Oar-some new club at Cosmeston Lakes

A new kayaking club for people with learning difficulties is now afloat in the Vale of Glamorgan.

Paddlers can take to the water at monthly sessions at Cosmeston Lakes Country Park after ‘Special Olympics Wales’ set up the club with help from a £850 Community Chest grant.

Agreed by a panel of volunteers with support from the Vale of Glamorgan Council’s sports and play development team and the Sports Council for Wales, the grants scheme supports clubs and organisations that aim to provide new and improved opportunities for local people to take part in sports and physical activities.

Buoyed by their grant, the kayaking club organisers aim to eventually extend the sessions to set up a weekly Special Olympics kayaking club in the Vale for all year round training and competitions. Anyone aged over eight with a learning disability, and their families, are welcome to attend the new three-hour sessions, which cost £5 per person.

Impressed with the new club, the Vale of Glamorgan Council’s cabinet member for leisure and tourism, Cllr Anthony Ernest, said: "The response to the Community Chest scheme continues to grow from strength to strength in the Vale, and this kayaking club is an extremely exciting new opportunity for people with learning disabilities to either try a sport that they are completely new to, or continue to develop their ability."

To find out more about the new kayaking sessions, please call Special Olympics Wales chairman Jeff Savory on 07803 165581.

Seventeen different organisations have received a share of Community Chest grants so far this financial year in the Vale, and the maximum grant available is £1,000. If you are part of a Vale-based organisation, club or workplace and would like to discuss a potential application, please contact the Vale council’s sports and play development manager, Karen Davies, on 01446 704793 or request an application form by calling Julie Morgan on 01446 704754.