A BURNTWOOD packaging business has developed a new ramp to help make a sport more accessible.
Lesters worked with Loughborough University and Boccia UK to come up with the new lightweight and lower cost piece of equipment.
The Paralympic sport sees participants propel a ball with the aim of getting closest to the jack.
Some players use a ramp, with Lesters utilising a special strength corrugated fibreboard to create a “grassroots” option that it is hoped will boost participation in Boccia.
A design team led by Greg Burton turned an initial concept into reality in just 18 months. He said:
“Team GB secured its first gold medal in Boccia BC4 category when Stephen McGuire beat off the challenge of his Columbian rival in the Paralympics final in Paris – this was a real milestone moment for the sport and interest has rocketed ever since.
“Boccia ramps are traditionally heavy and expensive, making it difficult for coaches and athletes to transport them. The brief was for us to come up with a lighter, more affordable option that offers the same durable performance.
“While our core activity is large format boxes, we have significant knowledge of cardboard and its properties, which includes strength, versatility and the fact it can be fully recycled.
“Utilising the skills of our design team, state-of-the-art design software and prototyping table, we were able to deliver a solution that met all of the requirements and, importantly, could be sold for as little as £10.”
The new Boccia Ramp is robust and light enough for multiple ramps to be carried by a single coach.
It easily fits into the boot of a car and comes in a flat pack, allowing it to be set up in a matter of minutes.
Dr George Torrens, senior lecturer in industrial design and assistive products at Loughborough University, said:
“Having a transportable and affordable solution means that not only national associations can provide more ramps into schools and leisure centres, but coaches can have increased access too.
“And it opens the sport up to new avenues – care homes for instance – where sports participation can be a useful tool in keeping people fit and active.
“Through the challenges I’ve presented to Greg, I’ve tested his capabilities as a designer and between us we’ve pushed the limits of what packaging manufacturing can do.
“The results are not only sustainable, but low-cost and affordable in these times of austerity.”
“The fact that Lesters is completing the project as a not-for-profit philanthropic activity, just adds to the sense of working with people and a business that care about their community.”
The new Boccia Ramp will be available to buy in the near future through the Boccia UK website.
Greg added:
“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.
“We didn’t stop with the ramp, taking some of the lessons we learned in this project and applying them to an all-inclusive golf game. This is also proving hugely popular.”
