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The UK’s largest Boccia Open is returning to Newcastle this November, and this year’s event is set to be the biggest yet.
On Sunday 16 November 2025, North East disability sport charity Smile Through Sport will host its 12th Boccia Open at Sport Central, Northumbria University, welcoming 120 players and 60 volunteers from across the UK.
Competitors will travel from the North East, Yorkshire, Liverpool, Scotland and Surrey to take part in 19 separate competitions, featuring players with both physical and learning disabilities. Participants range from top-level England players to first-time competitors discovering Boccia for the very first time.
Boccia is a precision ball sport, originally designed for athletes with severe physical disabilities and now played at Paralympic level. It continues to grow in popularity across all abilities – and Smile Through Sport remains at the heart of that progress.
Founder and Paralympian Stephen Miller MBE said: “It’s incredible to see how the Smile Boccia Open has continued to grow every year. We’re thrilled to welcome even more players and volunteers this year, and to see the community that has built around this event. Bringing people together through sport is what Smile is all about.”
Adding to the excitement, this year’s Boccia Open is part of a wider week of inclusive sport in the North East. On Thursday 13 November 2025, Smile Through Sport is launching a brand-new school Boccia event in partnership with the Panathlon Challenge. Over 300 children will take part across two venues – Walker Activity Dome and Gateshead Leisure Centre – giving young people the opportunity to experience inclusive sport in action.
Rachel Miller, Managing Director of Smile Through Sport, said: “The partnership with Panathlon Foundation is a fantastic addition to our Smile Boccia Open celebrations. It’s inspiring to see so many children getting involved, learning about Boccia, and understanding the power of inclusive sport.”
This year the events are support by the team from The Great Run Company.
Paul Foster, Chief Executive at The Great Run Company, said: “We are proud to support a fantastic local organisation, Smile Through Sport, whose work not only supports communities in the North East, but provides people of all ages with disabilities the chance to be active through sport.
“We’ve chosen Smile Through Sport as our official company charity for 2025 and 2026, and this week we’re helping at their School Boccia Events with 40 employees taking part in a volunteering give back day, which means Smile Through Sport can host their school event in two locations – Walker and Gateshead.
“We also have a team of volunteers from both The Great Run Company, and FilmNova, our TV production arm, volunteering at Smile Through Sport’s largest Boccia Open this Sunday at Northumbria University.”
How Smile Through Sport Improved Mobility for a Resident at Sovereign Lodge Care Home
Sovereign Lodge, a care home in Newcastle, introduced Smile Through Sport provision in May 2024, to help enhance the physical well-being and independence of its residents. One resident, in particular, experienced significant improvements in her arm and hand mobility from attending the monthly sessions. Previously unable to move her arms or hands without assistance, she now enjoys increased movement, and looks forward to each session. This is one of many stories that highlights the success and positive impact regular physical activity has on transforming individuals lives and their physical and mental well-being no matter their age or ability level.
Ann, one of the residents at Sovereign Lodge, has severe limitations in her arm and hand mobility, as a result of this Ann relies heavily on staff for assistance to carry out daily tasks, including mealtimes. This not only impacted her physical health but also her emotional well-being, as she felt dependent on others for day to day activities that most people take for granted.
After participating in several Smile Through Sport sessions, Ann has experienced remarkable improvements. Ann’s hand and arm movements have increased significantly, enabling her to perform daily activities more independently. The most notable improvement is her ability to eat without assistance, which had previously been a major challenge.
Ann says, “the activities have helped an awful lot, when I first got here I couldn’t use my hands but now I’m a lot better. I’ve noticed if I don’t do much, I get worse so it’s important to keep moving.”
Not only did Ann gain physical strength, but her emotional state also improved. She now looks forward to the sessions, enjoying the sense of accomplishment and achievement that they bring. Her increased mobility has also had a positive impact on her social interactions and overall well-being. Ann commented that “I think the activities have helped a lot of people, not just me, we all enjoy it.”
