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New facilities for people with disabilities have been opened at Haverhill Leisure Centre by Haverhill athlete Caroline Maclean.

Funding of £7,300 from Activities Limited has enabled Abbeycroft Leisure, operators of Haverhill Leisure Centre, to expand its disabled facilities.

Activities Limited is a service started by Suffolk County Council to set up short breaks and activities for all Suffolk children and young people who are disabled or who have additional needs.

A new specially adapted table tennis table for people with disabilities, Polybat equipment (an adapted version of table tennis), a disability changing bed and hoist have been purchased with the funding.

It means that people with disabilities will be able to change more easily for the pool and dryside activities and, for the first time, take part in a new multi-sport club at the centre.

Caroline, who plays for the Great Britain women's wheelchair basketball squad and has competed in Paralympic Games in Sydney, Athens and Beijing, was the first to see the new specially adapted table tennis table for people with disabilities before heading off to compete in the World Indoor Wheelchair Basketball Championships in Birmingham on Wednesday, July 7.

Caroline said: “The extra facilities are really good and it is great to see extra funding to provide different facilities such as table tennis for wheelchair users.”

Sports development officer Amelia Epton said the Leisure Centre provided facilities for the disabled but the project hasd allowed the centre to expand that provision.

She said: “The new specially adapted table tennis table is a fantastic addition to the centre and I know many of our users are looking forward to being able to take part in this activity for the first time in Haverhill.”

The centre runs a regular Tuesday Club for adults with disabilities and additional needs, a multi-sport session which aims to encourage youngsters aged five to 15 with disabilities to play sport with any of their friends, and swimming groups.