A grant from Jack’s supermarket in Rubery has enabled a local charity to keep a popular sporting activity on its timetable.
The £250 payment, as part of the Jack’s Supports scheme, has gone towards the purchase of a new Boccia set for Great Park based Headway, which supports adults with brain injury.
Boccia (pronounced bot-cha) is a disability sport similar to indoor bowls or pétanque. A precision ball sport, it requires tactical thinking and decision making and can have positive health benefits by improving flexibility and strengthening muscles as well as promoting social interaction and team spirit.
Jade Evans, Sports Co-ordinator at Headway Birmingham & Solihull, explained: “Boccia has long been one of the most popular sports in the charity’s Sports & Wellbeing programme as it can be enjoyed by all clients, irrespective of age or any physical issue linked to their brain injury.
“However our existing boccia set has seen better days and so we applied for a grant from the Jack’s Supports scheme to help us to buy a replacement set.”
Jack’s Supports is a scheme which donates proceeds from the sale of carrier bags to local good causes chosen by their customers at store level. Headway’s application for a grant was reviewed and shortlisted by the local Jack’s in New Road, Rubery and then chosen to receive £250 towards the purchase of a new boccia set.
Jade continued; “We can’t thank Jack’s enough! Funding for our sports programme is always a challenge for us, and so we were really pleased to receive this grant for a new boccia set from the Jack’s Supports scheme.”
She explained that the charity has purchased a good quality set that will be hard-wearing and will allow clients to compete externally, enabling them to take their good-natured rivalry in the sport to the next level!
Emma Dipple, Duty Manager at the Rubery branch of Jacks paid a visit to Headway’s Leighton House brain injury centre in Rednal to see a game of boccia for themselves.
Emma said: “It’s lovely to see what a difference a grant from Jack’s Supports is making within the local community. Neither of us had seen boccia played before and we were grateful to Faisal for explaining the rules to us. It’s easy to see why it is such a popular sport at Headway.”
Visit the Headway website for more information on Headway’s local brain jury services or call Jade Evans on 07483 173902 for more details on the charity’s community sports programme.
For more information on the Jack’s Supports Scheme, visit their website.
Cover photo: (L to R) Emma from Jacks, standing, with Headway clients Tina, Ian & Faisal from Headway, sitting, & Jade (Sports Co-ordinator) sitting, centre with new boccia balls!
