The 'News' has launched a new campaign - Access All Areas - in a bid to improve access around Largs and surrounding area for disabled people, the elderly, and people with mobility problems.

Our campaign has been backed by Dr Paul Hart, the head of research and practice at Sense Scotland, and Zoe Maclean, who is involved with Canine Partners charity, and the North Ayrshire Access Panel. In Zoe's column this week, she writes about the Invictus Games...

"The inaugural Invictus Games were hosted in London in 2014. The idea was seeded in the mind of Prince Harry when he visited the USA in 2013. During his visit to the United States Prince Harry saw first hand how the sport forms an integral role in the rehabilitation process of injured servicemen and women and indeed anyone with a disability.

The Warrior Games in America inspired the development of the Invictus Games in the UK. In 2016 the Invictus Games is in its second year and the popularity and recognition of the Games continues to flourish.

The word ‘Invictus’ means ‘unconquered’ and embodies the fighting spirit of the wounded servicemen and women and what these remarkable individuals can achieve post injury.

The 2016 Invictus Games were hosted in Orlando, Florida and the aim of these games was to recognise the invisible psychological injures as well as physical ones. Mental health issues such as depression and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) can have just as big an effect on someone’s everyday life as a physical injury and is often not recognised by society.

The 2016 Invictus Games took place from the 8th to the 12th of May at the Walt Disney ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida. The Games featured 10 competitive sports including archery, indoor rowing, powerlifting, road cycling, sitting volleyball, swimming, track and field, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair rugby and wheelchair tennis. The events included participants from 14 different countries over 7 days of competition.

The UK team comprised 108 competitors all from different areas of the UK armed forces some competing for the first time. The team achieved an impressive 131 medals in total. 49 gold, 46 silver, and 36 bronze. Some of the sporting highlights for the UK team included wheelchair tennis and wheelchair basketball where the teams took gold.

Of course the games recognised not only the competitors but also the friends and family who have supported the participants not just during the games but on the road to recovery. When the friends and family entered the stadium for the closing ceremony they were greeted by rapturous applause.

The Games were also supported by organisations such as The Royal British Legion and Help for Heroes. These organisations assisted the competitors and their families on their journey to Orlando in finding accommodation and supplying tickets for the Games.

The UK team was praised for entering into the true spirit of the Games by loaning eight wheelchairs to athletes from other countries so that they could take part in sports such as wheelchair basketball.

In his speech at the closing ceremony, Prince Harry who is the founder of the Invictus Games, said: “The competition has been fierce with performances of the highest international standard across a number of events. What has inspired me is the courage to make it to the start line, to make it the field or to dive into the pool, motivated by the goal of giving your all – medal or no medal. You showed your families, your friends and yourselves just how far you’ve come, regardless of the result.”

It is clear that sporting events such as The Invictus Games help competitors and their families go some way towards overcoming the effects of injury and disability. The Invictus Games has become increasingly popular with audiences in Britain and across the world. This helps to change public perception of disability both physical and psychological."