Page 5 - Kidz to Adultz Issue 19

for the next three years. This goes
to show the progress being made
in disability sports, and if we can raise awareness of Skiggle within the WFA’s target audience, we can grow the charity’s services even further.”
Ryan Sipple, WFA National Development Officer, said: “We are delighted to have Skiggle as one
of our National League’s Pitchside Sponsors. Skiggle is an incredible charity that strives to provide people with round-the-clock access to disability care products and equipment.”
Skiggle’s connection with
sport doesn’t just stop with The WFA. Charity ambassador, Mark Clougherty, is an Invictus Games wheelchair athletics triple gold medallist. Mark proudly took the top podium spot in the 100m, 200m, and 400m races, plus a bronze medal in the 1,500m in the Netherlands this spring.
A British Army veteran, Mark
lives in constant pain from several conditions including Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) and Rhabdomyolysis affecting his legs and hips. He also suffers from post- traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from a tour of Iraq, and credits sports and physical training as the focus he needs to keep going.
“With sport, you’re showing people that you don’t need to let your injuries or conditions hold you back,” he said. “If you’ve got a focus and you have something you can attach yourself to, there’s no reason for you
not to live with the conditions you’ve got. There’s always light at the end of the tunnel. You’ve just got to believe there’s something there to focus on and give yourself a goal to achieve.”
In the run up to the Invictus Games, Mark shared some of his training sessions on Skiggle’s social channels, which included track
work in his chair plus strength & conditioning training, weight training, and plyometric training. Invictus Games Team UK captain, Rachel Williamson, told BBC One viewers that Mark has “this power in his arms that no one has in their legs and just flies round the laps.”
After his success at the Games, Mark is hoping to take up a full-
time sports liaison and training role working with veterans and wounded or sick servicemen and women.
“Sport is good for your mental health,” he continued. “I advocate that. I’m 49 and I’ve just achieved stuff I could only have dreamed of
in the past and I want to use this to motivate people, whilst still doing it for myself. Ideally, I’d love to go to the Invictus Games next year, then come back and get involved in the hand cycling & wheelchair athletics training camps to help other people move forward and compete at future Games.
“You always want to try to achieve another goal.”
Skiggle’s SOS emergency alert service pretty much doubles as a rescue service. So, if you’re travelling to support the WFA, cheering on a loved one at a sporting event, or just enjoying a weekend away, and realise you’ve forgotten a crucial piece of equipment, you can send a free SOS alert through Skiggle asking for help among its fast-growing UK-wide membership.
For more information or to get involved with the charity, visit https://www.skiggle.co.uk
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