A Southampton-based wheelchair basketball club are on the lookout for players of all abilities to join their ranks.

The Hampshire Harriers want any eager player, whether they’re disabled or not, to come along to one of their sessions at Chamberlayne Leisure Centre in Weston.

The outfit has been established for around 30 years and pride themselves on serving the local community – allowing anyone to give the fast paced sport a go.

“We welcome people of all ages and abilities,” said chairman Geoff Green. “Our youngest player is ten and our oldest is 50, so it really is for a range of people.

“It’s for everyone and that’s why we try and get out to schools and to people who may not have tried it out.

“For youngsters, it’s about independence. They realise that they’re far more capable in a chair than they thought.

“At school, some young people in wheelchairs don’t get the same opportunities in sport, but this really shows them that there are sports that they can play.

“It’s amazing to see the progress of youngsters when they play.”

There is an opportunity to go to a free taster session on Tuesday evenings.

“This is an inclusive club,” said Green, whose son Robert plays for the club. “We welcome mostly disabled people but able-bodied people are welcome as well.

“It is a tremendous sport. We would like anybody to come along.”

The Harriers have two competitive sides that both have big ambitions.

They both currently play in the third division south of the British Wheelchair Basketball League, but want to climb the ranks.

However, they need to upgrade their equipment to do so.

The team, headed by coach Terry Marsh, want to raise £30,000 to update their old set of sports wheelchairs.

Harriers often come up against teams with more modern chairs, which puts them at a disadvantage.

“We want to give the teams an opportunity to compete with other clubs,” said Green. “We have 20 chairs at the moment, but they don’t cut it.

“But we don’t get any funding anywhere, so we have to look to raise £30,000 to afford the new equipment.

To find out more visit: staging.hampshireharriers.org.uk.