A level 3, Essex School Games Boccia Competition will take place this week at Mark Hall Academy with VIP guest John Willis.

The competition includes a mix of both primary and secondary schools and has been designed to be inclusive, enabling all pupils to participate.

Boccia is a Paralympic sport featuring in Rio 2016 and Active Essex has invited John Willis, CEO of Power2Inspire to participate as part of his Road to Rio Challenge.

John Willis was born without hands or feet and is currently striving to complete his own Road to Rio challenge by participating in as many Olympic and Paralympic sports as possible prior to the 2016 Games. John’s next challenge with Active Essex will be joining us at our Essex Winter School Games to try out as many sports as possible.

Boccia is a target ball sport similar in principle to bowls but is played indoors with soft leather balls. It is a sport of intriguing tactics, incredible skill and nail biting tension. It was designed for athletes with severe impairments but can be enjoyed by all as a truly inclusive sport.

Cllr Gooding said: “We are proud to be able to offer more inclusive sports to schools across Essex. John is a very inspirational man and we hope events like this will give every child the confidence to play and enjoy sport.”