Hooray for Hilliers!

Becky Harrison writes:

Just before Christmas Swindon Bats received an incredible message from Becky Hillier letting us know that the company were going to be making a substantial donation to The Bats. We were so taken aback by the generosity and kindness of the donation we definitely couldn’t let this go by without meeting Becky and her team to say a proper thank you in person.

On Monday 22 January 2024, 18 bowlers, 8 spotters and 2 scorers from Swindon Bats met with 19 members of Hilliers Funeral Service. Needless to say there were so many of us we practically took over Tenpin with no fewer than 9 lanes needed! The evening certainly didn’t disappoint — both games were really close and very exciting.

Swindon Bats were crowned the winners on the night with 5 wins out of 9 going to the Bats on both games, just pipping Hilliers to the post.

Most importantly it was a real pleasure getting to know the Hilliers team. There was much laughter and fun when the specialist eyewear came out, and guide dogs Tyler and Robyn certainly enjoyed all the fusses from our new-found friends.

Hilliers Funeral Service do an incredibly difficult but rewarding job giving people peace and dignity in death and supporting countless grieving families in Swindon. We think they do a wonderful job and it was an honour and a privilege to play against them all.

Thank you for the fantastic donation and for taking the time out of your busy and important roles to give back and support Swindon’s blind and visually impaired community.

Zurich Christmas Challenge

On 18 December 2023, a group of our members enjoyed an evening’s indoor kurling with our Zurich Community Trust friends. We played one round of kurling, which Bats won, before tucking into sandwiches and other nibbles plus drinks, provided by the ZCT team.

After refreshments were devoured, we continued with another round of kurling. As the ZCT team won this second round, there was a deciding play-off. The final score was ZCT 2 — Bats 1.

Well done to all concerned and thanks for the refreshments and selection boxes.

A very merry Christmas to all our friends at the Zurich Community Trust — see you all again in 2024!

Bowling Is Believing

On 13 November, our friends from Zurich Community Trust played another bowling match with us. We all arrived, as usual, at around 6.45 pm and were ready to bowl by 7.

Throughout the evening, there was lots of banter amongst both teams, strikes and spares were scored and a good time was had by all.

Unfortunately, for the Zurich team, Swindon Bats won yet again with the score this time being 6.5 to 1.5 to the Zurich team.

Teams:
ZCT: Ruby, Alice, Leah, Revathi, Natasha, Harry, Hassam, and Olivia
Bats: Georgia, Pat, Shaun, Russ, Patricia, Stuart, Sue, and Glynn

Well done to everyone and thank you to Mark Flay and his volunteers for their support.

Becky and Uan Salt Path Challenge Completed!

We did it!

Myself and Uan managed to complete our very own Salt Path Challenge. We originally set ourselves a goal of 40 miles along the coastal path from Weston-super-Mare to Minehead during the last week of August — and ended up covering even more.

Day 1: Weston-super-Mare to Burnham-on-Sea — 10.5 miles (3h 30m)
We walked around 7 miles along golden sandy beaches — with the sun in the sky you could have been forgiven for thinking we were 100s of miles away abroad. The sound of the sea, seabirds, children flying kites, and the feeling of the sun on our faces made it such an enjoyable day’s walking.

Day 2: Burnham-on-Sea to Bridgwater — 11 miles (3h 30m)
We shortened this walk with some road walking. With packs weighing over 16 pounds each, the shortcut felt worth it with two more days to go. We arrived early and rested weary feet in a local pub — very welcome!

Day 3: Bridgwater to Kilve — 15.9 miles (5h 34m)
A beautifully scenic day with cross-country, coastal and country lanes — plus one hairy moment with a field of bullocks! After a speedy retreat and regroup, we made our way through lovely Somerset villages towards Lilstock and Kilve’s Jurassic beaches, enjoying the sea breeze and dramatic cliffs.

Day 4: Kilve to Minehead — 16 miles (5h 55m)
Cliffs, waterfalls, sandy and rocky beaches, woods and fields — and elevation of over 800 metres (higher than Pen y Fan!).

Total distance: 54 miles with a total walking time of 18 hours. Minehead brought huge relief to our feet — and the delight of an ice cream by the sea.

Thank you to everyone who supported and followed our journey. There’s still time to donate — no matter how big or small, it will all be very gratefully received by The Bats.

Crowdfunder: Becky and Uan Salt Path Challenge

Superhero Triathlon 2023

This event took place on 12 August 2023 at Dorney Lake, near Windsor. Unfortunately, we were unable to get a team together to take part in the triathlon, but we were invited by the Zurich Community Trust to demonstrate our bowling skills.

We left Swindon at 7.30 am sharing a coach with Zurich volunteers and triathlon enthusiasts from the Open Door Centre. The coach arrived at Dorney Lake at around 9 am while participants went to register.

In the meantime, a portable skittles alley was provided for us and was ready for action. Visitors were encouraged to have a go at bowling whilst wearing simulation glasses. The weather was changeable but everyone enjoyed the experience.

Becky and Uan Salt Path Challenge

Hello! We are a husband and wife from Swindon, Wiltshire. We are taking on a walking challenge to help raise money for the Swindon Bats.

Becky was unexpectedly registered blind in August 2021 due to a rare degenerative eye condition. Since joining the Bats in November 2022, Becky has found confidence, courage and community through sport, trips and weekly activities.

We recently listened to the audiobook The Salt Path by Raynor Winn (2019), and it inspired us to take on our own coastal challenge. We decided to walk 40 miles of the coastal path from Weston-super-Mare to Minehead, Somerset, to raise funds for Swindon Bats.

