One of the main enjoyable aspects of being an MP is being able to welcome Swindon residents to the House of Commons. I think it is important fellow residents get the opportunity to see Parliament and democracy in action.
This week I was very fortunate to meet with members of the Swindon Shock Wheelchair Basketball Club before attending the Sports England Community awards ceremony with them. Swindon Shock Basketball Club was founded in 2011 with the aim to offer disabled children living in Swindon the opportunity to be active, build confidence and develop important life skills.
Having led campaigns in Parliament to increase the amount of hours that children spend playing sports in school, I completely understand how important physical activity is to a child’s development, as well as their physical and mental well-being. Unfortunately it is sometimes the case that children with physical disabilities miss out on the opportunity to join in with mainstream school sports. Often they have to sit and watch from the sidelines whilst feeling increasingly isolated from their peers. This means that they miss out on the valuable impact that playing a sport can have.
No child should ever feel like they cannot be part of a team. That is why the work that the incredible volunteers at Swindon Shock do is so vitally important. They really are true community champions and I am very proud to say that their Satellite Club Project, which aims to create links between Swindon Shock and local schools, was nominated for a Sport England project award.
A special mention must go to club member Brandon Humphries who, at the age of just 14, is already competing in wheelchair basketball against teams much older than him. And as a dedicated member of Swindon Shock; he manages to train and play every single week; travelling around the country. Brandon collected the Sport England award for Participant of the year and it could not have gone to anybody more courageous or dedicated.
So whilst meeting any local resident in Parliament is always enjoyable; chatting to Brandon, his rightly proud parents and representatives from the Swindon Shock Club was a particularly humbling experience. They are a shining example of the strength of our community clubs in Swindon, and with the help of Sport England, they will continue to grow and offer opportunities to people across our town. It’s quite right that they were rewarded this week.
We in Swindon should be proud to have had our town represented at the awards by such a great athlete, who undoubtedly has a very bright future ahead of him. Brandon is an inspiration to us all.
