NMC Titans Progress by Mark Chapman

We  have been training regularly for over two months now, it’s going really well, everyone is enjoying it and developing well.

I have also enjoyed coaching the players, it has been a privilege and it is very fulfilling seeing them improve, develop and grow. Not only as players but as people as well, each week we train I have noticed a considerable increase in everyone’s confidence and in myself also. Being part of a football team also benefits everyone socially; we have all become good friends and I don’t think I just talk for myself here, but I look forward to each session. To have a catch up and banter with friends and have a kick about. 

We have got eight players including myself that train regularly. Sessions consist of getting used to the wheelchairs, first by weaving in and out of cones with and without the ball. Learning to hit the ball for passing and shooting. Learning to take a touch and then hitting the ball. This is then put into practice during different drills such as; tennis, where we split in to two teams and each team works together to hit the ball over the baseline, then piggy in the middle, where we make a big circle around the hall and have to pass the ball between us trying to keep it away from the defender in the middle and then we play a game, where we work together to score against a goalkeeper.

“These are very exciting times for us and the future is looking bright!”

The NMC have strong links with Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU), who have been working with the physiotherapy team for a while carrying out research on Muscular Dystrophy. Due to these connections they are letting us use their sports hall for training and have allowed us to place a storage container to store all our equipment.

Once we knew we had a place to train we started fundraising for the container and equipment, sports wheelchairs, goal posts and footballs. The fundraising went really well and we were able to order the equipment. Once we had all of this in place and we had five sports wheelchairs we could commence training and I could start coaching the players.  We had our first AGM the other week, where we discussed the club moving forward.

Everything is going to plan. We plan to enter the North West championship regional league in October, which will give us a few months to be ready. We also plan to organise a few friendly matches, these matches will be our first competitively. We are in the process of getting a kit; we have decided that it will be blue with an orange stripe across. We have had discussions with MMU and we are going to have them as our shirt sponsor, to mark our thanks and gratitude for all their help. Another good thing to come out from us creating a football team is the research opportunities for Matt from MMU and his colleagues, on people with Muscular Dystrophy participating in sport, and how it has a positive effect on our health and wellbeing.

If you are interested in joining please contact Bryn bryn.edwards@nmcentre.com, James james.taubman@nmcentre.com or myself mark.chapman@nmcentre.com.

Useful websites - Sports Hobbies and Wellbeing

www.wheelsforwellbeing.org.uk
Think you can't cycle, think again. Wheels for Wellbeing (WfW) is an award-winning charity supporting disabled people of all ages and abilities to enjoy the benefits of cycling.

www.wheelpower.org.uk
This website enables people with disabilities find a sport they enjoy. They advertise opportunities throughout the year to try wheelchair sports.

www.limitlesstravel.org  
Angus Drummond, who has muscular dystrophy recently launched this disability travel website with the ability to rate holiday destinations in terms of accessibility and disability "friendliness".

www.zipworld.co.uk
Fancy plunging to the ground on the worlds fastest zipwire. The Velocity at Zip World Penrhyn, Bethesda is suitable for wheelchair users but only by prior arrangement.

www.livingmadeeasy.org.uk/leisure/equipment 
Living made easy's leisure section provides free impartial information on various items of equipment and some adaptations available to help with a range of indoor and outdoor hobbies.

www.the-dps.co.uk
The Disabled Photographers' Society promotes and supports people with a disability and want to enjoy photography.

NMC Titans

The NMC Titans is a newly established powerchair football team based at the NeuroMuscular Centre. The team was set up in January following very successful taster sessions run as part of the summer’s sports days. The team is being co-ordinated by James Taubman (Manager) and Bryn Edwards (Chairman).

Sara Dickinson, a development officer from the Wheelchair football association, helped kick-start the team by providing wheelchairs and other necessary equipment on a fortnightly basis allowing for some initial sessions to go ahead, sparking a fantastic amount of interest from a variety of people associated with the NMC. Unfortunately this has now come to an end and the club now needs to become self-sufficient with their own equipment and storage space, which as you can imagine doesn’t come cheap! Lyndsey Cannon, from the fundraising team at the NMC, is doing a fantastic job applying for and securing funding from various sources.

The team is soon to be affiliated with the Cheshire FA and will soon also be affiliated with the WFA allowing us to make connections with other local teams and begin to look at competing in the regional or national leagues. 

The Titans currently use the sports hall facilities at Manchester Metropolitan University campus in Crewe and are looking to make this the long term training facility with the possibility of on site storage.  

