Young Peoples Sport for All Day in Westport Beautiful autumn weather assisted with the success of the Newport - Westport; Sport for all Day, held at the Sacred Heart Convent in Westport on Saturday 14th October. This event was designed to give young people of all ages an opportunity to sample and participate in active sporting activities, which they would perhaps not normally have the chance to try. Tereasa McGuire, Cathaoirleach Westport Town Council, cut the red ribbon to start the proceedings, assisted by organiser Tom Chambers and Una Kearns, also in attendance was Cllr s Martin Keane and Dave Keating, along with Charles Lambert, Sports Co-ordinator, Mayo Sports Partnership. Sporting variety was the order of the day with both outdoor and indoor activity available, and eager youthful participation in basketball, boxing and indoor soccer was evident right from the start of proceedings Also inside was an indoor bowling green and Cllr Keane and Charles Lambert were Introduced to the mysteries of throwing the jack and rolling the bowls. For the less adventurous there was face painting , music and a plentiful supply of tea, soft drinks, sweets and sandwiches, all provided by the organisers. Many local parents also attended the day and stayed on to support and assist even participating in a mum’s egg and spoon race, later in the afternoon. In a thought provoking innovation, young able bodied volunteers were given wheelchairs and shown how to operate them, while participating in sport, by safety co-ordinator Bill Hopkins. They also had the chance to negotiate exit and entrance to buildings and elevated ramps. While this was light-hearted fun, they went away with a real sense of how difficult and demanding sport and life in general can be to someone who has no option but to live life in a wheelchair. Outside the sports were racing, hop skip and jump and the almost obligatory egg (actually an onion) and spoon race. All the participants also had the opportunity in the afternoon to travel by mini bus across town to the Westport Leisure Park swimming pool for aquatic fun and games under the watchful supervision of experienced volunteers. This was a particularly useful activity as it was pointed out by Tom Chambers that living on the seaboard and surrounded by lakes and rivers; it is incumbent on us all to ensure our young people are taught how to swim. Cathal O’Connor, Rory Eade and Jerome Gannon gave an impressive display of boxing skills and the Westport Order of Malta, headed up by Patricia Gibbons and ably assisted by Shane McGuire were on hand to deal with any minor bumps and bruises. To round off the day the Wyatt Hotel hosted an evening function for the organisers and friends and any proceeds raised after expenses are going to the Special Olympics Fund, which is especially dear to organised Tom Chambers’s heart. Newport man, Tom Chambers, was delighted at the enthusiasm of the young people that attended. He was fulsome in his praise of the volunteers and committee members, whose hard work made the whole event possible. He also thanked the sponsors of the day along with the Sacred Heart School and Leisure Park management for making their venues available.