The positive effects of Trampolining isn’t something that often springs to mind but, in Bangor at least, a regular bounce on a trampoline is having uplifting effects for disabled children.

Bangaroos Trampolining Club has been running weekly Tuesday bounce classes for ten children with Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD) for the last year and pilot monthly sessions for adults and children with hearing impairments and physical disabilities. Following medical approval the club has also integrated several children with other impairments, such as Cerebral Palsy and Down’s Syndrome, into mainstream classes.

John Peake is Committee Member for Training at Bangaroos Trampolining Club. He has been amazed at the beneficial effects that he has witnessed through the classes.

He said: "My background is in Outdoor Pursuits and I’ve taken lots of groups of people, with varying disabilities, into the outdoors but the joyous effect that trampolining has is a remarkable thing. I think it is such a powerful medium because you have an immediate feeling of movement and excitement. It can help with such a wide range of disabilities. I hadn’t realised the wider reaching benefits. It has really opened my eyes over the last couple of years.

"Sometimes just getting a foot off the ground can be challenging but it does wonders for their confidence. We have a number of autistic participants who have managed to modify their behaviour considerably thanks to the trampoline. One guy uses a wheelchair and it has just been the highlight for him to come and bounce on the trampoline once a month."

A Community Chest grant of £1,000 from the Sports Council for Wales has helped to qualify six coaches in disability coaching. And due to the scarcity of trampolining coaches in Gwynedd, the Bangaroos have built up a strong relationship with Bangor University’s Trampolining Club, delivering training for students to help with the coaching.

John added, "The community Chest funding has been instrumental in our survival and has been a lifeline for our club. It has been difficult for the last two years when our main coach moved on, so we’ve got a lot of coaches qualified and obtaining their special needs coaching endorsements.

"We have developed a very good relationship with the Bangor University trampolining club that has worked really well. We support them with training and it looks good on their CV."

But despite the support, John admits that the regular turnover of coaches makes it difficult to maintain the classes.

He said, "We constantly have to run just to stay in the same position. We had fantastic success with local children being trained as coaches but, of course, as soon as they turn 18 what happens? They go to university. They do come back out of term time, in June and July, but we are facing a very challenging situation at the moment."

A special needs trampolining coach training session is being held at Maes Glas Leisure Centre, Bangor on Saturday 8 November from 1.30pm to 4.30pm and on Sunday 9 November from 12pm to 3.30pm. The club are looking for children with special needs to come along to the training days to act as practice performers for the trampoline coach training. Anyone interested in taking part should contact John Peake on 01248 602227.

Since the inception of the Sports Council for Wales’ Community Chest scheme in 1999, communities across the length and breadth of Wales have been investing heavily in sports and physical activity projects.

Chair of the Sports Council for Wales, Philip Carling, said:

"Community Chest has been and continues to be a huge success and is very popular throughout Gwynedd. The increase in funding and the greater scope of the scheme will increase its effectiveness.

"Panels based in each of the 22 local authorities in Wales hold the purse strings and have delegated authority to award grants to worthwhile projects. We want to hear of bright ideas and projects that will get more people in Gwynedd more active, more often."

As a result of the popularity and undoubted success of the scheme, the Sports Council for Wales is raising the level of grant. Organisations keen to develop sport and physical activity in Wales can now receive up to £1000 for a qualifying project over a 12 month period.

The scope of the scheme has also been widened. Grants have traditionally been awarded to sports clubs and sporting bodies. Now most organisations seeking to develop physical activity and sporting projects will be eligible for an award.

The Community Chest has recently been infiltrating additional areas of work such as the voluntary sector (e.g. Voluntary Youth Clubs, Women’s Institute) and the workplace, as well as continuing to support projects in the health and education arenas. So while funding the local football club might get the younger members of the community moving, backing a walking group will encourage more adults to get active.