Fifteen people from South Ayrshire with physical disabilities, the youngest aged in their 20's and the oldest in their 50's, have all successfully graduated from a 'Class Diamonds' course which was held in the Citadel in Ayr.

The 'Class Diamonds' initiative was originally launched in September 2002, to encourage people approaching, or in retirement to remain active in their homes and in the communities. The course aims to encourage exercise, activity, and raise health and safety awareness, and have been successfully run throughout South Ayrshire.

Following contact with the Ayrshire Independent Living Network and the Disability Forum it became very clear that many people with physical disabilities would benefit from the course, and had intimated that they would like to take part in the initiative.

South Ayrshire Community Safety Partnership who fund the course, South Ayrshire Access to Sport who provided specialised equipment for the course and the Council's Sports Development Team worked in partnership to specially tailor a course to meet the needs of people with physical disabilities.

The Chair of South Ayrshire Community Safety Partnership, Councillor Douglas Campbell presented each participant with a certificate at the last class and said:

"I would like to congratulate the class, each of whom completed the course.

"The range of activities and topics covered in the 'Class Diamonds' course is always interesting and varied, and this course has been no exception.

"I believe that it is important that people with physical disabilities have the same opportunities to participate in initiatives as everyone else. The fact that this course only required fine tuning to enable full participation shows what can be achieved with some hard work and determination.

"Members of the class have already said that they are going to continue with their exercise class every Thursday afternoon, and this clearly demonstrates how successful 'Class Diamonds' has been."

Everyone in the class had an opportunity to try a range of specially adapted activities including curling , bowling, Tai Chi and yoga.

There were a number of presentations on a variety of health and safety topics including:

• Bogus callers
• Fire safety
• Healthy eating
• Taking medication safely
• Coping with stress

Everyone taking part in the course kept a diary and many recorded what had impressed them about the course. One participant said: "I was a bit apprehensive about the course but it was not about disabilities or age it was a group of people coming together in harmony, too feel a sense of achievement and appreciation of each other." Another class member said: "The team were very good and there was no pressure to exceed our capabilities."

Following the success of this course it has been decided to develop a 'Class Diamonds' course which will be tailored to the needs of people who require learning support.

Anyone who would like more information about FREE 'Class Diamonds' classes should contact Pamela Macrae, Public Health Co-ordinator, telephone number 01292 513867.

November 2005