Wheelchair Basketball Club Receives £24k Donation

A wheelchair basketball club described by its members as “a family” is set to thrive, thanks to a £24,045 donation.

The funding will support the Bath Romans, a team of young wheelchair users, by covering training, coaching, and tournament costs for the next three years.

The donation also includes new home and away kits which the young players helped design and will wear at tournaments.

The donation came through Omaze, an organisation that runs charity prize draws.

Bath Romans is part of Nova Sports, a not-for-profit organisation offering inclusive sporting opportunities for young people with disabilities, neuro-divergences, and their siblings.

In just four years the club has built a strong, vibrant community of players and families.

Jenny Johnson, who co-founded Nova Sports with her husband Alex, called the funding a “fantastic boost.”

She said: “This will not only mean our players will turn up to matches looking the part and feeling confident, but the main benefit is the security it brings.

“We now know we can enter the tournament series again next season and we can commit to these kids that their club isn’t going anywhere.”

Jenny and Alex, who met while studying sport and social sciences at the University of Bath in 2012, have dedicated their lives since 2017 to developing inclusive sports programmes in the region and launched Bath Romans in 2021.

Mr Johnson, who coaches the team, said: “Many of these kids don’t join PE at school because they’re not catered for.

“We create a space where they can thrive, make friends and feel proud. They go back to school with medals and stories – it gives them something they haven’t had before.”

Chrissie, whose 14-year-old daughter Ana joined the club in 2021, said the transformation has been remarkable.