Alison Duddy, who won silver nationally with her wheelchair curling team and who was an all star at the Nationals, was awarded Disabled Athlete of the Year by Curl BC and given a plaque to commemorate the achievement.
“I’m honoured; I really am,” Duddy said.
“I don’t feel that it belongs just to me, curling is a team sport. Without my team I couldn’t have done this.”
Ron Phillips, governor of region 5 for CurlBC presented her with the plaque in the Quesnel Curling Club.
“We’re all very proud of her,” he said.
In honour of this achievement and to help the club serve the community more holistically, the club is now in the midst of its first stage of a renovation that will see it become more accessible, not just to Duddy, but to a host of people.
Gordon Reid, chair of the committee for the project said it will be useful to many people who come through the facility, including disabled students who can’t come on field trips to the club because of it’s lack of proper washrooms and to the club’s aging members.
The club is currently looking for donations from private citizens to help fund the project. Donators will be honoured with an engraving of their name on a plaque that will be prominently displayed inside the club.
The club has committed $5,000 of its own to the renovations and needs to collect another $7,000 to be able to move ahead.
They are partnering with the adult trades students of CNC and School District 28 to help with the renovations.
Phase two is an elevator to their lounge and phase three is a renovation of the upstairs bathrooms.
After phase 1 the club will be able to host wheel chair bonspiels.
