BOCCIA ENGLAND: Complete 4000 Piece Jigsaw With Feet

My name is Jon, I am 44 and I have Cerebral Palsy. This means I spasm constantly. I cannot walk, I have a speech impairment and I cannot use my hands.

I am raising money for Boccia England (link), a registered Charity and the National Governing Body (NGB) for Boccia in England. They are responsible for all aspects of the sport in England, from beginner to expert, providing for all levels of participation, and are dedicated to improving the physical and emotional well-being of children and adults with disabilities through Boccia.

I play boccia (pronounced bot-cha) and I am a qualified national official. Boccia is the most inclusive sport you’ll find! It's easy to play, but harder to master!

Boccia is a Paralympic sport with no Olympic equivalent. It’s a target ball sport which tests both muscle control and accuracy. From a seated position (and therefore ideal for wheelchair users) players propel balls to land close to a white marker ball – the jack. If you’re unable to grasp and propel a ball a ramp can be used.

It’s an indoor sport, played on a court roughly the same size as a badminton court. You can compete as an individual, in a pair, or as a team of three.

I have been playing boccia on and off since 1995. When I was at school, I played for the England & Wales national squad and was shortlisted for Sydney 2000 Paralympics. Unfortunately, I left my school in 1997 and lost the support required for me to continue. It took me a long 27 years to be able to compete again. Simply playing a single ball was impossible because I had no ramp or assistant to enable me to.

I am in the BC3 classification, which is the class for the most severely disabled people. It means that they are physically unable to throw or kick the ball and need a ramp and a dedicated assistant to play. In some cases, BC3 boccia might be the only way that disabled people can express themselves because it can be played with the most basic communication such as eye movements or moving a finger.

A decent ramp typically costs £2500-£3000, and a set of Boccia balls costs nearly £300. In addition to this, the assistant needs to adhere to very strict and controlled rules when playing. I feel that this is a huge barrier for potential BC3 athletes. Disabled people might not even be able to propel a single ball because they don't have the financial or human resources to do so.

Doing a 4000 piece jigsaw is very hard for anybody. The fact that I am only using my feet is totally bonkers. You then need to add in my disability and spasms and the fact that I could unintentionally kick the whole thing. However, I am me and not many people are as bonkers and determined as I am! So yes. I'm going to do it.

Depending on my competition schedule, I plan to start this in October 2025 and it could potentially take me months!

The reason why I am raising money is because I want to help Boccia England make the sport more accessible to potential young BC3 players. This may include:

Video: Jon Khairule vs Reice Tarrant