Resident at Plas Hyfryd in Caerphilly recalls paralympic medal success

A resident has shared her journey to becoming a paralympic medallist in lawn bowling after losing her eyesight.

Mary Gittins, 84, was born with retinitis pigmentosa, an eye disease which leads to gradual loss of vision and sometimes blindness.

Mary, who lives at Plas Hyfryd in Caerphilly – an Extra Care community provided by United Welsh – was forced to stop work as a pharmacy dispenser at the age of 43 when she began to lose her sight and was registered blind.

But thanks to Operation Sport, a programme which was aimed at supporting people not in work, Mary turned to lawn bowls, a sport she had never played before.

“I said, I can’t do bowling, I can’t see,” Mary said.

“They said, we will wear light, white clothing and then you will be able to see where the jack is.”

Soon, Mary found she had a previously undiscovered talent when she took part in a competition for visually-impaired bowlers – and won on her debut.

She was then chosen to represent Wales in regional bowling championships across the UK, before being selected to compete in world championships in New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Africa three times and Asia.

Her performance in the 1995 World Championships earned her a place to represent Great Britain at the Paralympic Games in Atlanta the following year.

The Games were not without challenges – with a lack of training facilities, Mary said Team GB turned a golf course into a bowling green in the days leading up to the Games, while it was also the first time that they had bowled on artificial grass.

But Mary said it was a “wonderful experience”.

“You mixed with so many people, from all of the different countries,” she added.

“I remember the opening ceremony. There was so much happening, so many people, and then the closing ceremony was like a big carnival.

“It was very special.”

Team Great Britain went on to win the most medals in the lawn bowls competition, with Mary winning a bronze medal.

It marked an incredible achievement for someone who had risen to the top of her paralympic sport so quickly.

“I was feeling so down when I had finished work, that Operation Sport saved me in a sense,” Mary said.

“There were a lot of people out of work at the time, so they set up Operation Sport to keep people occupied.

“It certainly did that for me. My life totally changed then, it just revolved around bowls.”

Mary, originally from Rudry, has been a resident at Plas Hyfryd for more than three years.

Plas Hyfryd allows people over the age of 50 to maintain their independence in their own homes, while having access to communal facilities and activities.

Louise Hughes, Extra Care Manager at United Welsh, said: “It is incredibly inspiring to hear the stories of our residents like Mary.

“Mary turned her hand to bowls with talent and dedication, and winning a paralympic bronze medal is an outstanding achievement.

“We are proud to be able to support Mary and all our residents in our community here at Plas Hyfryd.”

To find out more about Plas Hyfryd, visit unitedwelsh.com/plas-hyfryd/.