We congratulate our Lions player Jules Allen and past team player Dave Wilkinson on their amazing achievements at this year’s Invictus Games in the Hague – coming home with the silver medal for Team UK, narrowly missing out on gold to the team from the US.
When asked about what it meant to Jules, his response was, “Wheel chair rugby changed my life when Paul Jenkins (who was holding a help for heroes sports tester day at Bath university) and said the magic words ..you have potential .. from that moment I started to learn and love this amazing sport because it freed me from my mobility issues due to 3 spinal operations. I see the smiles from team mates and teams playing this great sport. To be part of Invictus Team UK wheelchair rugby squad was an amazing inspirational experience and to play as a team was even better. Yes we achieved the silver medal but we all won gold by just being selected to represent our country again. Thanks to Help for Heroes, the Royal British Legion and BAE Systems who supported us. We were all able to achieve our goals and now is the time to reach back and help others.”
The wider team at Bournemouth Wheelchair Rugby is now set to benefit as Jules has agreed to help coach at Bournemouth Lions. Becky Hill, Chair of Bournemouth Wheelchair Rugby said, “We are delighted to have Jules as part of our coaching team, so we can all learn from his experience and expertise. The camaraderie shown at the Invictus Games is so compelling and we certainly agree with Jules’s sentiments and share his love of the sport.”
If you’d like to find out more about wheelchair rugby and Bournemouth Lions, do get in touch. We are always open to new players and would welcome anyone with any kind of physical disability to come and give it a try. Our senior team trains on a Sunday between 10am and 1pm, at Rossmore Leisure Centre in Poole, followed by our juniors until 3pm. Anyone, both male and female, aged 8 and above (no upper age limit) is welcome and any new player can get 4 free taster sessions. Volunteers welcome too, to come and help out with physio, coaching and general lifting and shifting!
