Three teens swept their way to first place when they represented Derian House Children’s Hospice at a kurling competition.
The Derian Dynamos – Harry Halpin, 12, of Formby, Luke McCaughery, 14, of Leyland, Felix Kuhwald, 13, of Altringham – were victorious against 15 other teams in the kurling competition at Bolton Arena.
The Panathlon kurling competition, organised by the Panathlon charity and Bolton Wanderers in the Community, brought together teams from secondary schools across the North West.
Kurling, adapted from curling which is traditionally played on ice, involves sliding weights towards a circular target and can be played in sports halls.
The Derian team were not only presented with a trophy, but each of the boys went home with a medal and will go on to compete in the North West regional finals on 19 June 2024.
Harry, the youngest of the group, said: “It was lots of fun and nice to be able to join in. When we started winning I felt proud to be part of the Derian Dynamos.”
The boy’s mums cheered the team on from the sideline.
Harry’s mum, Rachel Halpin, said: “It was great to see Harry participating with the other boys in the kurling event. He really enjoyed it and his confidence grew especially when they started winning.”
The Derian Dynamos – made up of a group of youngsters who visit Derian House Children’s Hospice – have played in Boccia and ten pin bowling competitions before, but this is the first time they have won a kurling competition.
Mel Lowe, Youth Worker at Derian House, said: “The Derian Dynamos have made Derian House proud once again. We will soon have enough trophies to fill a cabinet.
“It was a really good day; the lads were a bit nervous at first. Felix and Harry had never tried Kurling before and there weren’t many other young people in wheelchairs so the lads thought they were at a disadvantage at first.
“But that wasn’t the case at all – the lads quickly learned the game as they went along. They got very competitive and worked incredibly well as a team. They had equipment to support them to play the game, including ramps to help steer the stones. Before you knew it, they were hitting the targets and knocking other team’s stones out of the way.
“They couldn’t believe it when they realised they had won the 1st place trophy,” continued Mel.
“It was incredible to see their confidence and team work develop as the competition went on and to beat 15 teams! It was such a brilliant day. I’m so proud of them.”
Derian House, based in Astley Village, Chorley, cares for more than 400 babies, children, young people and their families from across the North West and is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
