Stephen McGuire, Chatelherault Country Park, South Lanarkshire

This park is special to me, not just for its stunning scenery, but for precious preparation time for competing in Boccia.

Stephen McGuire – or Steph for short - is a Great Britain Paralympian with muscular dystrophy on the Boccia UK team. A fearsome competitor, Steph’s career highlights include winning individual World Champion in 2016 and individual European Champion in 2017 and 2021. He made his Paralympic debut at London 2012 where he competed alongside his brother, Peter, and has since competed at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020. In 2022, he overcame serious injury and after breaking his knee and femur at the start of the year, earned himself a place in the 2022 World Championships squad in Rio.

“Chatelherault Country Park in my eyes is the most beautiful park in South Lanarkshire. I live within walking distance which means I go there multiple times every week. This park is special to me, not just for its stunning scenery, but for precious preparation time for competing in Boccia.
The day before I leave to compete, I have a routine where my fiancée & coach Michaela and I walk around. We discuss the week ahead, focus mainly on how I'm playing, what I need to do when I arrive at the competition. Boccia is highly tactical sport, matches often come down to millimetres. As a result, we use this time to prepare and plan tactics for specific athletes.

Chatelherault offers stunning buildings where you'll find many people enjoying the views, relaxing on the lawn and having a picnic. However, further around the trail you can walk for miles without seeing anyone. It's a got something for everyone. Another wonderful element of the park is its accessibility. There are trails which are step-free and fully wheelchair accessible. Of course, there are river trails which are not accessible, but having the balance where disabled people can enjoy Chatelherault is beautiful.”

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