The team so far has had a wonderful response from those involved and others who have heard about it and the Titans are gaining momentum very quickly. It has attracted many people, men and women, from 18 to 53 and keeps on attracting new very enthusiastic members. It is a very exciting and worthwhile venture for the NMC to develop and we hope it will continue to grow into a top league team in the not too distant future.

The NMC Titans are still gaining momentum in preparation to become a regular fixture in the NMC calendar. The team is very grateful for all the money that has been put towards the running of the team and have bought the necessary equipment to begin regular training including sets of goal posts and cones. The only thing missing now is sports chairs. As these are slightly more expensive funding them will take more time however as soon as we have them the Titans we be in full force training in preparation for a competitive future. We hope everyone can get behind the team and the NMC Titans can achieve great things. 

Are you interested in either joining as a player or coming to watch?  The Titans are the NeuroMuscular Centre team and meet at MMU, Crewe Sports Hall. For details contact 01606 860911, james.taubman@nmcentre.com, bryn.edwards@nmcentre.com or see James Taubman or Bryn Edwards at the NMC

Exercise in the NeuroMuscular Centre

Here at the NMC we encourage everyone to exercise to the best of their ability and are set up to accommodate all activity levels. Previously it was thought that doing exercise as somebody with a neuromuscular condition would ultimately do more damage than it would good. However now the research is beginning to show that exercising at the right level for the right amount of time can have huge benefits.  

Some of the benefits of exercise include;  
* Maintaining range of motion in muscles and around joints, as the body moves during the exercises it is stretching the muscles and lubricating the joints. Recent studies have shown that exercise can have a similar effect on the muscles as stretching in terms of maintaining elasticity.  
* Improved muscle strength. Regular exercise will cause any muscles used to change and adapt. Exercising regularly against resistance will cause the muscles to get stronger allowing them to cope with the resistance applied. 
* Improved cardiovascular fitness. As the body is put through exercise the heart and lungs have to work at an increased rate to supply the body with enough oxygen to function. Doing this for a prolonged time can have long term benefits of the heart and lungs being more efficient, reducing heart rate and blood pressure. 
* Weight loss. Regular exercise is a key factor in aiding weight loss and when coupled with a healthy and balanced diet can show fast, healthy results. 
* Anti-depressant. Chemicals in the brain called endorphins which create the feeling of pleasure are released during exercise. This can have an antidepressant effect for an individual. 

 
Here at the NMC, the Physiotherapy team will be able to guide you through appropriate exercises and gradually build up your activity level as your fitness increases. There is a large range of equipment available working all areas of the body.  

We have three sets of "pedals" available to use. These include both arm and leg pedals which can be adjusted to any ability using the different resistance or assistance settings giving the upper and lower limb muscle groups a great workout and challenging the cardiovascular system to provide for the body. Anybody is able to use them whether in a wheelchair or able to walk. 

The cross trainer is a very clever piece of equipment allowing users to stand upright fully supported around all the major joints. It requires a Nordic ski movement, similar to a walk but with no bend at the knees. This is a full body workout which will activate every muscle and work the cardiovascular system to a high level. 

The recumbent bike is similar to the leg pedals however is only available to non-wheelchair users and focuses on lower limb muscle groups and the cardiovascular system. 

The rower is a current favourite in the department. Fully adaptable to all service users it pushes the cardiovascular system more than other machines. The resistance can be changed to suit any level of activity giving the whole body a very beneficial challenge. 

The department is always getting new equipment and is soon to be getting an accessible gym full of machines and spaces to exercise safely under the supervision of the physiotherapy team. If you or anyone who uses the centre is interested in exercising regularly do not hesitate to ask the physio team for any help or advice. 

Bryn Edwards  

Stadium Design Research

Would you like to participate in research to explore stadium design  and the facilities needed  to enable independent wheelchair access to sporting events?

What represents meaningful provision for wheelchair users in English football stadia?
JEANETTE DODD, Doctoral Researcher, SURFACE Inclusive Design Research Group
School of the Built Environment (SOBE), University of Salford.

Jeanette Dodd, who has FSH MD, is recruiting for participants in her Ph.D research at the University of Salford. If you use a wheelchair to attend, or try to attend, live events at football stadia, are aged 16 or over and would be like to take part, then please contact her at the email address below.

The aim of her PhD. research is to examine what represents meaningful provision for wheelchair users in English football stadia, identifying features that can act as barriers to limit accessibility, or which can enhance accessibility and promote inclusion. The objectives are to:

1. Appraise how society views disability and how society is including and excluding wheelchair users;
2. Assess the design process, the legislation, the underpinning regulations, the guidance and how this meets the needs of wheelchair users;
3. Explore the accessibility of spectator sports and appraise the design guidance for stadia that can facilitate access to it;
4. Investigate the everyday user experience when attending, or trying to attend football stadia;
5. Understand how provision at football stadia is determined in practice;
6. Provide a critical synthesis of the extent to which the needs of wheelchair users are being met; Recommend the changes and improvements that need to be made so that wheelchair users are better accommodated in football stadia.

