It is important that all children are given the chance to take pleasure in playing sports, to go through the challenges and personal and teamwork development, to experience the fulfilment of hitting a ball or scoring a goal or crossing the finish line. There are a number children with special needs across the Buckinghamshire area who are unable to participate in mainstream sporting activities. However they are able to reap the benefits from all that sport has to offer them through the Horizon Sports Club.

Formed in 1998 by Anita Templar, the Horizon Sports Club is a registered charity that presents a matchless, highly needed after-school sports club for the Buckinghamshire area. It provides the opportunity for special needs children to develop both physically and socially through the enjoyment of participating in sport. Horizon offers new opportunities, not otherwise readily available, allowing the children to have fun and learn new skills with their peers in a safe and familiar environment.

Sports

Hosted a a number of different venues throughout the Buckinghamshire area, Horizon Sports Club offers the following sports:

• Gymnastic Skills
• Indoor Athletic Skills
• Swimming
• Tennis
• Youth Football

Children

All of the sports activities provided at Horizon are headed by coaches from the relevant governing body and each junior athlete has a one-to-one assistant.

Horizon enrols athletes from the age of 6 years right through to their teens. The club is enormously popular and the children can train with the club as long as they like; in fact, many have been with Horizon for 10 years! Since the beginning, Horizon has coached in excess of 300 children helping them to work through their difficulties with their one-to-one assistants and to develop "sporting life skills" in a fun and safe environment. This approach to the development of gross and fine motor skills through sport has been shown to benefit special needs children in their overall educational development.

Assistants

Horizon is particularly unique as it coaches students from local schools to work with special needs children from a very early age. Horizon also has assistants that have been promoted from the ranks of the sports club itself i.e. athletes who have developed their skills to such a high level they are able to coach other children attending the club.

Each assistant undertakes a number of external courses that introduces them to disability training before they start. Afterwards, they receive ongoing in-house support and training helping to build their skills of working with the children. Since 1998, Horizon has trained over 500 students providing each with the precious experience of working with disabled and challenging children. This enables them to feel confident and comfortable when encountering disability in all walks of life.

Parents

The Horizon experience is not just for the children. Through Horizon, parents have the opportunity to have a break knowing that their children are being taught physical as well as social skills in a safe and nurturing environment. Horizon gives parents the chance to meet other parents in the same situation and to forge new friendships with people who have a direct understanding of what they are experiencing.

The Horizon Mission

Horizon is committed to encouraging all Special Needs and Disabled young people to express themselves via sport and recreation by providing professional coaching opportunities at all levels.

Its overarching aim is to help the children to discover the pleasures of being involved in all aspects of sport, ranging from the satisfaction of learning new skills, to ongoing social involvement and friendship.

Fundraising and volunteers

The Horizon Sports Club is self-supporting and generates its income through a number of means including membership and course fees, donations and occasional sponsorship. At all times it needs help with fund-raising to continue to provide this desperately needed, well loved and enthusiastically received service.