A GROUP of disabled Swindon youngsters competed at Stoke Mandeville Stadium, the birthplace of the Paralympic Games, in a special edition of the Panathlon Challenge.

Pupils from Brimble Hill Primary and Uplands Secondary won silver for Wiltshire at the multi-sport event, a mini-Paralympics for children that saw 162 pupils from seven counties take part.

Using adaptive equipment, panathlon allows youngsters with a broad range of disabilities to take part in a number of sports, including boccia, polybat, football, new age kurling and athletics.

The Wiltshire team won table cricket and finished second in three other events en route to overall silver, beaten only by reigning champions Berkshire.

Brimble Hill School teacher Paul Searle said: “Panathlon gives young people an opportunity to compete on a level playing field, whatever impairment, disability, learning difficulties or special educational needs they may have.

“The children are really excited about being here. It doesn’t matter if they win or lose, although they like to win and will celebrate it, they are all getting something out of it and having a good time.”

Panathlon is a registered charity that provides multi-sport competition for over 3,000 disabled children each year.

Over 200 schools are involved this year, with 15,000 active hours of sport provided to disabled children.

Uplands School teacher Jon Palmer said: “Panathlon gives the children confidence and they all love taking part. There aren’t many other schools of a similar ilk in the immediate vicinity so to get out and about, compete and socialise with people is fantastic.

“For all the students, when we’ve been working on confidence and communication, Panathlon has really helped. It’s made a huge difference, so long may it continue.”

This year’s Swindon and Wiltshire Special Educational Needs School Games will be a Panathlon Challenge event held at Marlborough College in June.

Searle added: “Panathlon has been in Wiltshire for about five years, but it’s always been a school-based event. We’re now trying to make it more area-based, so the teams coming will be representing an area of Wiltshire.

“The Swindon team will be made up of students from various schools in Swindon and the same goes for the other areas.

“Marlborough College will be a lovely place to go. We’re really looking forward to it.”