West Lothian Council’s cash boost to Special Olympians

Dec 31 2008 by Marjorie Kerr, West Lothian Courier

A CASH boost has been passed to sportsmen and women to help them in their bid for Olympic success.

West Lothian Council has awarded £1500 to the Lothian Special Olympics team, which is set to travel to the Special Olympics in Leicester next year to compete with athletes from around the world.

The funding, which has come from the council’s West Lothian Trust for the Benefit of People with a Disability, will go towards developing a variety of sports at local level.

The Lothian Special Olympics will work with West Lothian Council to develop a number of sports and the two parties will be meeting in the new year to create a development plan for different sports.

Council Leader Peter Johnston said: “Our athletes have been successful in competing at previous Olympic events, and West Lothian Council is proud to support the West Lothian Special Olympics team and all athletes in the Lothians.

“We are keen to assist people with a learning disability achieve their goals and dreams and I hope our contribution will help many participants take part in this world class event.

“The talented competitors and coaches are excellent role models for budding young athletes in West Lothian and across Scotland.

“With Chris Hoy’s recent achievements, this is a golden era for Scottish sport, and I hope our Special Olympians can excel in their chosen sports in 2009 and further enhance Scotland’s reputation.”

In 2007 nine West Lothian members joined the 250 strong Great Britain team and returned home with a superb haul of medals.

The local contingent helped secure ten individual gold medals, along with eight silver and one bronze, during the games in Shanghai, China, which featured over 10,000 athletes and coaches from 170 countries, competing in over 20 sports.

Yvonne Anderson, chairperson of the Lothian Special Olympics, added: “In this time of cutting back expenditure and the credit crunch, this is a very generous amount and West Lothian are the first authority to come forward and give a donation.

“I know everyone involved with the Lothian Special Olympics team will join me in thanking West Lothian Council for its generous support.”