Scotland’s first frame running hub opens at Scotstoun Stadium
Glasgow, 24, August 2023: Scotland's first frame running hub opens today (24 August, 2023) at Scotstoun Stadium.
The pioneering facility, foundation funded by Wooden Spoon, the children’s charity of rugby, will help young people with limited mobility to access frame equipment, become mobile, and foster independence through sport.
Double world champion frame runner Gavin Drysdale (22) joins Glasgow Warriors players and the rugby club’s managing director and former Scotland player Al Kellock at the event.
Formerly known as RaceRunning, frame running is a recreational activity for children and adults with mobility challenges and a para athletics event. It is a form of adaptive running which sees athletes’ bodies supported by a purpose built ‘trike’, allowing them to experience the sensation of free movement, often for the first time. The equipment features a saddle, body support but no pedals, with athletes propelling themselves against the frame with their feet and steering with their hands or arms. Children and adults with cerebral palsy form the main participation group.
The frame running equipment hub is a collaboration between Queen Margaret University (QMU), Neil's Wheel Charity, Frame Running Scotland and ACE Frame Running, along with Scottish Athletics and Scottish Disability Sport. The hub has running frames, and associated equipment, available for start-up clubs to request to hire free of charge for up to 24 months at a time. This will give the club enough time to grow a membership and raise enough funding to purchase their own equipment and will also allow current clubs to interchange frame sizes like a ‘swap shop’.
QMU has played a pivotal role in bringing frame running to the forefront of parasports by providing scientific evidence for frame running classification, a requirement for its inclusion in future Paralympics. There are currently ten clubs active across Scotland.
For Gavin Drysdale, the opening event at Scotstoun brings his journey full circle. At just five years old, he benefitted from Wooden Spoon’s support of Bobath Scotland, now Cerebral Palsy Scotland. It was there that he was recommended to try frame running for the first time. This recommendation led to Gavin being the first person in Scotland to have a running frame at age 6 years. 12 years later he won gold for Great Britain at the Para Athletics World Championships in Dubai and has successfully defended his world championship title this year in Paris.
Gavin said,
"Frame running has completely changed my life. It has given me so many opportunities over the years I never thought I would ever have. The hub will mean many more children with limited mobility will be given the chance to participate in recreation and sport and discover the joy of frame running like I did."
"With the support of Wooden Spoon, Cerebral Palsy Scotland was able to introduce me to frame running through their therapy sessions and ultimately make a young boy’s dream of participating and achieving in sport come true."
Professor Marietta van der Linden, a Human Movement Scientist at QMU, researches the impact of frame running on individuals with enduring conditions like cerebral palsy and multiple sclerosis.
Prof. van der Linden said,
"Frame running transcends mere sport; it is a means for fostering activity among children and youth constrained by limited mobility."
"Just like with bicycles, young people need several different running frame sizes as they grow and by creating a central equipment repository accessible to Scotland’s increasing number of frame running clubs, we can help to ensure a sustainable future for the sport, enriching the lives of countless children and young people."
Al Kellock, Wooden Spoon ambassador and managing director of Glasgow Warriors Rugby Club, said,
"The launch of Scotland's first frame running hub is a testament to the unifying power of sports. Wooden Spoon is proud to contribute to this transformative project that paves the way for a more inclusive and accessible future for young individuals across Scotland."
For further information contact Maggie Wright on 07801 710360 or email maggie.wright@mwa.co
