Member Article

Backing Special Olympics medal bid

Fastflow Pipeline Services (FPS) was quick off the mark to donate £1,000 to The Special Olympics Gateshead Team.

The support will help the club train athletes with special learning needs and physical challenges to harness their athletic capabilities and compete in events worldwide.

A registered charity, the sporting club has qualified coaches in 10 mainstream sports; archery, athletics, boccia, cycling, football, netball, swimming, table tennis, ten pin bowling and power lifting. It operates from mainstream facilities such as Gateshead Leisure Centre and Gateshead International Stadium.

This has resulted in 47 athletes being primed to represent their region and the club travelled 1,417 miles last year to take part in 13 national and regional competitions – amassing an impressive 71 medals (29 Gold, 26 Silver and 16 Bronze). The pinnacle was the six medals won at the Special Olympics National Cycling Championships in Greater Manchester.

None of this would have been possible without generous donations such as the FPS support handed over by Managing Director, Barry McDonald, who said: “It is a pleasure to be able to help an organisation which has such a profoundly positive effect on people’s lives. I have been hugely impressed by what this club has achieved.”

Keith Hogan, Chair of Special Olympics Gateshead, added: “We are extremely grateful for Fastflow’s support which will help us to continue to attract and train athletes, building their confidence to take on and succeed in new challenges.”

Fastflow Pipeline Services - based in Washington, Tyne and Wear – looks after water networks for Anglian, Essex & Suffolk, Northumbrian and Scottish Water, supplying over 4.2 million customers. Every day, excellent water management is achieved through the use of trenchless technology, a fully computerised work management system and an award winning trunk mains cleaning process.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Paul Dobbie .