A GENEROUS grant from supermarket Jack’s has ensured the sport of boccia stays on the timetable at Headway’s brain injury centre in Rubery.

The £250 grant will help keep the popular disability sport, similar to indoor bowls or pétanque, running at the centre.

As a precision ball sport, it requires tactical thinking and decision making and can have positive health benefits by improving flexibility and strengthening muscles as well as promoting social interaction and team spirit.

Jade Evans, sports co-ordinator at Headway Birmingham & Solihull, explained: “Boccia has long been one of the most popular sports in the charity’s Sports & Wellbeing programme as it can be enjoyed by all clients, irrespective of age or any physical issue linked to their brain injury.

“However our existing boccia set has seen better days and so we applied for a grant from the Jack’s Supports scheme to help us to buy a replacement set.”

Jack’s Supports is a scheme which donates proceeds from the sale of carrier bags to local good causes chosen by their customers at store level.

Headway’s application for a grant was reviewed and shortlisted by the local Jack’s in New Road, Rubery and then chosen to receive £250 towards the purchase of a new boccia set.

Jade continued; “We can’t thank Jack’s enough. Funding for our sports programme is always a challenge for us, and so we were really pleased to receive this grant for a new boccia set from the Jack’s Supports scheme.”

She says that the charity has purchased a good quality set that will be hard-wearing and will allow clients to compete externally, enabling them to take their good-natured rivalry in the sport to the next level.