PEOPLE with visual impairments sampled sports and games they would not normally have the chance to try at the weekend.

The event, on Saturday, saw ten people with visual impairments take part in rifle shooting and goal ball - a game similar to football.

The event at the Dolphin Centre, in Darlington, was organised by the local authority's sports and physical activity development team with the British Blind Sport organisation.

Emma Coleby, Darlington Borough Council's sport and physical activity development manager, said: "We had a group of visually impaired people who were desperate to have a go at some sporting activities.

"They wanted to try something a bit different, so we got in touch with the British Blind Sport group and it provided this event with us."

She said the rifle shooting uses special equipment, and is called acoustic shooting because of the earphones, which make a sound to allow the user to know when they are aiming correctly at the target. This is done using light beams.

Ms Coleby said: "It was fantastic, I had a go. I had to shut my eyes to do it, and it was amazing. If you had your eyes open you could not aim properly, but with them shut using the light beams and the sounds through the earphones, you can."

Participants also tried goal ball where everyone is blindfolded and a heavy ball with a bell inside is used.

Ms Coleby said: "It's given people the opportunity to try new things, which normally they wouldn't.

"Some people with visual impairments don't have a lot of confidence for trying new sports and activities, but hopefully this has shown them they can do different things."