Paralympic athlete fronts new Leonard Cheshire Disability campaign
Melanie May | 7 September 2016 | News
As the 2017 Paralympics open this week, Leonard Cheshire Disability has announced world record holding sprinter and cyclist Kadeena Cox as the face of a new campaign that has a fundraising target of £54,000.
Funding from the charity’s new campaign and other sources will be used to expand existing programmes in sports. Donations will also go towards adapted equipment such as treadmills for people with limited mobility to practice walking or running.
Cox said:
“I firmly believe having a disability shouldn’t mean ‘game over’. We all deserve the chance to become the best versions of ourselves we can be.”
The charity also recently took part in new mass participation event Parallel, which is open to all, regardless of age or disability. The event features 100m, 1k, 5k and 10k fun runs/pushes and was founded by wheelchair user Andrew Douglass. The inaugural edition was staged at London’s Olympic Park on 4th September.
Acting chief executive Rosemarie Pardington led a team of Leonard Cheshire fundraisers to a combined target of £5,000.
Commenting on the event, Pardington said:
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“Working in health and social care for over 25 years, it has always been a great sadness to me that sporting events have invariably involved people needing to be entered into separate groups to take part. It was so refreshing to finally have an event where we can all participate at the same time, regardless of our age, fitness, or any disabilities we may have.”
About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.