The Olympic spirit of Basingstoke Mencap Youth Club (From Basingstoke Gazette)

The Olympic spirit of Basingstoke Mencap Youth Club

11:30am Wednesday 12th September 2012 in Local By Gazette reporter

BASINGSTOKE’S Mencap Youth Club got into the Olympic spirit by holding its own mini Olympic Games.

The youth club, made up of 22 young people aged 11-18 with learning disabilities, held the event at Popley Fields Community Centre, after receiving £400 from Kingfisher Sovereign Housing Association. The money was spent on sports equipment.

Help was also on hand from Basingstoke firm Fyffes, which provided the club with a supply of energy-boosting bananas.

The young people took part in a host of Olympic-themed events including a banana relay race, an egg and spoon race, and a javelin event using foam javelins. There was also a staff sack race. And at the end of all the effort and enterprise, mini Olympic medals were handed out to take home as a souvenir of the day.

Youth club leader Tracey Powell said: “We all had a great evening, fun-filled and with plenty of races that were inclusive so everyone could join in no matter what their degree of disability was.”