Jeanette will interview you to capture the everyday experiences of disabled supporters who are wheelchair users. If you have attended, or tried to attend, a live event at a football stadia as a wheelchair user, Jeanette would be interested in hearing from you. 

The NeuroMuscular Centre has kindly offered the use of a private room for the interviews, which should take between 30-45 minutes. Participation is entirely voluntary, although interviewees receive a small ‘thank you for taking part’ gift and travel expenses are paid at 45p per mile. All participants will remain anonymous. Data collected will be kept strictly confidential and will be related to your code number rather than your personal details.  If you are interested in taking part, then please get in touch. 

CONTACT DETAILS: * Email:  j.dodd3@edu.salford.ac.uk
*        Jeanette Dodd, SURFACE Inclusive Design Research Group, Room 423, 
          Maxwell Building, University of Salford, The Crescent, Salford M5 4WT

Downhill Adventures - James Taubman Sit ski

During the summer at the Neuromuscular Centre, Disability Snow Sports came to give a demonstration of the “Sit Ski” and to give our clients here the opportunity to try it out at the centre.  James was enthusiastic, and gave it a go!  A few other people in our community also tried it out and enjoyed the very positive and informative demonstration.

James wanted to take this one step further, and a week later he had booked himself at the “Chill Factore” in Manchester to make his dream a reality!  James tells me he had very little time to dwell on it which he felt was for the best!

James wrapped up warm in plenty of layers and went with his career to Chill Factore - His carer also went on the slope. The experience was a one hour session - up and down the slope roughly about eight to ten goes.

James was very confident as the staff at the Chill Factore made him feel comfortable and reassured him that his safety was paramount.

James was attached to a lift to take him to the top of the slope.  He tell me he was nervous the first time but after this he was buzzing and was ready to go again ! James also had a guide behind him doing all the steering and manoeuvring. He soon got over his fear!  He tells me It was an unforgettable experience.

James would highly recommend trying out the “Sit Skiing” at Chill Factore.  He found it something out of the ordinary.  He was also pleased that he could participate in this sport and take on the challenge and that his disability was not a barrier to him taking part in such an activity. James would like to take on a mountain and a skiing trip in the future!  Go James - we look forward to hearing all about your next adventure!

Riding For The Disabled – Susan Moore

I joined my local “Riding for the Disabled” group in 2002 at the age of 54, having never having sat on a horse before! After completing a rider application form, and a medical questionnaire (that my GP completed) I was placed on a waiting list. It was some weeks before I was offered a place to ride each week.

Getting on
The first hurdle that I had to overcome was actually getting onto a horse. I was able to stand, and with lots of help (it took four helpers) I managed to get onto the mounting block. Dismounting proved to be somewhat easier, but still required three helpers. Initially the whole procedure seemed awkward and clumsy but it soon got easier when the mounting team became familiar with the type of assistance that I required.

Some groups do have wheelchair mounting blocks with ramps and some groups have hoists. However I have not had experience of using either of these so I am unable to say how easy/difficult they are. My group now have a higher mounting block. It has an extra step but a much bigger area for rider and helper to stand on, so it does make the process much easier and safer.

First session
At my first riding session I was led on a kind, well-mannered horse at a gentle walking pace. I was riding in a group with four other riders and after a few weeks I experienced my first trot! It gave me a sense of freedom that I hadn't
experienced in a long time and I went home feeling so much better both physically and mentally. Physically my posture improves at least for the hour I am sat in the saddle, and the movement of the horse actually helps to loosen me up. Over the years I have lost even more muscle strength but with the help of an experienced, sympathetic instructor and helpers I have been managed to overcome any issues as they have occurred. Due to the muscle wasting effects of FSH I have only partial use of my right arm and learnt to ride with adapted reins that have a bar across the centre which I can hold with one hand.

Time to compete
In 2009 I competed for the first time in an "Introduction to Dressage" class at the RDA West Mercia Regional Dressage competition. As this was an introduction class I was able to do the class being led, however, I still had to do all the work without the leader influencing my movements. I achieved a second place and my first rosette!

This success spurred me on to want to do more competing and the following year I applied to the RDA national office to be profiled and graded as a para rider. This involved being assessed and classified by an RDA physiotherapist trained in the para equestrian classification system. I was graded as a 1a rider which enabled me to compete in grade 1a walk only dressage tests. The grading assessment is not dissimilar to the muscle assessments carried out by the physiotherapists at the NMC!
 
