The following press release was published by Action for Blind People related to work Urban Active has delivered for their young people.

Blind and partially sighted children and young people from Newcastle will be learning how to urban surf, at the launch of their very own sports club, run by national charity, Action for Blind People. The new club, called the Newcastle Actionnaires will be the charity's 30^th Actionnaires club and will open its doors on Saturday 28^th February 2009.

Urban surfing, a new sport due to explode in popularity this summer, is a unique combination of Snowboarding (80%), Surfing (19%) and a bit of Skateboarding (1%). It uses an amazing board with only two wheels, which rotate 360 degrees allowing the board to be propelled by the rider, without having to get off the board or push along like skateboarding.

Olympic triple jumper, Jonathan Edwards gives a message of support: "The work that the Newcastle Actionnaires club is doing is fantastic. By providing so many opportunities for blind and partially sighted children to participate in sports in such a safe and fun environment, they are really making a difference to so many young people's lives."

The Actionnaires club is free to attend and will offer more than just urban surfing. The ongoing club sessions will offer a whole range of activities including football, basketball, athletics and trampolining. It is aimed at children aged eight to 16, but younger children may attend if accompanied by an adult.

Lesley Inganni, Deputy Sports Manager at Action for Blind People, comments: "Across the UK many children who are visually impaired are missing out on sport. Sport encourages fitness, self-confidence and interaction, and our Actionnaires clubs give children the chance to develop all of these, and make friends with other blind and partially sighted children at the same time. We are very excited about bringing this opportunity to children in Newcastle, and we are particularly grateful to Henshaws, RNIB, North Tyneside and Newcastle Visual Impairment Teams."

Newcastle Actionnaires will meet every 1st and 3rd Saturday of the month from 10.30am - 1.30pm. Parents and children wanting more information should contact Action for Blind People's Deputy Sports Manager, Lesley Inganni, on 07703 099 354 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
www.actionforblindpeople.org.uk