Matthew started Carriage Driving at five years old. A nervous and unhappy boy, he struggled at school and barely spoke to anyone outwith the family. He had no confidence after having several bad experiences trying to participate in clubs and activities.
Chariots of Fire changed everything for Matthew. They reached out to him when noone else could make contact. They persisted when everyone else gave up. They gave him confidence in the face of multiple failures. He made friends and felt accepted in a place where others were like him.
Two and a half years later he won the Scottish Champion title and went on to represent Scotland at the National Championships at Keysoe. A completely different boy.
Later that year Ryan started driving too and absolutely adores spending time up at the yard, admittedly mostly just because he can play with John! And his special foal Tinkerbell.
None of this would have been possible without Sports Driving Unlimited helping us to fund lessons and competitions and inviting the boys to be part of their driving team.
So now its time for us to pay something back in!
As part of the Chariots of Fire Challenge 2015, we will take part in a Sponsored Obstacle Course. Like while driving a pony! I KNOW! Its utter madness! And when I say WE, yes I am going to do it too, which quite frankly should be a laugh!
We will have to drive round a set of 'special challenges' that I haven't even seen yet! So we have to coordinate driving the pony with some crazy skills tests at the same time. Am slightly concerned about the amount of coordination and balance this may require!
So dig deep people! Help us pay a little something back to help other people access the fantastic opportunities we have benefited from.
