team
The team
The interest and drive in promoting disability awareness through sport comes from the management team’s own personal experiences.
Staff
David Kelly
My name is Dave Kelly; you could say I am a blind man with a vision. This being the inclusion of all disabled people within Sport, Education and Employment in order to be of benefit to physical, mental and social wellbeing. Through this approach my aim is to support our disabled community through the transition from inactivity to activity, school leaving age to adulthood, education to meaningful employment and beyond. Through the mediums of Sport, Education and Employment, we support our community in achieving what mainstream society typically assumes impossible for someone with a disability.
As fate would have it, I have a chance in a million eye disease but I have still not won the lottery, which is roughly the same odds. I lost my sight 17 years ago at the age of 30 due to a rare eye disease called RP. I sat at home with two options moan to myself, “why me” and become depressed or act positively and think “these things happen for a reason”. Luckily, I acted on the latter.
Although my world was turned upside down I decided to re-educate myself. So after leaving school many years earlier with just a couple of CSE’s I started a new journey from absolute basic schooling to graduate. I worked my way through the education system finally culminating in a BA Hons degree in coaching and sports development along with a degree in coaching for the disabled.
If anyone had told me 10 years earlier that I would be up on stage collecting my BA Hons degree dressed in a cap and gown I’d have said they were mad and so would anyone who knew me. But with hard work, positive thoughts and a smile I succeeded in the first part of my cunning plan. The next part of the plan was now firmly in my sight.
It was after trying to find more sporting activities for myself to participate in that I became the Actionnaires Liverpool Sports Coordinator. This was run by Action For Blind People and working with them I realised there was a great need for someone to try and help break down the barriers of disability, disability stereotypes and raise awareness. I thought disability and visual awareness through sport would be a great medium to promote this and therefore DAISY UK was born.
DAISY initially stood for Disability Awareness Introducing Sport to Youngsters and developed a three pronged approach to breaking down these barriers.
* First, working with children, teachers, volunteers in schools, colleges and organisations by delivering presentations, demonstrations, participation in inclusive sports and through role modeling.
* Second, supporting children, teachers, volunteers, colleges and mainstream organisations in how to include through visual and disability awareness courses.
* Third creating pan-disability inclusive sports and activity clubs.
Due to the high quality standards of our visual and disability awareness training we have been asked to deliver courses in the work place to help long term unemployed and people on incapacity benefit back to work. These courses have been extremely successful in giving participants the confidence, self-esteem, motivation and other key personnel qualities needed to get themselves back into the work place.
Daisy UK, which has gone through transition from a voluntary organisation to a non-profit making Community Interest Company has achieved much of my vision and it was a great honour to receive two great awards in recognition of what I and the other members of Daisy UK are endeavouring to deliver.
The first award was the Radio City and Alliance and Leicester Commercial Bank Community Project of the year award and the second one was the Celebration of success award which was organised by Business Link and aimed to recognise new entrepreneurs who have succeeded in establishing businesses across Greater Merseyside.
I am of course thrilled by winning these awards, especially for my colleagues and the many volunteers who have been so beneficial in Daisy UK’s success. What we are doing is important and worthwhile but I do not wish to give sporting opportunities to young people a mere coat of paint. Remember, disabled school children of today may be the Paralympians of 2012 so long as we encourage them to get involved, increase their confidence, self esteem but most importantly facilitate fun… then and only then will my vision be clear.
Research Into the Classification of Disabled Athletes – a paper by Dave Kelly
Eva Eelen
Eva has a Masters degree in Sports Sciences and has many years coaching experience with both the able bodied and people with disabilities. She is also the Liverpool Sports Coordinator for Action for Blind People.
Dave Paterson
My story starts back in January 2007, when I was in the middle of my A levels. I had to attend a disability awareness course as part of my school requirements.
At the time I thought courses were boring, but when I sat down and listened to Dave and the daisy team they inspired me to think about disability in a fun and interesting way. Daisy UK taught me not just to turn your head away and hide from disability, not to exclude people with disability but to include everyone no matter what there disability.
Once the course had finished I got talking to Dave Kelly and he told me about how they are looking for volunteers, so I asked if I could help out and welcomed me to the team. That turned out to be one of the most life changing days of my life. When I started volunteering I went to a sports session that daisy run for blind and partially sighted kids. From that day on Dave Kelly started to train me up to be able to deliver inclusive sports sessions. Not only did Dave give me knowledge and the wisdom to deliver spots sessions but he also give me the confidence to stand up in front of a room full of people and talk. As daisy grew my volunteer role became more involved and I started helping out in the office. My job in the office was simple database and other admin roles.
I was a volunteer with daisy up until August 2009 when my role as a volunteer was changed into the role of an apprentice. Daisy UK took me on as a full time apprentice working in the office and going out helping to deliver disability awareness courses all over Liverpool. I am now being put through my NVQ level 3 to help get the qualifications I need to go to university.
