Windsor Ascot Maidenhead District Sports Association for the Disabled.
WAMDSAD is a registered charity number 1078742

WAMDSAD is unique in the UK and has a strong and growing national reputation. It is a sports club providing facilities for physically and sensorially disabled people in the district of The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead and surrounding areas. Our Members’ include all types of physically and sensorially disabled people covering a whole range of disabilities – the blind, the deaf, amputees, heart disease, paraplegics, tetraplegics, multiple sclerosis: the list is endless. But not only disabled people – their families and friends too, supporters, coaches, escorts, helpers, and volunteers of all sorts. See the WAMDSAD Story.

One of our key objectives is to promote awareness of disability through sport and recreation and particularly integration of disabled and able-bodied people. We have over 600 members – approximately 200 are disabled with the balance being able-bodied – coaches, escorts, helpers and families and supporters generally.

A vital element of life at WAMDSAD is about having fun. Fun through our fund-raising events, such as our Annual Marathon Wheelchair Push, and fun through a whole raft of social & fundraising events organised throughout the year - such as Quiz Nights, Charity Balls, Country & Western evenings, our renowned Christmas and New Year’s Eve parties and a whole lot more.

Formed in 1975, WAMDSAD’s policy is to try to organise any kind of sport our Members desire. Current sports activities include archery, air weapons, fishing, water-skiing, sailing, swimming and table tennis and much more. All of these are organised so that Members can take part in sport at whatever level they wish – to be highly competitive, perhaps World or Paralympic class, or just ‘have a go’ and take part in sport for fun. We also offer a wide range of other recreational activities.

WAMDSAD is a very ambitious and successful club. We are known for both our sporting endeavour and self-help. Many of our Members are international champions at European, World and Paralympic levels. In 2000, eight Members were selected for the Great Britain team at the Sydney Paralympics, returning with eight medals. These achievements reflect WAMDSAD’s objective to promote sporting excellence: - we are however equally active at the development at grass root level where our Members just wish to get involved in sport and recreation for fun.

But all our activities cost a great deal of money and as a voluntary charitable organisation fundraising is an essential element of our day-to-day life. As such WAMDSAD have to raise approximately £150,000 per year to operate. See fundraising.

We have superb facilities at Braywick, Maidenhead, second to none in the UK, with our own clubhouse built in 1982 and extended in 1996, owned and managed by Members for our Members. In 1996 we won the Top Club Award for the best sports club for the disabled in the UK and the Local Sports Council Award for the best-developed club in the district. In 2001 we were runners-up in the Sports Club of the Year Awards, organised by the Central Council of Physical Recreation for voluntary (able bodied and disabled) clubs in the UK.

WAMDSAD is managed by a Board of Directors and has a formal structure of Committees, which manage all sporting and social activities. An office is maintained at the club, staffed by Administrators and the Operations Director. See our people page.

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"Fun, friendship, opportunity"