WheelPower, owners of Stoke Mandeville Stadium, the birthplace of Paralympic Sport are celebrating 2 Years to the London 2012 Paralympic Games by providing young disabled people aged 12-18 with a chance to play sport at Time to Shine.
Some 100 young people from the Olympic Boroughs of Greenwich, Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest together with children from neighbouring Boroughs of Havering and Bexley are joining children from Buckinghamshire to celebrate the Paralympic countdown at the three day sports event.
Martin McElhatton, WheelPower Chief Executive commented, "With two years to go to the Paralympic Games in London, Time to Shine is providing an opportunity to inspire young disabled people to take part in sport. For children with disabilities sport can be a fantastic way to lead a healthy lifestyle, have fun and break down the barriers in life. WheelPower welcomes the children from London to Stoke Mandeville Stadium and hopes that their experience here will inspire them to achieve their sporting dream just like the Paralympians will do in two years time in London."
Ian Barham, Bucks 2012 Manager added, "We are proud of our Paralympic Heritage in Buckinghamshire and the welcome extended to athletes from London, the UK and around the world when they visit the birthplace of the Paralympic Games and create their own sporting memory. Buckinghamshire has a wide ranging programme linked to London 2012 including cultural and sporting ambitions to increase participation and awareness of disability sport while making the county the most accessible for athletes with a disability."
Time to Shine is funded by WheelPower, the national charity for wheelchair sport, thanks to the support of the 2012 Olympic Park Contractors matched in part by funding via Sport England's Sportsmatch Scheme. In addition to providing two events in 2009 and 2010 for children aged 6-11 Time to Shine has funded an Activator role to support the Olympic Boroughs deliver their Olympic and Paralympic 5 Borough Sports Plan. This, together with Time to Shine events in the lead up to 2012 will aim to provide a long lasting legacy for children with disabilities in the Olympic Boroughs.
Ian Galloway, CLM Programme Director commented, "Time to Shine provides a unique opportunity for children from London to visit and be inspired by Stoke Mandeville. More importantly it gives them the chance to try sports they may not have had the opportunity to do at home and our hope is that we can create a legacy of sports provision across all Olympic Boroughs so that the legacy of London 2012 is a tangible one for children with disabilities with opportunities to take part in sport at all levels."
Julie Kapsalis, South East Regional Co-ordinator for the 2012 Games and member of the South East Partnership, said: "The Time to Shine event is a fantastic opportunity for young people from the Olympic Boroughs to unite with their counterparts at Stoke Mandeville in Buckinghamshire. This marks the start of the two year countdown to the opening of the London 2012 Paralympic Games and celebrates Stoke Mandeville as the birthplace of the Paralympic movement. The next 24 months are a crucial opportunity to bring disability sport and its profile and participation into the spotlight.
Some 100 young people from the Olympic Boroughs of Greenwich, Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest together with children from neighbouring Boroughs of Havering and Bexley are joining children from Buckinghamshire to celebrate the Paralympic countdown at the three day sports event.
Martin McElhatton, WheelPower Chief Executive commented, "With two years to go to the Paralympic Games in London, Time to Shine is providing an opportunity to inspire young disabled people to take part in sport. For children with disabilities sport can be a fantastic way to lead a healthy lifestyle, have fun and break down the barriers in life. WheelPower welcomes the children from London to Stoke Mandeville Stadium and hopes that their experience here will inspire them to achieve their sporting dream just like the Paralympians will do in two years time in London."
Ian Barham, Bucks 2012 Manager added, "We are proud of our Paralympic Heritage in Buckinghamshire and the welcome extended to athletes from London, the UK and around the world when they visit the birthplace of the Paralympic Games and create their own sporting memory. Buckinghamshire has a wide ranging programme linked to London 2012 including cultural and sporting ambitions to increase participation and awareness of disability sport while making the county the most accessible for athletes with a disability."
Time to Shine is funded by WheelPower, the national charity for wheelchair sport, thanks to the support of the 2012 Olympic Park Contractors matched in part by funding via Sport England's Sportsmatch Scheme. In addition to providing two events in 2009 and 2010 for children aged 6-11 Time to Shine has funded an Activator role to support the Olympic Boroughs deliver their Olympic and Paralympic 5 Borough Sports Plan. This, together with Time to Shine events in the lead up to 2012 will aim to provide a long lasting legacy for children with disabilities in the Olympic Boroughs.
Ian Galloway, CLM Programme Director commented, "Time to Shine provides a unique opportunity for children from London to visit and be inspired by Stoke Mandeville. More importantly it gives them the chance to try sports they may not have had the opportunity to do at home and our hope is that we can create a legacy of sports provision across all Olympic Boroughs so that the legacy of London 2012 is a tangible one for children with disabilities with opportunities to take part in sport at all levels."
Julie Kapsalis, South East Regional Co-ordinator for the 2012 Games and member of the South East Partnership, said: "The Time to Shine event is a fantastic opportunity for young people from the Olympic Boroughs to unite with their counterparts at Stoke Mandeville in Buckinghamshire. This marks the start of the two year countdown to the opening of the London 2012 Paralympic Games and celebrates Stoke Mandeville as the birthplace of the Paralympic movement. The next 24 months are a crucial opportunity to bring disability sport and its profile and participation into the spotlight.
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