Now daisy is giving me the chance to set up and run my own youth club. I helped right a funding bid and secure that funding to run my own youth club with the guidance of a good team. While setting up the youth club I will be mentored by various different employees of daisy. I will also be given the chance to mentor new volunteers and guide them in the same way the team did for me.
Daisy UK has changed my life in so many ways I will always be thankful to Dave and his incredible team.
Volunteers
Kelsey Dickman
I have been visually impaired since birth, and throughout my life it has had both negative and positive impacts. In late 2007 I lost my sight completely and my world shut down for awhile. During an inclusive sports session at my college, I met the most influential person, David Kelly.
Dave suggested I attend various events surrounding visual impairments to boost my confidence and to help me accept my blindness for what it was, as I knew I would have to.
The events I attended were marvellous for self belief and self worth. I met a lot of new people who were blind and visually impaired and they ‘opened my eyes’ to believing and understanding that having a sight problem is not as bad as it first appears.
DAISY UK has been a major part of my life. Developing my personal communication skills, helping me gain a fuller understanding of other complex disabilities and also helping me to work as a part of a team. I have learnt that I have skills to offer because of DAISY UK. Without them I’d still be just another blind girl that has nothing to look forward to.
I have to thank Dave and all his associates who have helped me make steps in the right direction for my own personal growth and development.
My aims and goals for the future are to work and live in Canada but first I need to achieve a qualification in inclusive sport deliverance and coaching. I would like to become part of the team that makes DAISY UK such a success, as I feel I have much to offer and my abundance of knowledge surrounding the transitions of being a visually impaired person are vast.
I feel I will achieve these goals by working closely with Dave, listening to advice and building on constructive criticism that will be given to me as I know I have a long way to go before I am fully ready to take on issues surrounding other disabilities.
Sharnna Kelly
I have been a volunteer with daisy UK since the age of twelve. I started helping to gain the experience of working in a different environment with different people. I like volunteering for daisy UK as I gain a lot of experience and learn something new everyday. I am now eighteen and I am studying for a NVQ level 2 in playwork with daisy UK, from this I hope to gain the qualifications I need to be able to go to university.
My experience in daisy UK has grew over the years. At first I was joining in with the group whereas now I am helping the children and young people gain the confidence they need. Daisy UK does not just help the children gain the confidence they also help the staff. I myself feel my confidence has grown a lot over the years as I have become more involved in the group.
Daisy UK has inspired me and will most probably inspire you to.
Carla Roberts
My name is Carla Roberts & one of my roles within Daisy UK is practicing in Alternative Therapy. I thoroughly enjoy working within the community, working with families, groups, individuals and enjoy sporting activities.
Alternative Therapies is a system of Health Care. It emphasises the needs to look at the whole person, including physical, mental, emotional, social & spiritual aspects of health. Alternative Therapies focus on education & responsibility for personal efforts to achieve balance & well-being. Also known as Holistic or ‘Wholistic,’ healing addresses all parts of the individual. It is an ongoing journey of discovery & ultimately, living better, being healthier & striving for wholeness.
It is my intention to use therapies to help young people, families & individuals in learning the importance of tending to relationships, caring for our planet, environment & having compassion for humankind in general. This in turn helps others to accept differences & individuality amongst a diverse group of people.
I provide a variety of therapies including Indian Head Massage, Back Massage, Body Massage, Lymphatic Drainage, Hopi Ear, Reiki, Reflexology, Hypnotherapy, to name just a few. I am currently studying Counselling & Psychotherapy to incorporate this into Daisy Uk to help individuals & families through transition & overcome issues which may affect their lives.
It is known that Alternative Therapies assist in relieving stress, strain & tension that may affect an individual, enabling them to effectively have a more balanced lifestyle approach.
My personal aim is to help & support all young people, individuals & families who are touched by the ‘Daisy Experience,’ to seek tools to attract desires, success and personal fulfilment.
Hayley Williams
Before I got involved with Daisy I didn’t have much of a life and basically felt like a very old aged pensioner, but only 21 though! Daisy has helped me gain experience and now I don’t feel so lost and lonely and meet new people all the time.
The daisy team are like my family. Since joining the team I have been skiing, ice skating, shopping and talking (favorite thing to do) and also helped in anfield with kids. Its very enjoyable but now i know how hard it is to actually have a kid. I’ve met these wonderful people – Dave Eva, Sharna, JP, lil Dave, Kelsey, Amy, Mel, Joe and the rest of the team and now i have the guts to enrol to do a six week ice skating course. I also go swimming a lot now.
The team has done a lot for me and I want to help them. I just wanted to make a difference because some people with a disability or special needs need help, because they may feel isolated, or they need more confidence and support, even maybe socialise.
So Dave Kelly thank you for letting me be on your team, its really great and I’m a happier person now. To my family (team) love yas and wouldn’t know what to do without you all xxx
