Since September 1995 I have been taking a group of Adults with Learning and Physical Disabilities from the Shepway Resource Centre (formerly: - the Folkestone Social Education Centre) to the Folkestone Sports Centre to use the Dry Ski Slope most weeks on a Thursday.

They spend the day at the Ski slope so to that end we take our picnic lunch (Summer & Winter) we start the day by gathering at the Day Centre to collect all the equipment most of it scrounged from the Army when they were getting rid of their old equipment too BLESMA and disability. Which we have repaired cannibalised and bodged ever since (donations of new Equipment always appreciated!!).

The group load all the food, drinks, Ski-Bobs and Foot Skis onto the bus and trailer (as those that know me would expect I do very little) I then take them to the slope where they unload everything they loaded earlier, and I get the Slalom poles and set a course for them to practise on. Some of the group that don’t skibob every week come as the lift operators and Health and Safety team making sure skibobbers get on and off the lift safely

Brendan West kindly visited to take some photos last year but having been none to well I’m afraid I have only just got round to putting captions to them, my apologies but here they are now (please see pictures in the Gallery).

The group normally consists of 15- 17 adults’ age range between 18 & 50ish both male and female all with learning disabilities some also with physical disabilities and some behavioural problems, and a number also have epilepsy. Most were nervous to start with because of the speed, the angle and the strange surface, some were not nervous but lacked walking skills balance, co-ordination etc. Other disabilities are very diverse one lady has no use of her right arm or leg so I explained to her that she could try and strap her leg to the skibob and rest her arm on the handlebars she couldn’t manage the arm but She straps her leg to the bob herself and steers with her one good hand and achieves the same slalom courses as the other albeit not so fast she also has been off of small jumps as do most of the group. One gentleman hardly ever gets out of his wheelchair he still won’t go on the lift but he has learnt to balance on his skibob while he is towed up and down a very shallow slope There are some that will only go in a straight line (but never bump into anyone or thing!) some that won’t do what is asked never go down a set course but can turn, sideslip jump, (especially when you’re not expecting it, try to run you down and miss at the last minute, that can be a bit worrying!!!) ski to the bottom of the slope carrying their foot-ski to tell you it has come off !
The sport has definitely made a large improvement of co-ordination, balance, and mobility in all these disabilities and as a confidence builder has excelled.

Now the thank you’s.
We could not have achieved any of this without the assistance, support and co-operation of:-

Sheena the manager of the Day Centre
Jenny the manager of the Dry Slope (and her manager at Sports Centre)
Phil the dry slope technician (who always comes up with ideas solutions and modifications to the slope if necessary to enable any disability the chance to achieve)
Rob Copsey and other Instructors from the SAGB who have come to our sessions
And last but by far not the least, all the drivers and volunteers that have helped over the years.

Do you want to help? If you would like to assist in any way, time, money, equipment please contact Chris Livett.

We were able to take Darren, Peter and Malcolm to France to bob on real snow in 2001 but I’m afraid this takes a lot of funding and organising so any help to get them and others to the real stuff would be very much appreciated!

I hope to find some photos of the French Trip and will write another article on that trip later even though it was a long time ago, so watch this space as they say.

Chris Livett BEM