Bowls International — November 2017

http://www.bowlsinternational.com November 2017 BOWLS INTERNATIONAL 39

“I think the overall highlight

is a very general one- being

included in a range of events

and being an equal and treated

as per the athletes from all the

other sports, walking alongside,

shoulder to shoulder.”

was a great atmosphere. I also was part

of a small team of athletes following the

Baton as it was taken to Westminster

Abbey on Commonwealth Day.

And finally I attended the Official

Welcome Reception of the Queens Baton

Relay where the baton came back into

England at the Amphitheatre in London

Guildhall Museum.

Unfortunately I couldn't make the

baton relay event at Leamington Spa

but it is tremendously exciting news that

Birmingham have chosen the Victoria

Park greens as the bowls venue should

they be successful in winning the bid.

What have you got coming up next?

I have a final selection process event for

the Commonwealth Games team where

we will be playing against Scotland and

Wales in test matches. The event will be

being held at Gedling in Nottingham.

I am ramping up my preparations for

the Games and spending more and more

time on the green. I had a reasonable

outdoor season winning the Disability

Bowls England National Pairs and I

also made the final day of play for the

National Singles.

I have been working hard in the gym

to improve fitness and strength and I

am pleased to say that my prosthetic

leg is now 100 per cent mechanically

functioning, following a new knee.

The Gold Coast trip in June was an

interesting experience.

The facilities are fantastic and well

deserving of being a venue for the

Commonwealth Games.

The playing surface was top quality

but wasn't quite what I was expecting,

therefore it took a little bit of transition to

get used to it.

In your role as Chariman of Disability

Bowls England, what legacy do you

hope will come from the Games?

Disability Bowls England was actually

launched following the Commonwealth

Games in Glasgow in 2014 so we are

now three years into the cycle.

We are hoping that the Gold Coast

Games will increase the profile even

more and develop the disability game

further for the next four years.

In the last three years, a talent pathway

has been developed, 250 members

have joined the Association and we are

now running both indoor and outdoor

competitions.

We have successfully secured funding

from numerous sources including the

Peter Harrison Foundation, which has

enabled us to recruit and employ two

Development Officers, Mo Monkton and

Lee Smith.

Mo and Lee’s roles are to work

with clubs, members, County Sports

Partnerships and keen volunteers to

encourage participation and development

of disabled bowlers.

The final message that I hope comes

from the Games, which is modelled by

Team England is to get across that bowls

is a fully inclusive sport.

This is shown by Team England through

the way that the whole team interacts and

engages, with us all living, competing

and training alongside each other.

What would it mean to you to be

picked for the 2018 Commonwealth

Games?

To be picked for my second

Commonwealth Games and pull on

that England shirt again would truly be

a very proud moment for me, I did not

ever expect to get there once let alone

potentially a second time.

I have some fantastic memories and

experiences of the last games in Glasgow

and to have the chance to do it all again

truly would be amazing.

Above:

His hope is that

the profile of

disability bowls

will be raised

further.

38-39_BI_ELLENFAULK_Nov2017_cc.indd 39 12/10/2017 14:31