, as they chalked up an impressive 50 points out of 60 on Wednesday.

    Runners-up Herne Bay (Archbishops and St Aslems Schools) claimed 46 points after winning gold medals in boccia and athletics, while Sittingbourne (Meadowfield School) were third with 40 following victory in the polybat. Dartford (Milestone Academy) were fourth with 32 points.

    All the teams had qualified via regional competitions organised by Panathlon and supported by Kent car dealership, The JCB Group, and the Charles Harris Academy.

    Panathlon founder Ashley Iceton said: “It was a thrilling final and Ashford are to be congratulated on retaining their title. They are worthy champions.”

    Ends

    NOTES TO EDITORS

    •   Pictures are available of all competing teams. Contact simonlansley@connectsport.co.uk for more details
    • The Panathlon Foundation (charity no 1072638) has been delivering competitive opportunities for young disabled people since 1999. It has invested £250,000 in sports equipment and coaching funds across London, Kent, Essex and other areas since October 2011. Panathlon will involve around 2,500 disabled young people in competitions during 2012. Visit www.panathlon.com for more details.
    • The JCB Group is supporting Panathlon across Kent. Its dealerships cover new cars, user cars and commercial needs and are based in seven locations across the county. The group is made up of seven locations across the Kent area. JCB Medway in Gillingham and JCB Volkswagen in Ashford retail new and used Volkswagens, while JCB Honda, JCB SEAT, JCB Suzuki and The JCB Used Car Centre are within easy reach in Ashford.  The JCB Ashford Van Centre and JCB Sittingbourne Van Centre retails Volkswagen commercials. There are also two Trade Parts Centres in Rochester and West Horndon, all of which offer the same high levels of customer service and professionalism.

    Media enquiries to:


  • Sunbury School take Panathlon title in Surrey

    Posted: Wednesday 13th June 2012
    Category:

    Sunbury Manor School have been crowned Surrey champions of the prestigious 2012 Panathlon Challenge.

    Over 60 children competed in Wednesday’s event at the Xcel Centre in Walton-on-Thames and pupils from the Sunbury-on-Thames school earned 50 points from 60, including gold medals in the new-age kurling and athletics events, to take the title.

    Woodfield and West Hill, comprising pupils from schools in Redhill and Leatherhead, finished as runners-up with 46, while The Abbey, Gosden House and Rodborough Schools finished third (38). Ridgeway and Portesbury Schools were fourth with 34 points.

    Panathlon is funded by a variety of partners, including the Jack Petchey Foundation, St James’ Place Foundation and the Mayor of London’s Olympic legacy fund.

    Caroline Mackey, a PE teacher at Rodborough School, said: “We have had a fantastic day with Panathlon. When we talk about an Olympic legacy, this is the type of event that it is all about.”

    For more details about sponsorship opportunities in the Surrey or London area please contact Panathlon founder Ashley Iceton on ashley@panathlon.com or 07976 259251.

    Ends

    Notes to editors:

    ·          Pictures of all teams are available

    ·          The Panathlon Challenge has been delivering competitive opportunities for young disabled people since 1999. It incorporates the sports of boccia, polybat, table cricket, new-age kurling, football and athletics, and involves disabled children aged between five and 19. For more information visit www.panathlon.com

    ·          Panathlon is funded by a variety of supporters including Mayor of London, Jack Petchey Foundation and St James’s Place Foundation. For sponsorship opportunities in your area please contact Ashley Iceton on ashley@panathlon.com or 07976 259251

    ·          Media enquiries to Simon Lansley on simonlansley@connectsport.co. uk or 07973 595791

  • London Final awaits !

    Posted: Tuesday 12th June 2012
    Category:

    More than 250 disabled schoolchildren will compete in the prestigious grand London Final of the 2012 Panathlon Challenge on Thursday, June 14th.

