Hoey hails Panathlon
The Panathlon Challenge, a national charity which provides ‘mini Paralympics’ for disabled schoolchildren across the UK, celebrated its 20th anniversary at an event in London last night.
MP Kate Hoey, the Mayor of London's Commissioner for Sport, hosted the celebration at City Hall, with five Paralympians in attendance. Ms Hoey also announced funding from the Mayor's Office for Panathlon of £54,450. She said:
“I’m sure everyone will agree with me when I say there is no better illustration of the power of sport than a Panathlon event. Over the past two decades Panathlon has opened up access to sporting competitions for tens of thousands of severely disabled young people, for whom such opportunities rarely exist."
2015 was a record-breaking year for Panathlon, with more than 7,500 children from over 450 schools participating in multi-sport events across England.
Panathlon CEO Ashley Iceton said:
“Over the past 20 years I have seen the Panathlon Challenge grow from an idea and concept to where we are today - a national organisation that influences thousands of lives. I am proud of what we have created and hope we can continue to have a positive influence on the lives of young people for many years to come.”
The celebrations are especially timely given the Government’s recent announcement of a new sporting strategy, which will focus on increasing participation amongst schoolchildren. Over the last five years Panathlon has grown from five counties to 27 and aims to be truly nationwide by 2020.
Nick Bitel, Chair of Sport England, which invests Government funding into organisations that promote sport, saluted the “fantastic work” Panathlon carries out with young disabled competitors. He added:
“One of the things Panathlon does so well is to deliver their programme of sport with people and not to them. Sport is also about changing people’s health and mental well-being. We’ve heard examples today about how Panathlon is improving people’s personal and societal development. There is a need for sport to be used for outcomes rather than sport itself, and Panathlon absolutely fits this bill.”
Georgina Hart, 15, from Dagenham, who has cerebral palsy, says Panathlon was a catalyst for her becoming involved in many more activities and clubs. "It gives me confidence in life," she added.
Panathlon relies on funding from a combination of commercial sponsors, Government and charitable trusts, including St James’s Place Foundation, Jack Petchey Foundation, the Mayor of London, Wembley National Stadium Trust, the Bulldog Trust, Peter Harrison Foundation and Garfield Weston Foundation.
To find out more about Panathlon, watch the video featuring TV presenter and Panathlon Patron Alex Brooker:
