Can you help Fay achieve her Paralympic dream?

By Rosalind Brookman

When Fay Hart was introduced to the Paralympic sport boccia (pronounced ‘bot-cha’) at school, she wasn’t particularly taken with it. It was only after she had moved out of her family home and into her own Hurst Green flat in 2016 that she decided joining her local boccia club would be a good way to get out and meet people. Little did she know it would soon become much more than a hobby.

Specifically designed for athletes with disabilities affecting their locomotor functions, boccia - which is similar to bowls - is played from a seated position, making it an ideal sport for Fay, who was born with cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair.

Games take place on an indoor court, and players are divided into four classifications, depending on their disability and functional ability.

Competitors, either individually or in teams, take turns throwing, kicking or using a ramp to aim their six red or blue leather balls at the white jack ball. Once all the balls have been used, points are awarded to one player or team for every ball nearer to the jack than their opponent’s closest ball.

“When I started I found it difficult as I couldn’t even throw the ball, and without my first coach Katie Gatt I don’t think I would have even got past the starting point,” says Fay. “However, I was determined to succeed, working really hard for years and finally reaching a level where I could compete.”

Selected by charity Boccia England for their Talent Pathway, through which it finds and develops future Paralympic athletes, Fay trains under the guidance of experienced coach Barry Bowden.

“He is helping me become the best I can be. We work really well together, and we have a laugh too.”

After winning bronze and silver