Pupils from a special school in Abingdon had a night to remember as the World Speedway Riders’ Association Oxford Chargers reached the National League final.
Ten pupils from Kingfisher School were joined by four teachers and parents from the school, which caters for young people aged two to 19 who have severe, complex or profound needs.
After they arrived at Oxford Stadium all students had an exclusive behind the scenes tour and were able to meet the riders and receive autographs.
READ MORE: Famous Oxford pub sold to technology institute
Lorna Bee, a teacher at Kingfisher School, said: “It was the best night ever, some of the children even described their first experience of speedway as the most exciting thing they’ve done.
“The noise spoke for itself. They were cheering and shouting the whole time and after a few races they all worked out what each flag stood for.
At the end of night, students also presented the Rider of the Night Award to Henry Atkins who scored 12 points for Chargers against Edinburgh.
Lorna added: “Henry was a superstar. He and the whole team put so much time and effort into making the night enjoyable and we were fortunate to even have a sit on his machine before racing started.
“We had some reluctant readers yet at the meeting but they were really motivated to read so they could understand more about the programme, how to change the names and the scoring.”
READ MORE: Plans for city centre pub to reopen
Chargers team manager Peter Schroeck added: “We loved having Kingfisher School in the pits and trackside ahead of our National League Grand Final.
“We are so glad they enjoyed the night and we can’t wait to see the team back trackside very soon!”
Kevin Boothby reopened Oxford Stadium in April last year after the venue had been closed for a decade.
Mr Boothby invested more than £1m to return the stadium to its original state.
He said earlier: "The regeneration of Oxford Stadium is the feelgood story of the decade locally,” he said.
READ MORE: Biggest greyhound racing crowd of new era
“We’ve created employment for local people, reinstalled much-missed sports back into the community and established a six-day-a-week multi-functional hub which has brought the good times back to the Blackbird Leys and Cowley communities.
“It’s extraordinary to think the site had been earmarked for housing and it is with no doubt in my mind the stadium’s current provisions serve a far greater purpose to local people.
“Support we’ve received throughout the regeneration project has been overwhelming."
Help support trusted local news
Sign up for a digital subscription now: oxfordmail.co.uk/subscribe
As a digital subscriber you will get:
- Unlimited access to the Oxford Mail website
- Advert-light access
- Reader rewards
- Full access to our app
About the author
Andy is the Trade and Tourism reporter for the Oxford Mail and you can sign up to his newsletters for free here.
He joined the team more than 20 years ago and he covers community news across Oxfordshire.
His Trade and Tourism newsletter is released every Saturday morning.
You can also read his weekly Traffic and Transport newsletter.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here