Toby’s on his way to dream sports camp
8:50am Friday 5th October 2012 in News
YOUNG Toby Comley-Excell will be powering his way to success when he heads to Portugal later this month.
The 11-year-old, who plays for Bolton Bullets, has been chosen from 4,000 youngsters to take part in a training camp for powerchair football.
He is just one of 20 children picked for the prestigious event.
His mum, 43-year-old Michelle Thomason, faced the task of raising £1,200 to send Toby to Portugal.
Thanks to a generous donation of £800 from Manchester Technologies Data Sourcing, based in Swinton, fundraising herself to the tune of £424 and another £100 raised by family friend Helen O’Callaghan, Toby’s dream will come true.
Toby and his 17-year-old brother, Ben, both have duchenne muscular dystrophy — a muscle wasting disease — but Mrs Thomason says they are spirited and happy youngsters.
She added: “We have always focused on the things they can do, not the things they can’t do. None of us is good at everything.”
Powerchair football is not a Paralympic sport — but the family hope it will become one in the next eight years.
Ms Thomason said: “We hope it will be a Paralympic sport by 2020 but there is a lot of red tape to get through before it can become one.
“Toby wants to play for the England squad, who play in the world championships, and we hope he will be able to compete in the Paralympics.”
Mrs Thomason and 46-year-old husband Ian, a police community support officer, support the boys’ involvement in powerchair football, taking them from their Swinton home to matches and giving them plenty of encouragement.
While Toby plays at national level, his brother is happier playing in the North West for Bolton Bullets.
Comments(27)
Andyroost
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9:30am Mon 24 Sep 12
macauley
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10:40am Mon 24 Sep 12
gbrabs
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11:16am Mon 24 Sep 12
macauley wrote:Obviously you haven't been to BRH for a while. A new staff car park has been created on the former Clare Court site
most people would be willing to pay more but it isa disgrace when you have to keep going round and round for ages to find a space.FACT.
freeing up space on the Redgate Way car park which is now visitors only and is only a third full at most times.
_A5HA11_
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11:45am Mon 24 Sep 12
exiled
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1:25pm Mon 24 Sep 12
Privatise the lot.
boydell
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2:14pm Mon 24 Sep 12
boydell
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2:20pm Mon 24 Sep 12
_A5HA11_ wrote:Good for you A5HA11.
get a bus to the hospital then you don’t have to worry about parking and for all you hippies out there it's a green way of travelling, you can free phone 999, there big yellow and green taxi seem to come quite quickly, i think the flashing light and sounds are cool and everyone in the road moves out the way, when you get to the hospital they take you through the front door and nurse’s come running over to help, what a service, another good thing it’s a national service and they take you to the cloesest hospital as well :-) , hahaa
Just remember the next time when you genuinely need an ambulance that some twit with the same mentality as you is probably using the ambulance as a taxi.Not laughing now, are you ??
macauley
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3:55pm Mon 24 Sep 12
gbrabs wrote:ive been there more times than you have hot dinners and still am.grabs,but being disabled this dont help people like me.so you jogg on.
macauley wrote: most people would be willing to pay more but it isa disgrace when you have to keep going round and round for ages to find a space.FACT.Obviously you haven't been to BRH for a while. A new staff car park has been created on the former Clare Court site freeing up space on the Redgate Way car park which is now visitors only and is only a third full at most times.
macauley
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4:07pm Mon 24 Sep 12
_A5HA11_ wrote:how wrong you are.just hope you dont need one because your talking bull.
get a bus to the hospital then you don’t have to worry about parking and for all you hippies out there it's a green way of travelling, you can free phone 999, there big yellow and green taxi seem to come quite quickly, i think the flashing light and sounds are cool and everyone in the road moves out the way, when you get to the hospital they take you through the front door and nurse’s come running over to help, what a service, another good thing it’s a national service and they take you to the cloesest hospital as well :-) , hahaa
macauley
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4:10pm Mon 24 Sep 12
exiled wrote:very well put.
The staff should be expected to pay the same rate as visitors. Joe Public can't afford to keep paying the parking charges for them. Privatise the lot.
macauley
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4:13pm Mon 24 Sep 12
boydell wrote:sounds fine, but try that when you are disabled.
