A week today, we will be launching our boccia event, organised by Later Life Hub with the support of Boccia England.
Boccia (pronounced ‘bot-cha’) is a target ball sport, played in pairs or teams of three, which tests both muscle control and accuracy. From a seated position, players throw, kick or use a ramp to propel a ball onto the court with the aim of getting closest to the white ‘jack’ ball. We quite often play the sport at our wellbeing cafes and it’s a great way to encourage group participation and healthy competition, and there’s always plenty of laughter.
Enjoying Boccia at our Middleton Cafe
The launch event will take place in the garden of our hub in Burton Leonard, just outside Ripon; and is an opportunity for people to come and try the sport in an informal way. We will also have stalls, games and refeshments, so it will be fun for all the family – and a good way to entertain children as we head into the school holidays.
This event will be followed by similar come-and-try events across North Yorkshire, before the big Boccia Challenge Cup on Sunday October 17th! We are delighted to have the support of Boccia England, the National Governing Body (NGB) for boccia, who will be promoting this final event to local clubs in North Yorkshire, so we will have professional players and community players participating in what will be a fantastic day for the sport. Elite boccia athlete Beth Moulam will be helping us launch the series of events, and attending the final to congratulate the Boccia Challenge Champions.
We hope to have lots of clubs taking part, and also new players who are just discovering a passion for the sport. Special thanks goes to the members of Later Life Hub and Boccia England, who have sponsored sets of balls, which will be used for the events and then donated to Dementia Forward, so that our clients can continue to enjoy the sport.
We hope to see you on the 30th July from 11am to come and try your hand at boccia. And if you enjoy it, you might like to sign up for the Boccia Challenge Cup on October 17th at The Sports Hall, St John’s University, Haxby Rd, York YO31 8NU! You can download the entry form here… LLH Boccia Challenge Cup Entry Form
