A TEAM of disabled children from Swindon starred when representing their county this week in the Central Region Final of the Panathlon Challenge - a ‘mini Paralympics’ for children.

With British number one ranked wheelchair athlete Richard Chiassaro watching on, the team of pupils from Brimble Hill, Uplands and Crowdys Hill Schools - who won the Wiltshire Panathlon to qualify for the event - battled it out with teams from Buckinghamshire, Northants and Oxfordshire in the multi-sport competition at Stoke Mandeville Stadium.

“I think it’s wonderful,” said Paul Searle, teacher at Brimble Hill School. “They were singing on the bus all the way here and it will be the same on the way back. “They are participating, improving their social skills, the all-round experience is great.”

After a consistent performance throughout, including a silver medal in the athletics field events and bronzes in boccia, table cricket and polybat - Panathlon sports played with adaptive equipment to make them more accessible - Wiltshire went into the final event of the day within reach of a podium finish.

After a thrilling set of relay races, the team were edged into fourth place, but the competitors still went home happy and proud.

Eleven-year-old Charlie Hammond, the only Crowdys Hill pupil, was invited back on to the team having left Brimble Hill before the regional finals.

Hammond’s favourite Panathlon sport is new age kurling - a derivative of the traditional winter ice sport that can be played indoors. With a brightly coloured target and ‘stones’ on wheels, plus a ramp which players can use to launch their shot.

“You have to aim and knock the others out. It’s really good,” said Charlie, who also played in the precision bean bag throw, helping his team to a silver medal in the athletic field events, their best result of the day.

The 15-strong Wiltshire team, which included children with a range of severe learning difficulties and autism, won the Wiltshire Panathlon final in June to book their place in the inaugural Central Region final.

The Brimble Hill teacher, Searle, is also organising a new age kurling competition with Panathlon as a standalone competition in Swindon later this month, with the aim of getting as many children involved as possible.

“We will put different children in,” Searle added. “Just to give them that opportunity to be outside of their comfort zone, in a different environment, meeting new people and with a little bit of pressure, if they want to put it on themselves, because they still like to win.

“At the end of the day they have participated and they achieved something.”

Alongside the regional final, eight schools from across four counties took part in a Primary Panathlon - a foundation-level event that helps five- to eight-year olds builds basic skills in a range of Panathlon events.

The introductory events provide the youngest primary school children with a first experience of sport, helping to create a pathway to the multi-sport Panathlon events played by the older participants, including the Wiltshire team at the regional final.