Cookies help our website to remember you and your preferences. For more information or to update your cookie settings, please go to our privacy policy.

Accept Decline
Skip to content.

The national charity and leading voice for disabled people in sport and activity

Menu. Open and close this menu with the ENTER key.

WheelPower launches new programme for young disabled people

WheelPower, the national charity for wheelchair sport have responded to the reported lack of opportunities for young disabled people with the launch of a new participation programme - Feel Inspired. 

WheelPower's new Feel Inspired programme will deliver seven sports events in cities across the country for young disabled people. Funded by a £55,000 donation from Thomas Cook Children's Charity, the series of events aims to engage over 300 children aged 6-11 years old who have a physical impairment to discover a range of sports and accessible activities.

Birmingham has been confirmed as the first city to host the new Feel Inspired sports camps. The programme will benefit from WheelPower’s successful exisiting partnerships with various key organisations in the city. 

The creation of the Feel Inspired programme is an active and positive response to new research released by six of the UK's National Disability Sports Organisations - including WheelPower, English Federation of Disability Sport and Sport England.

The report, titled Active Beyond Education? highlights a clear need to provide early positive experiences of sport and physical activity for young disabled people, in order to prevent a decline in participation as they move into adulthood. 

Chris Turner, National Sports Director for WheelPower said:

"WheelPower’s launch of the ‘Feel Inspired’ programme has been created with our organisations core aims in mind and are reinforced by the key recommendations that have come from this research.”

He continued:

“These sports camps will be a unique opportunity for children to experience and participate in a range of disability sports under the guidance of expert coaches and support staff. The programme will support young people to find a sport or physical activity that they enjoy.”


Matthew Harding, Trustee for Thomas Cook Children’s Charity said:

“Thomas Cook Children’s Charity is delighted to further support WheelPower’s work through funding this exciting new programme. We aim to improve children’s lives and Feel Inspired enables us to reach and improve the lives of young disabled people in the UK.”

Harding added:

"Latest figures highlight that a disabled person is still half as likely to take part in sport or physical activity as a non-disabled person and this new programme will ensure that we continue to provide, promote and develop recreational and competitive wheelchair sport opportunities for disabled people.”


In 2014, WheelPower launched the London primary sports camps to offer sporting opportunities for disabled children as a legacy following the 2012 Paralympics Games.

The Feel Inspired programme will add a further seven events to the WheelPower event calendar, building on previous success and complementing our existing offer at Stoke Mandeville Stadium and throughout London.

More information about WheelPower's Feel Inspired programme will be available on their website soon. Anyone who is interested in taking part should visit the website and register as a member to receive the latest event information. 

WheelPower is currently recruiting for an Event Officer for the Feel Inspired programme.

WheelPower provides opportunities, facilities and equipment to enable disabled people to participate in sport and lead healthy active lives.