Activity Co-ordinator at Sovereign Lodge, Lesley says “we are loving Smile Through Sport here at Sov Lodge. A lot of these ladies spend a lot of their time sat still, it’s good to get Smile’s help to get them moving. A big thank you from myself and all my residents.”
The specialised provision provided by Smile has had a profound impact upon residents, the activity sessions not only improve physical movement but also restores independence, confidence and empowers individuals to take charge of daily tasks. The success seen with Ann highlights the importance of tailored, accessible activity sessions that focus on gradual improvement and positive reinforcement. The sessions have proven to be an invaluable provision at Sovereign Lodge, helping residents regain mobility, independence, and a sense of purpose, to find out more or to book sessions for your care home or organisation please contact us via info@smilethroughsport.com
At the end of 2024 Smile Through Sport undertook a Sports Coach recruitment drive to ensure we could sustain and grow Smile especially with the demand of work we were predicting in the New Year of 2025! This is where Smile discovered Lee. We were fortunate enough to interview Lee at one of our regular sessions with Journey Enterprises, who did put Lee through his paces. However we were blown away with how Lee delivered and interacted with the group especially just meeting them for the first time and of course the pressures of being in an interview situation.
That was it, Smile were delighted to offer Lee a role within the team and Lee started his coaching career with us in January. Since starting he has hit the ground running, delivering across the board from SEN schools, community sessions, day centres and care homes. Lee is certainly a great addition to the Smile team, and hopefully you’ve had the pleasure of meeting him or will do very shortly.
We asked Lee how he was finding working for Smile, take a look at what he said….
How are you settling in?
I’ve been with the charity for about 6 weeks now and I honestly couldn’t be more chuffed with how it’s going so far.
How did you end up at Smile?
So my background is in fitness, I’m a qualified Personal Trainer and have always been passionate not just about the benefits of exercise for everyone but specifically in helping people who maybe don’t feel like physical activity is really for them either because of circumstances or a perceived lack of ability.
In my previous role I worked in a gym & helped all sorts of people, all with different circumstances but I found that helping to make exercise accessible to everyone was the most rewarding part of the job. When I left that role it was clear to me that I wanted to lean into that even further and it was actually my wife who stumbled on the newly advertised position with Smile. I mentioned to a few people that I had applied, some friends, some gym colleagues/clients, and literally every single one of them had the same reaction; “ah that’s sounds like the perfect job for you”.
Now that you’re here, how’s it going?
Like I said earlier, I’ve been with Smile for around 6 weeks and it’s been great so far. Nobody likes feeling like the new kid at school but once I’d coached at a few different places and met a few different faces I found my rhythm to the point where now, most days genuinely don’t feel like work. The great thing about sports coaching is that no two sessions are the same and there’s always something to laugh and joke about whether you’re working in a primary school, a care home or one on one.
It always makes me laugh that most participants seem to get more and more competitive as the session progresses, that’s normally a sign that things are going well and hearing the phrase “eee I didn’t think I’d be able to do that” never gets old!
Smile Through Sport is one of 18 organisations to receive funding from Sport England’s one-off Pilot Fund Award, which aims to reduce inequalities in accessing sport and physical activity, particularly for disadvantaged groups in socio-economically deprived areas.
For more details on the Pilot Fund award and other successful projects, click here.
The Smile Through Sport project will run for three years across the North East, offering 6-week activity sessions for adult groups and organisations, taster events across the region, personal training for adults with disabilities, and CPD courses for other organisations. This initiative will help empower local providers to offer more inclusive sport and physical activity opportunities.
Rachel Miller, Managing Director of Smile Through Sport, said: “We’re thrilled to receive Pilot Funding and are incredibly proud that our project was selected as one of just 18 organisations. This recognition from Sport England is a huge boost, and it will enable us to continue delivering vital support for people with SEND and disabilities across the North East. We can’t wait to see the positive impact this funding will have on participants.”
