Our sports wheelchairs are reliable workhorses given all the activities we expect of them, so it’s no surprise they need some TLC from time to time!
Yesterday after the session we started on what is the epic task of overhauling our chair stock. (Mega shout out to the volunteers who gave even more of their Saturday to help with this!)
Sports chairs are really just like bicycles when it comes to their upkeep – lots of bolts to tigten and tires to inflate (Never mind the fact a lot of ours could also do with a good lick of paint at this point!)
We would love to make connections with some of the local #MensShed organisations, bicycle shops or college DIY courses as apart from this project, the sports wheelchairs have ongoing maintenance needs throughout the year too, which is ideal for anyone who likes to fettle bicycles!
So please do share this post as we’d love to connect with suitable volunteers who could help us out!
Remember to head over to any of our social media channels (@DundeeDragons) for the most up to date club news and information too.
Be sure to check our Facebook Page as that is where you’re most likely to find the latest posts about club activities.
As a volunteer led charity we don’t have as much time as we’d like to dedicate to our social media presence, meaning our website can lag a little when it comes to posting club news.
(This seems like the perfect point to give a shout out to all those budding social media specialists out there; we’d love to help you use your skills for good through volunteering for us! Maybe you can’t play wheelchair sport just now but you’d still like to be involved with the club? Here’s a great opportunity!)
We’ll of course do our best to update this site as regularly as possible, and please don’t worry; all contact form enquiries made through the website are answered as soon as they come in.
To be on the safe side though, head over to Facebook, have a look at the latest posts on our Page and drop us a line through Messenger.
Our bus has sadly reached the end of its working life.
We know that the cost price for a vehicle that meets our needs could be anything up to £60K so we’ve had to look at every available option we can in order to get the club moving again.
Sadly though, whilst our beloved old DragonsWagon was waiting to go to the forever home in the sky for busses, it was vandalised.
Our Bus After Vandalism 😦
This was a really sad end to what had been a faithful friend to the club, and it has greatly impacted how we were planning to offload it.
So where are we now?
The club is currently without a bus and that’s a big blow.
The minibus was a vital tool to get us to matches, local events and club outings.
Our old bus took us everywhere from Elgin to Wrexham and many stops in between, so at the moment we’re reliant on using multiple cars to complete these journeys, or where that’s not feasible we face not being able to make the journey at all.
What’s next?
Given the huge costs involved, we had to look at every avenue open to us in order to fund a new minibus.
Our options included corporate partnerships, longterm sponsorship prospects and good old fashioned bucket shaking!
We’ve been very fortunate to secure the support of a wonderfully generous corporate donor who, in partnership with a well known motoring brand have granted us almost all the funding we will need to take ownership of our own brand new, fully wheelchair accessible minibus.
This is such an exciting prospect for the club; we’re absolutely thrilled to be the recipients of such generosity, and we simply can’t wait to share more information about our donors as time goes on, and of course to get the wheels of the new bus turning!
So why do we need your help?
Despite all this exciting news, there’s still one major hurdle to overcome.
We still need to raise approximately £10,000 to meet the remainder of the purchase costs.
Being 90% of the way to the target is a fantastic feeling, but it doesn’t see us over the line, and until we can hand over all of the costs, we won’t be able to call the bus our own.
We know that everyone is tight for cash just now.
It’s a difficult time for the entire community and that makes it all the harder for us to ask for your help.
Being this close to our target and not being able to see it through would be a devastating blow to the club, and so we’re appealing to all our friends and supporters to help us get our bus.
Specifically we’re asking that if you can support us, you to donate to our KiltWalk Team Page.
The fabulous folks at The Hunter Foundation will top up any donation by 50% meaning any pennies you can spare will go even further!
You can find our Club Page below, where you can follow the team as they prepare for their walks on 21st August, and where you can donate directly to their efforts.
We know this is a big ask, but you can be sure that when the new bus arrives it will straightway be put to use taking the Dragons Family all across the U.K. to participate in Wheelchair Sporting events.
Our members have told us how they’ve missed the camaraderie of being together on the bus, travelling to events that help boost their confidence, improve their physical and mental health and most of all provide a fun and consistent way to live their lives fully embracing the Dragons’ motto of #AllAboutAbility.
So please, if you can spare a few pounds to help us make that a reality once more, head over to our fundraising page.
This issue features lots of club updates (We’ve been very busy!), the inside scoop on our surfing trip and an interview with our wonderful trustee Brian McArtney.
We have some very exciting news to share with you all…. Baillie Gifford, who are an independent investment business based in Edinburgh have been incredibly generous and donated to the club. Their funding will support our club coordinator to continue in their role, which is vital for the growth and day to day running of the club. This ultimately allows us to change even more lives through sport! As you can probably all guess we are over the moon, here is what our chairperson Elizabeth Ferris had to say about the donation ….
“We were absolutely bowled over with the news of Baillie Gifford’s generous donation to the club.
It honestly took me a little while to digest it when I first heard – what a fantastic gift!
Every penny of this money will go to ensuring we can continue to provide active wheelchair sport for all; and specifically in this “new normal” we all find ourselves in just now – having such support means more to the club than words can say”
As a result of amazing support from the Scottish Government and STV Children’s Appeal Winter Support Fund, we are delighted to be teaming up with Helen Singleton (Lotus Lily Yoga) and Cal Owens (Caledonia Fitness) to deliver some new online sessions for all ages and abilities.
Helen will be running adaptive yoga sessions every second Wednesday at 7pm, starting on the 10th February. Read her bio below!
Cal will be running strength and conditioning sessions every second Saturday at 11am, starting on the 20th February. Read his bio below!
Dundee Dragons Wheelchair Sports 