Please visit our Crowdfunder page to donate and learn more:
https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/becky-and-uan-salt-path-challenge

Para Sport Event

Four Bats members accompanied by three Zurich employees were invited to put on a Para Sports Event at Lawn Primary School on Monday 15 May 2023.

We set up three stations: Skittles, indoor Kurling, and running races along a guide rope. Each had a twist — the children took part blindfolded or wearing specialist simulation glasses to experience what sport can feel like with sight loss.

We met 60 children in total, and the guide-rope races and kurling were particularly popular. The pupils were mature, respectful and full of great questions — including one bold request to do it again every week!

Thank you to Lawn Primary School for inviting us, and to the Zurich Community Trust team for supporting a fun and educational afternoon raising awareness of visual impairment and accessible sport.

Shooting for the Stars!

Kay Kay writes: Seven VI shooters with sighted guides had a shot at firing air rifles at ETR Active target range, Cricklade, on Saturday 22 April.

Paul Sharpe, range owner, set up a fantastic free day of training and shooting. After a welcoming coffee, sighted guides learned range safety, loading and unloading, and how to zero the rifles before being paired with VI shooters.

Coaches used clear verbal guidance to help aim onto the bullseye — and everyone hit targets with ease, achieving great groupings and a few bullseyes too.

A lovely pizza lunch was provided, and Paul, his family and friends were perfect hosts. Stars of the day included sighted coach Michelle (first bullseye), and hotshots Sue and Shaun who took top marksman places for the girls and boys respectively.

A cracking day was had by all — and everyone agreed they’d do it again “like a shot”.

Harry Potter Studio Tour Trip

Becky Harrison writes: On 14 April a group of 6 Swindon Bats members, joined by 6 family and friends, embarked on a magical trip to The Warner Brothers Harry Potter Studios in London.

Barnes Coaches arranged our travel and were brilliant at catering to the group’s needs. Driver Dave was attentive and inclusive — helping us locate stops, audio-describing seating areas, and guiding us on and off the coach (Hagrid Dave!).

The studios provided a staff-guided walking tour especially for visually impaired visitors, plus digital headset guides. Our guides Nathan and Torlin were outstanding, supporting us for 6 hours through a very busy attraction.

We explored iconic sets and props — stepping onto the real Hogwarts Express, visiting Number 4 Privet Drive, pulling mandrakes in Professor Sprout’s greenhouse, levitating broomsticks, handling the Monster Book of Monsters, and experiencing effects in the Forbidden Forest.

In the words of Albus Dumbledore: “It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.”

Thanks to all supporters, every Bats member who attended had a truly enchanting experience we will treasure.

Mark Flay writes: On 23 March a group of 8 employees from Swindon took up the gauntlet to go bowling with members of the Swindon Bats.

The Zurich team wore specially designed glasses to replicate various sight impairments for some frames — it really brings home just how amazing the Bats are in the way they get on with day-to-day life.

On the night it was a draw with the teams tied on 4 points each. Thanks so much to everyone who took part — it all helps the Bats continue competing at national events.

If you’d like to get involved at future events, you can email Mark: mark.flay1@uk.zurich.com

Inter-Company 2023!

Mark Flay writes: On 9 February a group of 15 employees from Zurich Insurance UK took up the gauntlet to go bowling with 13 members of the Swindon Bats Sports & Social Club for Visually Impaired People.

We were joined by 8 employees from Openwork to ensure a bumper night of bowling over 6 lanes, competing for the Inter-Company trophy. The Zurich and Openwork teams wore simulation glasses for some frames to better understand different sight impairments.

One volunteer said: “It was fantastic and thanks so much for arranging these evenings! Well done BATS! We will be back for another challenge!!”

On the night it was a win for the Swindon Bats “All Stars” team, who beat one of the Zurich teams into 2nd place.

All of the Bats thank Mark for organising another great event.

An Evening with Swindon Coeliacs Society

On 26 January 2023, we enjoyed an evening’s bowling with a group from the Swindon Coeliac Group at Tenpin Swindon.

Two games were played with plenty of banter and cheers as strikes and spares were scored. Coeliac bowlers wore simulation glasses during frames 4–7 to experience what various eye conditions can be like.

Scores: After game 1, Swindon Bats 3 — Coeliacs 1. Game 2 ended the same, making the final score Swindon Bats 6 — Coeliacs 2.

Teams:
Swindon Coeliacs – Marian, Sue, Ken, Lou, Gareth, Pete, Cliff, and Maria
Swindon Bats – Georgia, Glynn, Stuart, Maisy, Becky, Russ, Shaun, and Andy

Highest scorers: Shaun (Bats) 195, Gareth (Coeliacs) 115.

Thank you to Swindon Coeliacs for presenting the highest scorers with a £20 Marks & Spencer gift card each — and for a very enjoyable evening. Here’s to next time, 29 June 2023!

A Fair Challenge

A team from Zurich Community Trust, led by Stacey, organised a winter bowling challenge on 23 January 2023. The challenge involved a meal at The Ridge, Swindon, followed by a tenpin bowling match at Tenpin Swindon.

We met at The Ridge at 5.30 pm and enjoyed burgers and fries with Stacey’s Zurich team. At around 7 pm, bowling began. Five lanes were booked with 2 Zurich and 2 Swindon Bats bowlers on each lane.

After the first game, the score was Zurich 3 — Bats 2. The second game went Bats 3 — Zurich 2, making the final score 5–5.

Teams:
Zurich – Jane, Tracey, Peter, Brynley, Sue, Stacey, Maria, Juliet, Caroline, and Ines
Swindon Bats – Maisy, Becky, Andy, Glynn, Georgia, Peter, Stuart, Cliff, Shaun, and Russ

Thank you to Stacey and her team for organising this event — everyone had a great time.