A PIONEERING project offering free boxing and fitness sessions to disabled people in Swindon is to be extended after securing Big Lottery funding.

The pilot scheme run last year at Scrappers community gym, started with eight people but proved such a success that there were 16 before the trial ended.

Now Swindon Children’s Scrapstore, the charity behind Scrappers, has been granted £8,069 to encourage more disabled people to join in.

Scrapstore project manager Olivia McCann said: “This community project is the only one in Swindon which provides access to boxing for disabled people and proves that disability poses no limits to success.”

She said there are over 10,000 disabled people in Swindon, including 3,000 with a severe disability, and many find it difficult to access commercial gyms due to cost and lack of available support, according to Swindon’s Joint Strategic Needs Assessment.

“Disabled people are a large part of the community and traditionally they have been unable to access commercial gyms and leisure facilities,” she said.

Dalton Harfield, one of the coaches behind the project, said his sister Hope who suffers from cerebral palsy, was one who gave the sport a go last year.

“Hope really enjoyed the pilot sessions and is looking forward to participating in the new sessions,” he said.

Paul Rogers the head boxing coach and Charlie Dawson, one of only a handful of people in the world with a muscular condition called paroxysmal non-kinetogenic choreoathetosis, are running the scheme.

Charlie, who also suffers from a condition called dystonia ataxia that would cause constant fit if he did not have a neurostimulator implant, found his own fitness, co-ordination and walking improved after he took up the sport.

The sessions have provided people with an opportunity to improve their fitness, teaching them warm up exercises, how to use a punchbag and padwork.

They can even spar with the coaches regardless of whether they are in a wheelchair.

Scrappers, which is based next to the 24-Hour Gym in Langley Road, Hillmead, first opened its doors five years ago as a community fitness centre open to everyone from 13 upwards, especially those on low incomes.

As well as the latest grant for the disabled sessions, which is also being used to pay for new equipment, a donation of £2,516 from the Swindon Charity Ball has provided a new ramp to improve wheelchair access.

Olivia added: “We would like to thank the Big Lottery Fund and the Swindon Charity Ball Committee for their generous donations which will have a massive impact on the lives of people with disabilities who want to use the gym.”

The boxing skills sessions start today and run for the next 40 weeks between 10am and 11am every Monday and Friday.

Call the gym on 01793 513982 or visit scrappersgym.com for information.