I am a pensioner who cannot afford parking charges when visiting my friend in hospital . So I drive my car to a bus stop in the vicinity of the hospital , park up and jump on a bus with my free bus pass. I am dropped off at the hospital door. I have no parking problems such as no change or looking for a space in the rain. On leaving the hospital I get a bus outside the door straight back to my car. Problem solved !!!!
gbrabs
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4:56pm Mon 24 Sep 12
macauley wrote:Only trying to help. Ever tried using the low loading 501 bus which has wheel chair space?
gbrabs wrote:ive been there more times than you have hot dinners and still am.grabs,but being disabled this dont help people like me.so you jogg on.
macauley wrote: most people would be willing to pay more but it isa disgrace when you have to keep going round and round for ages to find a space.FACT.Obviously you haven't been to BRH for a while. A new staff car park has been created on the former Clare Court site freeing up space on the Redgate Way car park which is now visitors only and is only a third full at most times.
madmel2122
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5:56pm Mon 24 Sep 12
Ronnies27
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8:20pm Mon 24 Sep 12
The headline saying the increase is 60% is very misleading because the most popular charge the 4 hours one has only gone up 10 pence.
This story is just another example of the Bolton News's determination to destroy the hospital. This vindictive and offensive campaign is both misleading and wrong. The editor should hang his head in shame.
macauley
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8:51pm Mon 24 Sep 12
madmel2122 wrote:not everyone can get to town centre for the 501 so if you cant talk sence, keep your gob shut,everyone is not so fortunate.o.k.. p.s.how many legs have you legs have you got.?
the 501 bus service every 10 mins to hospital from bolton town centre whats stop whinging and get on the bus
macauley
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8:51pm Mon 24 Sep 12
madmel2122 wrote:not everyone can get to town centre for the 501 so if you cant talk sence, keep your gob shut,everyone is not so fortunate.o.k.. p.s.how many legs have you legs have you got.?
the 501 bus service every 10 mins to hospital from bolton town centre whats stop whinging and get on the bus
Citizen Cane
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9:07pm Mon 24 Sep 12
The UK is living way beyond its means and its time for a reality check. This level of funding is not sustainable and there is an unfair burden on both the taxpayer and future generations.
This thread also touches on pensions, benefits and public transport, all of which are only maintained by putting the same 20% proportion on the national mortgage.
Scrag ends of parking charges do nothing to resolve the real issue here.
madmel2122
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9:10pm Mon 24 Sep 12
judyben
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11:10pm Mon 24 Sep 12
exiled wrote:Why? Do you pay around £100 a month to park at work? Nobody should have to.
The staff should be expected to pay the same rate as visitors. Joe Public can't afford to keep paying the parking charges for them.
Privatise the lot.
KERAKR09
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12:23am Tue 25 Sep 12
oftbewildered2
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7:01am Tue 25 Sep 12
judyben wrote:I used to work at Bolton Town Hall - retired several years ago; however even then I used to pay nearly £500 per annum to park my car in order to go to work. I used the outer zone car parks and walked in. Bus was more expensive and less reliable
exiled wrote:Why? Do you pay around £100 a month to park at work? Nobody should have to.
The staff should be expected to pay the same rate as visitors. Joe Public can't afford to keep paying the parking charges for them.
Privatise the lot.
The Jazz
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8:29am Tue 25 Sep 12
Many people do not have the opportunity to get to RBH by bus.
Perhaps 'Citizen Cane' would be happier paying another 5% income tax to fully cover services...No?
exiled
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8:40am Tue 25 Sep 12
Point is, hospital staff should not rely on others to pay it for them, nor should the RBH spokesman overlook the charges contribute to staff parking charges. I wonder if the staff are taxed on the benefit they receive?
Wigan Trotter
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8:49am Tue 25 Sep 12
judyben
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5:51pm Tue 25 Sep 12
exiled wrote:I suppose you have a point as your staff must be taxed on the benefits they receive from their wonderful and altruistic boss . Your wee sacrifice is laudable and I am sure it gives you a nice warm feeling.. Car parking is a means of generating extra revenue from staff and visitors at the hospital--an economic but ,in my opinion, sad fact of life these days. I could bang on about how much I have to pay for parking and petrol to go to work but I still think it is a bit much at a hospital and agree with you Wigan Trotter!.
Judyben, since you asked, I pay more thn £100 to park my vehicle and it is essential for my business usage. And for the record I also pay 50% of my employees car parking to help them out, and I take a reduced salary/dividend to make the business viable so it can employ people. It's a wee sacrifice for the greater good.
Point is, hospital staff should not rely on others to pay it for them, nor should the RBH spokesman overlook the charges contribute to staff parking charges. I wonder if the staff are taxed on the benefit they receive?
Mulla89
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6:01pm Wed 26 Sep 12
oftbewildered2 says...
9:05am Mon 24 Sep 12