Chorley Phoenix Flyerz Club helping people with disabilities get active through hockey.

Chorley Pheonix Hockey Club have become the latest club across the country to set up the sessions as part of the national Flyerz programme, supported by England Hockey and charity Access Sport.

One of the aims of the programme, which is run at over 50 hockey clubs nationally, is to give families the opportunity to play together regardless of their background or circumstances.

Ande Wilding, 49, a coach at Chorley Phoenix Hockey Flyerz club, explained: “The sessions are fully inclusive and it means we can get the family fully involved and join in.

“By making it into a family affair, we have the parents and siblings taking part.

“It is something they can all do at the same time and it is great to get everyone involved and to just have fun.

“These sessions are all about getting our participants to experience the game and doing something different to the norm in a safe environment where they can get active.”

The Flyerz programme at Chorley Phoenix was only set up in September of 2021 but it’s already having a positive impact on the lives of people who take part.

Said, Wilding: “We had a young girl who came to our sessions very shy and wasn’t great at communicating which meant she couldn’t engage properly with the session.

“However, come the end of the session she was a completely different person at the end of the session and was laughing, joking and running around.

“Her mum commented she had never seen her daughter act like that in a new setting.

“It shows how the sessions are more than just hockey – they are about giving people freedom to express themselves.”

Wilding spoke on the availability of disability sports in the area and explained: “The sporting opportunities for those with disabilities in the area are few and far between and that is down to equipment, coaching and facilities so one of our coaches got in with the Flyerz team at Bolton to learn more about the work they do and with that we were able to set up our own Flyerz programme here in Chorley.”

To find out more about the Flyerz programme visit https://www.englandhockey.co.uk/play/flyerz