Oliver Thomason joined Wood at Birchwood Park back in 2018, following a successful placement through ‘Workfit’, a project from the Downs Syndrome Association which aims to connect employers and employees.
Andy Bowen, operations manager in Wood’s nuclear business, joined forces with the project and following a successful 12-week placement, Oliver is now a permanent and vital member of their facilities team.
But Oliver’s job with Wood is only one string to his bow. Oliver and his brother, Craig, have shared a life-long passion for sport, including supporting Warrington Wolves in Super League. However, Oliver’s condition meant that after leaving school, he had no opportunity to play rugby competitively.
Instead, his participation was limited to his role as a volunteer, helping to deliver rugby league sessions at a youth club and as a learning disability coach in a local school. When Craig became the disability development manager at the Warrington Wolves Foundation, he found himself in a position to do something to ensure that his brother had the same opportunity to play as his peers. And so the idea of the disability rugby league was born.
Oliver and his friends were eager to form a team and embark on some matches but finding a team to play against proved more difficult. However, teams including Wakefield, St. Helens and Widnes soon got involved and signed up to the programme, taking on board the rules of how the non-contact game is played. At Anfield, the iconic 54,000-seat home of Liverpool Football Club, on Magic Weekend, Super League’s showcase event, the Community Integrated Care Super League competition was officially launched with about 160 players taking part.
The event provided the opportunity for men, women, boys and girls to realise their dreams as well as tackling issues around social isolation and perceptions of learning disabilities.
Oliver really is a shining example of someone who is living the fullest life possible. For more information, visit: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/49882367 and http://www.dsworkfit.org.uk/
