BURNLEY Visually Impaired Sports and Athletics Club have two reasons to celebrate.

They've just won £1,000 and a bronze medal in BT's awards for community sporting achievement.

And they're now benefiting from superb facilities at Burnley's newly refurbished athletics track at Barden.

The club, set up 18 months ago by coach David Goodwin with help from the council's sports development scheme, is now thriving.

The club has 20 members aged nine to 16, who travel across the country to take part in top competition with other visually impaired athletes.

Successes so far includes six gold medals and two silvers in the Lancashire Youth Games, where competition came from able-bodied athletes.

They've also done well in national contests at Birmingham, and more success looks certain, so much so that the club has now started to attract members from as far afield as Manchester.

"Things are going great guns,"said coach David. "We are hoping that some members will soon be able to represent their country in visually impaired athletics."

Barden now provides the club, and other local outfits, with a top-class track surface for training and competition, and other facilities such as new changing rooms.

"Throwing events are a speciality for us," explained David, "and we also have high-jumpers and sprinters."

The club also runs a soccer team for visually impaired young people. If you're interested in any of the events, phone David on 716608.

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