If you would like to find out more about our project, please get in touch by emailing info@smilethroughsport.com
Simon Lishman is going to compete in RideLondon at the end of May to raise money for Smile Through Sport.
As if the challenge of completing a 100-mile bike ride around the capital wasn’t hard enough, Simon underwent heart surgery not long ago, so he’s having to work hard to get ready for the event. Simon has already done over 850km in training as he gets ready for the race on the 26th of May.
This will be a huge test and everyone at Smile is very grateful that he has chosen our charity to fundraise for this year. All funds raised will greatly help us and our participants.
Smile Through Sport is heavily reliant on external funding, donations and volunteers to operate. We deliver sports sessions in communities all over the North East. We help people of all ages and abilities to participate in sport. Often working with those who have complex and severe impairments. Our services are very specialised and have a huge impact.
There are lots of great charities doing amazing work and donation requests are many these days. If you can spare anything for Simon’s challenge that would be amazing.
However, we’d be equally grateful if you could spare the time to share Simon’s Just Giving page with your network and spread the word.
The link to Simon’s Just Giving page is below. All of the money raised will go directly to Smile Through Sport and help more disabled people get the opportunity to do sport.
https://www.justgiving.com/page/simon-lishman-1701203002354
Smile Through Sport are looking to expand the team with a new and exciting job role. We are looking for a Disability Sports coach to join the team to support the delivery of new projects, sessions and events over the course of 2024 across the North East region.
We are looking for someone who is passionate about sport, disability and making a real difference to disabled peoples lives. The new post holder will be delivering a range of disability sport sessions and events to babies, children, young people, adults with SEND and their families.
Managing Director, Rachel Miller says “it’s a really exciting time for Smile, we’ve come through a really challenging period rebuilding from the impact of Covid-19. We have worked hard to secure funding to increase the opportunities heading into 2024 and this new post will allow us to grow and deliver the sessions and events planned.”
The closing date for all applications is Thursday 18th January 2024. Email us for a copy of the job advert, job description and person specification, and for all interested applicants please send a covering letter and your CV to info@smilethoughsport.com
The biggest Boccia Open across the UK ever was held in Newcastle on Sunday 12th November 2023. Smile Through Sport hosted their 10th Boccia Open, where over 120 disabled individuals and 50 volunteers participated in Boccia. Players travelled from all over the UK to compete, from the North East, Yorkshire, Liverpool, Scotland and even as far away as Surrey. The Smile Boccia Open 2023 consisted of 14 separate competitions which included players with both physical and learning disabilities. The competitors ranged from top level England players through to absolute beginners who were taking part in their first ever boccia competition.
Boccia is a disability sport that tests precision and accuracy. At a Paralympic level the sport is designed for athletes with severe physical disabilities. However, boccia is played and enjoyed by people of all abilities.
Smile founder and Paralympian, Stephen Miller MBE is extremely proud to be able to bring this event to the North East again. Stephen said ‘We are extremely grateful that we have been able to deliver this event again. To see so many people involved in Boccia is incredible and to see it in the North East is even better. Disabled people often have very limited opportunity to take part in sport and the success of our open just goes to show the demand out there. This is our 10th open and each one just gets better and better. The event makes me really proud of all the work we do at Smile.’
Tony Slater and Thomas Jackson, who has Cerebral Palsy, have participated in every one of the 10 Smile Boccia Opens and said “The Smile Open is a local, inclusive event that is always ran superbly, and its great people get the chance to mingle, and do the sport they love, while having fun too”. Tony and Thomas represented Boccia Durham a local boccia club who are currently shortlisted for club of the year in the Boccia England awards.
A big thank you to this year’s Boccia Open sponsors, Northumbria University, KJB Flooring and Nissan. The event was made possible by our sponsors and we are grateful for the continuous support we receive each year. This is the third year the event has been hosted at Sport Central, which has enable the Smile Open to grow to include more players. Smile Through Sport has really strong links with the university, with Stephen and Rachel both studying here in the past. Managing Director of Smile, Rachel Miller says “I loved my time at Northumbria University studying Sport Management. Being able to bring our flagship event back here is truly humbling. It shows how far our charity has come over the last 10 years and it is amazing to have the support of the university.”
