Every Tuesday morning for the last two years, those in Ashburton with intellectual and physical disabilities have been coming together for a fun-filled active morning, running drills and playing netball.

Alice Breading, the Community Advisor for Sport Canterbury’s Mid Canterbury office acknowledges that “it’s an opportunity for those in our community with impairments or disabilities to get together and experience netball.”

With support from Sport Canterbury’s Tū Manawa Funding, alongside Netball New Zealand and Disability New Zealand, the No Limits Netball programme has remained free for their participants, as court costs are covered until mid-way through next year.

Mid Canterbury Netball’s Development Officer Natalie Lucas, who runs the programme says that “They are all just a great bunch of people we laugh so much. I always need a coffee afterwards because I’m so exhausted it’s just so much fun.”

“This programme is really cool because the original group that was coming from Idea Services were meeting on a Tuesday at McDonald’s for a coffee and that was their outing. Now, they come along and play some netball and get a bit of physical activity and some hand-eye coordination. They still have their coffee just after our session.”

Anna Ayers, a care support worker for one of the participants believes it has been awesome watching the participants build a community while also building on their netball skills.

“I’m just feeling really energised by it and really inspired by it, they are just such beautiful souls and I just think well what a great opportunity to have this facility here to be able to come here and do this.”

Anna hopes in the future a team from Christchurch may come down for a game against their Ashburton Crew.

“I would love to see another team come down here so that we could actually have a rival team because we are a little bit competitive now.”

One of the participants who comes along and plays weekly, says her favorite part is that “It’s something for me to do, to be active and physical.”

The idea for the programme came up as “Mid Canterbury Netball facilitates walking netball; they do that weekly. From there it sparked an interest to be able to do No Limits Netball which anyone can participate in, specifically those with disabilities or impairments” Alice recalls.

Natalie wants anyone who may have not heard of the programme is welcome to come along and get amongst it, saying “It’s all fun, you just do what you want to do so if the passing and the shooting at the start is enough that’s fine you don’t have to participate in the game, we always find something for you to do.”

“It’s all about getting involved and making netball fun.”