Packaging manufacturer Lesters has created a specialist ramp for a paralympic sport – made from cardboard.
The Burntwood-based firm has worked with Dr George Torrens at Loughborough University to develop a corrugated fibreboard ramp for the sport of Boccia.
The ramp has been trialled by Special Olympics Lincolnshire sports coaches over the last six months and could soon be replacing the more costly commercial alternatives currently being used by athletes.
Lesters and Dr Torrens have also developed an inclusive golf game from the same material, where players can send golf balls, Boccia/tennis balls and even bean bags down the ramp into five different holes.
Its foldable design means it can fit into a standard car boot, making it easier to transport between events and schools.
Greg Burton, Design Manager at Lesters, said: “We are always looking for ways where we can harness the power of corrugated fibreboard for the ‘greater good’ and the opportunity to produce ramps for the superb game of Boccia was too good to turn down.
“I’ve had a great relationship with Dr Torrens, Senior Lecturer in Industrial Design and Assistive Products at Loughborough University, for some time. He’s the grandfather of one of the Special Olympics athletes so had a vested interest in coming up with a solution that is effective and easy to produce.”
He went on to add: “The first challenge was coming up with the ramp that could be used by Boccia players and that’s exactly what we did, designing a 100 per cent recyclable product that delivers excellent performance yet is one tenth of the cost of existing alternatives.
“Following successful trials by a number of sports coaches, we are hoping these will be bought in volume from various UK and European suppliers and distributors.”
Boccia is a Paralympic sport related to bowls and designed for athletes with high support needs. It is played inside by propelling leather balls from a seated position to land as close as possible to a ‘jack’.
Lesters, which employs over 60 people, utilised the skills of its four-strong design team, state-of-the-art CAD design software and prototyping table, to create the all-inclusive golf game.
Clare Pattison, a sports coach at Special Olympics Lincolnshire, said: “All the athletes have been drawn to the inclusive golf game, with players queuing up to use it.
“This has massively benefited their social skills, such as taking turns and making friends, as well as helping athletes to adapt to standing sideways, with more able and confident players using a golf club and ball.”
Fellow sports coach Angela Morley added: “Families have also been more actively involved with their children whilst playing, which is a good thing. We even had a son engage with their parent for five minutes, collecting the balls off them to send down the ramp – this is astonishing considering he previously had preferred to spin around the room on his own for the entire session.”
Whilst the golf game was initially produced in low volume CAD table versions, the company has said there is the possibility to take the design into a higher volume flatbed operation if demand dictates.
Greg said: “To our knowledge this is one of the very few times that corrugated fibreboard has been used to manufacture a product that isn’t just used as packaging.
“It could open the floodgates for the industry and designers to use more of this sustainable medium in the future for other applications.”