The Smile Boccia Open would not be possible without our Smile Volunteers, or the yellow army as they like to know themselves as! A massive thank you to each and everyone who volunteered to make this year’s Smile Boccia Open another great success. Nissan provided staff to volunteer at the event, great thanks to those who attended, and we look forward to having those individuals back with us next year!
A new partnership was developed between Smile Through Sport and the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) this summer to develop tennis in the North East. We were approached to specifically looking at delivering more inclusive tennis programmes for disabled people to increase the number of people playing and trying tennis. The initial funding received focused upon delivery of inclusive tennis programmes across County Durham.
Once we received the funding in September 2023, the Smile team got to work to identify local groups and organisations in Durham who would benefit and be keen to get involved in such activities and programme. The groups who were identified included DADLG Durham, New Steps Care in the Community, Learning for Life, Direct Steps and The Sensory Place. Each organisation receives 12 weeks of tennis coached sessions by a Smile coach, as well as a tennis kit bag to enable tennis activity to sustain once the 12 weeks of delivery has ended.
We are working closely with the LTA to expanding the offer to other areas of the North East in the New Year. The aim would be to replicate the opportunities organisations in Durham have had to groups and organisations in Northumberland and Tyne & Wear.
Managing Director, Rachel Miller said “this is a fantastic partnership for both ourselves and the LTA. We have the coaches, contacts and local knowledge to deliver inclusive opportunities, and to have the additional resource and support of the funding through the LTA will have a massive impact upon the growth of activities for people with a disability in the North East. We look forward to working with the LTA in the New Year to see what other opportunities can be created for our region.”
Funding from North Tyneside Health Inequalities Fund, hosted by North Tyneside VODA and funded by North Tyneside Council and the NHS North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board was awarded to Smile Through Sport in May 2022. The funding created opportunities for disabled individuals and their families to improve their health, physical and mental wellbeing, working with disabled people at all stages of life, delivering supportive, educational and fun sport and physical activity.
Smile launched the Smile North Tyneside project in September 2022 to educate, inspire and encourage disabled individuals and their families to be active for life. We worked with disabled people to develop their knowledge and understanding of choosing healthy life choices, as well as providing them with confidence to become a part of their local community. The project engaged with 335 disabled people and family members over 133 sessions.
The project delivered specialised stay and play session for babies and toddlers with early or suspected disability diagnosis provided support and access for families from the start of their journey. These sessions allowed babies and toddlers time to explore their environment engaging in sensory activities, whilst providing a safe space for parents/carers to share experiences and offer one another support and advice. One parent said “this session is perfect for my baby to play without any explanations needs and I chat to other parents who just understand.”
For children and young people with Autism, a programme of disability specific sport and activity sessions was devised. These sessions created a safe space for individuals to participate in activity where they could express and be themselves in a supportive and non-judgemental environment. Children and young people also learnt about the importance of healthy choices and the benefits of participating in activity for their physical and mental health.
Alongside these sessions, we delivered 10 family events to work with whole family units, to engage disabled children, their siblings and parents/carers to be active. These events proved popular as all family members were all able to attend, which for some families this event style is often hard to come by. Family events included ten-pin bowling, beach day, footgolf, Tumble Gymnastic event, frame runners and forest experience session. One of our parents said “these events have be fantastic for us, we have all had great fun and it’s been amazing that we have been able to do the activities together as a family.”
Lastly we delivered sessions for adults with a disability and those adults who have been diagnosed with disability later in life. These sessions included multi-sport sessions and adapted cycling sessions. Whilst the primary aim was to provide physical activity for adults with disabilities, these sessions also allowed for support networks to be developed, and signposting to other services and support groups in the local area to be shared. Alongside these session we delivered to older people living in care homes and residential settings, to get them active and build regular physical activity into their weekly routine.