In 2011 I won the grade 1a class in the RDA Regional Dressage championship qualifying class and two months later I qualified to compete in the RDA National Championships where I gained a respectable 5th place. I qualified again in 2013 and gained 7th place. In championship qualifying classes and the championships themselves you are required to ride completely independently - it's just you and the horse alone in an empty dressage arena for what at the time, seems like an eternity.

Volunteer
As well as being a rider I am also a volunteer with my group. In 2008 I was invited to join the committee as the group’s rider representative and a few months later I became the groups Volunteer Co-ordinator, a role I continue to do today.

Being a volunteer as well as a rider, I do feel that I am giving something back, even
if it is only my time. It is very enjoyable and rewarding knowing that in a small way you are helping others to enjoy what you enjoy yourself. On occasions it can be frustrating too, but knowing that without the committee and an army of willing helpers, people like myself and my fellow riders would not be able to participate in a very enjoyable and for some, challenging activity. Last October I was approached by the chair of the West Mercia Regional committee asking if I would consider taking on the role of Regional Rider Representative. After much thought and pondering, I thought 'why not', so now I have another new challenge to get to grips with.

Why did I choose to learn to ride?
So why did I choose to take up riding? I was finally diagnosed with FSH at the age of 46 having had unexplained symptoms from birth and spending huge chunks of my childhood/teenage years backwards and forwards to various hospitals. In the same year I was also diagnosed with diabetes. At this stage I was still reasonably mobile and with my diet, managed to keep everything under control until 2001 when a sudden and rapid change in the diabetes meant I had to go on to insulin injections.  I was told some sort of gentle exercise would help too. Walking and swimming were non-starters. I was using a wheelchair outdoors and had lost partial use of one arm and I had never learnt to swim anyway. I had always wanted to ride, so it seemed like an obvious choice.  

Pleasure and enjoyment
Riding for the Disabled has given me so much pleasure and enjoyment as well as enabling me to achieve in a sport. Something I never thought possible. It has also given me some wonderful opportunities, far too many to mention and I have made many good friends along the way. All riders whether physically or severely learning impaired, young or old are on a level playing field and equal to each other. This applies whether riding in a group session or competing. To quote the RDA motto, "It's what you can do that counts".

Anyone wanting to know more about riding or volunteering with the Riding for the Disabled Association should consult the RDA National website at www.rda.org.uk

Out and About - Marc Chapman – My indoor skiing adventure

Lately I've been feeling quite of an adrenaline junkie so I started searching the internet for activities that I could try. The first thing I found was skiing at the ChillFactore, which is the home of British Paralympic snow sports. I discovered that it provided people like myself the opportunity of skiing using equipment called a sit-ski. 

As soon as I found out about it, I rang them to see how soon I could get a slot to ski. The reply was “Thursday”. I took them up on their offer. I was really excited and couldn't wait to go skiing! 

I was told that we would need to bring my sling and some warm clothing. As luck would have it, it was on a promotion at half price so instead of being £50 it was only £25! 

On the actual day we had to be there for 11:30am so we set off early to make sure that we arrived in good time. When we got there we put my sling on, ready to be hoisted onto the sit-ski. They had a hoist there. As it was my first time they took their time making sure I was comfy and strapped in securely. Once we were all satisfied that I was secure and comfy, they took me out onto the snow and to the top of the slope using the ski lift that they attached with a strap to the sit-ski. At the top it looked quite steep, I started to get butterflies in my stomach as I was excited. Please note that they don't send you down the slope on your own, you have a skier attached to the back of the sit-ski to steer, so there is nothing to worry about. 

We set off down the slope sweeping from side to side picking up speed all the way. I enjoyed it so much that once I got to the bottom I wanted to go again so off we went back up to the top. 

It was an amazing experience and one that I'll never forget, I'll definitely be going back to do it again and I highly recommend it even if it is back to full price. It's so
good it would be worth it!

Zipwire Challenge – Paul Baddeley

Earlier on this year I had a big idea but didn’t really think that it would happen! Well it did and I have lived to tell the tale. A Zip Wire challenge!!

In August along with Katherine, Bev and Chris we went to ZipWorld in North Wales to do the challenge and try and raise some money for NMC. 

On the actual day I was very nervous as it was way beyond my comfort zone. Once I was all strapped up it was time to go. Wow! We zip wired over the lake. It was totally exhilarating and hugely satisfying. I’m not sure that I would do it again though. We raised £    for NMC.