More than 100 staff at Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP) recently experienced inclusive sport at its best by staging an afternoon of activity alongside athletes with intellectual disabilities from local Special Olympics Great Britain clubs.
Staged at Daventry Leisure Centre in Northamptonshire, more than 25 Special Olympics GB athletes joined CCEP staff to play unified basketball, table tennis, boccia and golf alongside each other.
What’s more, Special Olympics GB Athlete Leaders and qualified coaches helped deliver the sessions, including basketball coach and Special Olympics Nottingham athlete Ben Greatbatch, table tennis coach and Athlete Leadership Team member Peter Millar of Special Olympics Ellesmere Port, Warren Clark of Warren Clark Golfing Dreams and boccia athletes and coaches from Special Olympics St Albans.
Holly Firmin, Senior Community Partnerships Manager (GB) at CCEP, said: “We have been proud partners of Special Olympics GB for more than 40 years and have regularly profiled the charity’s transformational work.
“However, with so many people in attendance at our recent supply chain conference, it was an ideal platform for staff to learn more about the challenges that people with intellectual disabilities face and how sporting activity, through Special Olympics GB, has changed their lives.
“Playing alongside athletes and trying new sports under their supervision, as coaches, was not only great fun but it helped our staff become even more connected with the charity. It’s something that we want to repeat across the country.”
To add even more to the day, in the morning at the CCEP supply chain conference at The Silverstone Wing, Special Olympics St Albans athlete and Athlete Leadership Team member Mitch Camp and Strategic Director of Growth & Legacy Laura Baxter shared their experiences with the charity on stage.
Colin Dyer, Chief Executive of Special Olympics GB, said: “This is the first time that we’ve staged a unified sports session for a partner and it’s fantastic to see how much CCEP staff enjoyed the activity and learnt from it.
“In addition to being a fantastic partner of Special Olympics GB for many years, we’re incredibly grateful to its staff for taking the time to participate in a unified session and are very excited at the future opportunities that we can deliver alongside our athletes and coaches.
“By bringing together people with and without intellectual disabilities on the same team, unified sports have proven to be a great way to develop new friendships, improve communication and create a more inclusive environment.”
Special Olympics GB uses the power of the sport to help transform the lives of people with intellectual disabilities across England, Scotland and Wales. Across the countries, more than 6,600 children and adults currently registered at its 95 accredited clubs, which are supported by 3,800 registered volunteers.