A new wheelchair basketball club is transforming the Derry sports scene.
North West Wolves are providing a space for those with mobility issues to play sports, and also allowing others to have a go at a sport from a new perspective.
After a recent visit by Derry and Strabane District Council Mayor Sandra Duffy, the team is now going from strength to strength.
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Samantha Barr from the North West Wolves told MyDerry: "You honestly won't find one member in our club who will say that basketball hasn't changed their life, honestly it is more just a club. It's literally like a second family everyone looks out for each other.
"There was such a huge gap with sport available for people with disabilities, so we were delighted to help get this off the ground. We currently have 26 members and have started doing inclusive PE sessions in schools to try and get new members involved. Getting our name out there is so important to us, so as people know we are there."
North West Wolves did not have an easy beginning, with Covid-19 taking away a lot of the progress they made since opening in 2018.
Samantha said: "North West Wolves Wheelchair Basketball Club was started in 2018, unfortunately then covid hit, causing us to lose a few members who had to shield due to low immune systems.
"It was first started by Disability Sport NI, we were the second club in NI, there is now 6 clubs scattered all over and hopefully more in the pipeline."
North West Wolves is fully inclusive to all ages and abilities, with people coming to the club for a variety of reasons from better fitness to wanting to improve their basketball skills.
Samantha added: "We have such a wide variety of members youngest been 8 and oldest is over 50, some people come for the social aspect and others come to get see exactly how far they can go with the sport, we are happy to cater for everyone. The advantages of playing a sport is so much more than fitness the positive effects it has on mental health is phenomenal.
"Recently we invited the mayor of Derry and Strabane to try it out and the response we have had since has been very positive, a few other groups have been in touch to come and try it out."
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