Hornets deliver Wheelchair RL sessions at Bolton School

Rochdale Hornets Wheelchair team were delighted to work in conjunction with the Hornets Sporting Foundation to deliver wheelchair rugby league taster sessions at Bolton School.

The event, which took place last week, was part of a wider initiative to get almost fifty primary schools in the Bolton area interested and knowledgeable in so-called ‘niche’ sports. 

The Rochdale Hornets wheelchair team were honoured to be invited to such an event, at a prestigious school, for a cause which would help the wider community and the sport of wheelchair rugby league in general.

The teachers took part in the king of the ring game, which involved trying to not get tagged for two minutes in a closed space before going into a competitive full-contact game of wheelchair rugby league to give the teachers a greater understanding of the sport - something they all enjoyed.

The feedback from the teachers regarding the sessions, and the sport of wheelchair rugby league, were all positive. 

The comments from the teachers involved, 'It was really fun, involving, inclusive, active, great fun and would love to give it a try’, ‘fantastic, quite eye-opening and great for inclusivity’ and ‘really enjoyed the sessions, although it was a lot tougher and demanding than I was expecting'!

Rochdale Hornets Community Development Officer Craig Fisher said: "It was a genuine pleasure to be asked to deliver tasters of wheelchair rugby league to over 50 teachers from all over Bolton and the surrounding areas. 

"It was even more of a pleasure for this to be hosted at Bolton School, which is a very prestigious and welcoming institution. I’d like to personally thank Bernadette O’Hare and Daniel Ladd for their hospitality and help to me and the fellow Hornets staff that attended on the day.

"The teachers that took part in the sessions really engaged in the activity and showed a real interest in further delivery being done in their schools - for us this is a huge achievement. The vision now is to take the sessions further, with a view to collaborating with Bolton Council to host an inter school’s tournament. The success of the day was made with the assistance of Hornets Wheelchair players Sophie Bamford and Stephen Scott, who really put the teachers through their paces.

"We see this as hopefully the start of some strong and long-lasting links with the Bolton schools network and Bolton Council in the future, not only with Wheelchair RL, but also tag, running and SEN formatted sessions, so that all children of all abilities are given to the opportunity to access our great sport."

Everyone at Rochdale Hornets would like to send a big thank you to Bolton School for inviting us to perform these sessions, and we hope the sport of wheelchair rugby league can now grow in the Bolton area as a direct result.

Keep an eye out on our social media pages @HornetsSpF on Twitter and Rochdale Hornets Sporting Foundation on Facebook for some pictures and videos from the sessions.