The immediate past president of Rotary, Peter King last week signed a memorandum of understanding with Stoke Mandeville Stadium based charity WheelPower.
On a visit to the venue, made famous for the development of the Paralympic movement, Mr King served up a formal partnership offer to help transform the lives of disabled people with WheelPower.
Inspired by the week’s Wimbledon action, which also has a Grand Slam wheelchair tennis competition, the Rotary Past President couldn’t resist challenging WheelPower’s Chief Executive Martin McElhatton during the visit.
The charity has historical roots with Aylesbury Rotary club who Sir Ludwig Guttmann WheelPower’s founder was a member of the club. Whilst developing what has become the Paralympic Games, Guttmann gained support from the club to raise the money to build Stoke Mandeville Stadium during the 1960s
Rotarians up and down the country have been rallying round since 2012 to raise over ÂŁ115,000 for WheelPower which has funded over 30 specialist sports wheelchairs for athletes along with training and coaching opportunities for disabled children and recently injured adults at Stoke Mandeville Stadium.
The partnership will help provide even more life-transforming opportunities for disabled people as well as funding the vital equipment needed for individuals to access a healthy and active lifestyle.
Martin McElhatton said, “Our relationship with Rotary has helped create a lasting legacy from the Paralympic Games for young and newly disabled people that we support. The Rotary Wheel Appeal has provided new sports wheelchairs to remove one of the major barriers to participation and has had an amazingly positive impact for the recipients.
“By working with Rotarians across the country WheelPower has increased awareness about the tremendous health and social benefits of sport and physical activity for disabled people and we are most grateful for their support.
“I am delighted that we are now able to formalise our relationship by becoming an official Rotary Partner for the next three years. Together we will continue transforming lives through sport.”
Peter King adds, “together we will achieve great things for those who are disabled and disadvantaged and have fun in the process”.