    Teams representing Haringey, Camden, Croydon, Harrow and defending 2011 champions Newham, will go head to head at Westway Sports Centre, 1 Crowthorne Road, London W10 6RP (11am to 2.30pm), with GB Paralympians Helen Turner and Louise Sugden present to award the medals.

    An amazing 125 London schools from all 32 boroughs have been involved, with 12,500 active hours of sport provided to young disabled people.

    Each team in the final has progressed through two regional qualifying competitions, and they will participate in a variety of specialised sports for the right to be named 2012 London Panathlon champions. These include boccia, football (SLD ambulant, powerchair and visually impaired) polybat, table cricket, new-age kurling, field and racing athletics.

    Panathlon founder Ashley Iceton said: “With excitement really starting to build for the London Paralympics, we are delighted to report that 2012 has been the biggest and best year for Panathlon in our 13-year history. We would like to thank our main funding partners for the huge part they play in bringing sport and activity into the lives of these children.”

    Panathlon London’s principal sponsors include the Mayor of London, Jack Petchey Foundation, and St James’s Place Foundation.

    As well as the annual programme of events which run from January to June, this year Panathlon Challenge participants have competed at the Olympic Stadium and Stoke Mandeville, the birthplace of the Paralympics. On April 1, they were among the first to compete on the new Olympic track in the Mayor’s Race at the Gold Challenge event.

    The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson said : “It is fantastic to see the Panathlon Challenge going from strength to strength every year, helping to inspire young people to get involved in sport. Grassroots competitions such as this are crucial if we are to achieve our goal of building a lasting sporting legacy in the capital from the 2012 Games. My Sports Legacy Fund was established to support exactly this kind of event."

    Mike Wilson, Chairman of the St. James's Place Foundation, said: "I am delighted that in our 21st year we are able to invest £265,000 to help improve the lives of so many young people and their families, through the work of Panathlon, especially at this time of economic challenge generally."

    Trudy Kilcullen, Chief Operations Officer for The Jack Petchey Foundation , which is investing £78,245 in Panathlon in London and Essex in 2012, said: “ We believe that all young people should have the opportunity to achieve their potential. Panathlon is the only organisation that enables young disabled people to participate fully in competitive sports designed to suit their needs. We fully support their work and look forward to seeing even more disabled young people becoming coaches and sports leaders in the future.”

    Ends


    Notes for editors:

    • The Panathlon Foundation (charity no 1072638) has been delivering competitive opportunities for young disabled people since 1999. It has invested £250,000 in sports equipment and coaching funds across London, Kent, Essex and other areas since October 2011. 1,500 disabled young people have been involved in London competitions this year benefiting from coaching grants, equipment provision and 20 sports competitions to date. Additionally Panathlon has delivered 20 training days - qualifying over 200 Young Leaders as Panathlon officials since last October  www.panathlon.com for more details.

    • St. James's Place Foundation is the charitable arm of the St. James's Place Wealth Management Group, and started raising funds in 1992. In the 20 years it has been in existence, it has raised in excess of £24 million. It is providing £265,000 over a three year period to help Panathlon in its work, as part of a £2 million programme of support for young people over the next three years. For more information, go to http://www1.sjp.co.uk/about-st-james-place/our-responsibilities/st-james-place-foundation.aspx

    • The Mayor of London through the Sports Legacy Fund, has supported Panathlon with £255,000 over the last three years. This fund aims to encourage greater participation in sport in the build up to the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games by increasing the number of free and nearly-free sporting opportunities for Londoners. For more information please visit www.london.gov.uk/priorities/london-2012/increasing-opportunities-play-sport  

    • The Jack Petchey Foundation was established in 1999 and gives grants to programmes and projects that benefit young people aged 11-25. The Foundation is eager to help young people take advantage of opportunities and play a full part in society. In the last 10 years, in excess of £65 million has been given to a wide range of organisations and schools. http://www.jackpetcheyfoundation.org.uk


    For media invitations to the final, and event coverage, please contact: