Some of Scotland’s most vulnerable children were lifted by a special visit from one of the UK’s greatest ever basketball players – six foot ten star Kieron Achara MBE.
Youngsters at children’s charity Seamab were given an introduction to basketball by the team GB veteran as the organisation continues to fundraise for dedicated sports and educational facilities.
Since retiring from competitive basketball in 2019, the 39-year-old Scot, who captained Team GB at the London 2012 Olympics and entered the 2008 NBA Draft, has focused his efforts on spreading the word of the sport and the positive impact it can have on people from all walks of life.
Pupils at Seamab school, situated in a former residential property, don’t currently have access to a gym hall, although plans for a new purpose-built school mean basketball and other indoor games could soon become a regular fixture all year round.
The charity, based in Kinross, provides residential care and education for children and young people with complex needs from across Scotland who have experienced early childhood trauma, neglect and abuse.
Pupils at Seamab school, situated in a former residential property, don’t currently have access to a gym hall, although plans for a new purpose-built school mean basketball and other indoor games could soon become a regular fixture all year round.
READ MORE: Cuddles on the curriculum At Seamab School, a hug goes a long way towards restoring children
The charity is raising £5.5 million to build the new school as part of a project backed by some of Scotland’s leading property companies, including the Chris Stewart Group and Thomas & Adamson, 3D Reid, Thomson Gray, Will Rudd and Rybka. Another £2.5m is needed to see the new school become a reality.
Achara’s visit was part of a concerted effort by the school to utilise the power of sport to improve the lives of pupils.
Scottish rugby legend Chris Paterson was recently named as the charity’s official ambassador, with members of pro rugby outfit Glasgow Warriors due to visit later this year.
The star said: “More people need to know about the impact Seamab has on people’s lives. My visit will stick with me for a long time. While the children at the school have faced unimaginable challenges, they are incredibly warm. I was struck by their joy and enthusiasm in being involved.
“Basketball has an incredible impact on people’s lives around the world; it can change lives. The sport helps young people build confidence, character and resilience. These pupils deserve access to a gym hall like every other child. We’re excited that basketball will soon become a regular activity for them. “
Chris Stewart, CEO of the private real estate investment and development firm Chris Stewart Group, is the chair of Seamab.
READ MORE: Autism in focus, and toasting preserve
He said: “We are grateful to Kieron for leading a session which was hugely enjoyable for the children. We look forward to welcoming him back to continue to foster their love for basketball in our new fit-for-purpose school.
“Our current school doesn’t have a gym hall, so the opportunities for our children to play indoor games isn’t possible. The new school gym hall, which will provide a facility for basketball, will be a key part of creating a nurturing environment.
“Our children have had traumatic starts in life and often chaotic living and educational circumstances as a result. This means they haven’t accessed the same sporting opportunities that many other children in Scotland might have.
“Like all children they are curious learners, keen to try new things. We are passionate about giving each of them access to as wide a range of opportunities as possible to see where their interests and talents lie.”
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here