Gloucester Blazers Wheelchair Basketball Club – grant recipient - Barnwood Trust

Gloucester Blazers Wheelchair Basketball Club – grant recipient

Showing great initiative

The individuals behind Gloucester Blazers Wheelchair Basketball Club have always shown tremendous drive and tenacity.
For example, they secured court time from the local able-bodied basketball club, attracted members, set up a management committee and drew up a constitution – but one challenge they couldn’t overcome without assistance was the purchase of sufficient sports wheelchairs.

Unnecessary obstacles

Wheelchair basketball demands a strong and stable chair, but these are extremely expensive.

With too few chairs, team members were forced to share, with some people waiting on the sidelines until a player came off of the court. This made training far more time-consuming than necessary – and also impacted on performance.

Hence the club approached Barnwood Trust for a £10,000 grant – sufficient for five special chairs.

Negotiating a brilliant deal

Following a visit to a club training session by two of our Trustees, and a rock-solid application, we were delighted to help – and happier still, when the club came back to us with news that they’d accomplished a great deal more with their money.

Indeed, their negotiation skills proved so persuasive, that they were able to buy eight wheelchairs for the price of five – plus a vehicle trailer to transport the chairs to training venues and match locations.

Impressive results

Team members have always enjoyed the speed and adrenalin buzz of the sport, but these new chairs have made a world of difference.

There has been an increase in club membership – and improvements in performance too. For example, the club’s third division team is currently top of its league with a proud ‘played six, won six’ record, and the fourth division team is currently second in its league.

The words of the club chairman and members say it all

‘The grant from Barnwood Trust set the club on its feet and we’ve never looked back, we’re now regarded as the club to beat in southern England.’

Leslie Ramsden, club chairman

‘Joining the club has turned me round and I’ve been clear of the police and the courts since I joined.’

Cameron, a fourth division player with cerebral palsy. Cameron lives in a care home and has no known family

‘If it weren’t for basketball I’d not get out the flat; life used to be just watching sport on Sky TV. The club has given me a life again.’

Rob, who has cerebral palsy

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