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RACE ACE: McGloin, president of the FIADisability and Accessibility Commission, has joined the Eighty-One Racing Heroes programme
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Please send this coupon and a cheque payable to All Together NOW! to: Subscriptions Dept., All Together NOW! The Bradbury Centre, Youens Way, Liverpool L14 2EP — THANKS! THE world’s only female tetraplegic racing driver has her sights set on giving injured ex-servicemen and women a long-term career in motorsport.
In 2015 Nathalie McGloin became the first woman with a spinal injury to be granted a racing licence in the UK. Last year she became the first ever female disabled rally driver, and is president of the FIADisability andAccessibility Commission.
Now she has joined the Eighty-One Racing Heroes programme: a groundbreaking initiative set up by Peter Knoflach, a Swiss racer and businessmen who was inspired by several injured veterans while skiing in his home village of Klosters.
Peter is the director of Eighty-One Power Drink, a new energy drink coming to the United Kingdom later this year, which will use motorsport as a platform to promote the unique programme.
Nathalie said: “I don’t think I’ve ever felt as excited about a racing programme as I have about this one.
“When I met Peter, I knew straight away that his heart was in the right place, and he’s going to create some amazing opportunities for so many people who might otherwise not have had them, both in motorsport and in business. ”
Peter said: “Nathalie’s own motto is that anything is possible, and that fits our message perfectly at Eighty-One Racing Heroes.As well as being an ideal ambassador for our programme, she is a very talented and determined racer, which is what we are about first and foremost.
“Porsche has confirmed a car for Nathalie in its new GT4 championship in the UK, and we’re working now to adapt it to her needs, thanks to our equally talented crew of ex-servicemen. Our goal is to create as many opportunities for as many people as we can, so we’re delighted to be off to a flying start already with Nathalie’s help. ”
The veterans turned mechanics, engineers and logisticians are getting up to speed with a programme in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB, where they will be visiting some of Britain’s most famous circuits in a high-pressure race environment.
Nathalie’s Porsche Cayman GT4, developed by the factory in Germany and run by Redline Racing in the UK, will be equipped with specially-created hand controls. Her long-time mechanic, James Webley, is an injured ex-serviceman who also forms part of the Eighty-One Racing Heroes programme.
Nathalie said: “I can’t wait to drive the Cayman GT4. it’s exactly the right step up for me as I’ve been racing a Cayman already, but this is obviously at another level. ”
Anything is possible . . .
THE Eighty-One Racing Heroes programme has some ambitious goals that will ultimately lead the team towards the pinnacle of endurance racing.
Next year, the racers plan to compete on an international programme using two cars – one female disabled racer paired with an able-bodied female driver, and another male disabled driver paired with an able-bodied male driver. The cars will be run and serviced by the injured veterans.
Anumber of celebrities are shortly to be announced as brand ambassadors.
As the team rises through the ranks, the ultimate goal is to take on the world’s most challenging race –the Le Mans 24 Hours – to prove that anything is possible.
WE’VE GOT IT ALL WRONG Study says it’s time to focus less on barriers to physical activity and more on what’s actually enjoyable
PHYSICAL activity and sport need to be redesigned to be more enjoyable for disabled people, according to new research.
The study, led by Manchester Metropolitan University, provides insight into the experiences of, and attitudes to, sport and physical activity for disabled people.
It found that a perceived lack of enjoyment was a key factor in preventing participation.
The results, published in the Journal of Sports in Society, identified several barriers that stopped disabled people taking part in sport and physical activity including: n Cost of transport and activities n Ineffective communication and advertising n Preconceived images of sport as being competitive and judgmental, n Anxieties about their own sporting abilities
The researchers said that many of these barriers – although important – often masked a lack of enjoyment for participants. The study also makes suggestions for future practice.
Lead researcher Dr Ben Ives, senior lecturer in sport coaching at MMU, said: “While none of these barriers should be underplayed, especially those caused by anxieties, perhaps the most significant barrier that we found and the main challenge for future provision, is that many disabled people have not enjoyed, or perceive that they will not enjoy, partaking in sport and physical activity.
“From our perspective, this lack of enjoyment can cause disabled people to fixate on the difficulties of engaging, such as the cost and hassle of getting there.
“Indeed, while disabled people often raise these as barriers to sport participation, they do not seem to prevent them from engaging in other leisure activities that they enjoy.
“Attempting to remove these reported external barriers is fruitless unless sport and physical activity is first made more enjoyable. ”
All of the disabled participants interviewed in the study were aware of the benefits of sport and physical activity for general health and wellbeing. However, 22 out of 24 participants did not meet the UK Government guidelines for physical activity – at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity per week.
Alower proportion of disabled people meet the recommended 150 minutes of physical activity a week compared to people with no impairment, according to Sport England.
Some participants put this down to being unable to access the internet to find out about activities.
Others said that they do not like visiting places they have never been before and worried about being embarrassed.
In the future, the researchers suggest moving away from “sport” in favour of “activity” when promoting exercise to place emphasis on fun and enjoyment and creating a welcoming non-judgmental environment.
They also recommend using a multi-activity
‘Sport should beall about having funand approach to allow disabled people to find out being involved’ what they enjoy and to blend physical activities with non-physical activities, such as coffee drinking and lunches within the facilitie to promote social interaction and wellbeing. They also suggest that coaches should s receive basic training in how to deliver sport and physical activity for disabled people. Dr Ives added: “In future work we would encourage scholars to leave behind ‘what doesn’t work’ , or studies that reiterate the barriers to participation, and to instead prioritise those things that create enjoyment for disabled people and how these might be enhanced. ”
Teen star: ‘You can do it, too’
ROLE MODEL: Thomas Stamp
YOU can do whatever you set your mind to – that’s the message from Thomas Stamp, one of the UK’s rising stars.
Thomas, 17, has been appointed a Young SportingAmbassador for the Cerebral Palsy Sport charity and is keen to encourage more disabled people to get involved in sport.
“I hope that I can inspire other young people who have been through a similar experience to me and show them just what you can achieve, ”he said.
Thomas has cerebral palsy, autism andADHD. Throughout his life bullying has been a persistent issue. He was slow to develop as a toddler and over the years has needed a number of operations and regular physiotherapy. But that hasn’t dented his enthusiasm for sport.
Apart from a stash of medals he’s collected over the years with scintillating performances on the track, Thomas was also selected to be part of the BBC TV Team Rickshaw Challenge 2019 which pedalled from Holyhead to London in a week, raising £8.5m for the annual Children in NeedAppeal.
Thomas was nicknamed The Night Rider for enjoying taking on
the late shift, and also rode up the steepest street in the world in Harlech.
n CP Sport: Tel. 0115 925 7027 n www.cpsport.org
City forced to pull out of Special Olympics
LIVERPOOL will be unable to host a rescheduled Special Olympics GB National Summer Games in 2022.
Earlier this year, city Mayor Joe Anderson announced big plans to stage next year’s sports spectacular for thousands of athletes with learning disabilities and volunteers.
When organisers were forced to postpone the event until 2022 they were hopeful that Liverpool would be still be able to host the event.
However, MayorAnderson said the council could not commit to running the event.
He said: “I am both personally and professionally devastated that Liverpool will not be able to host the rearranged 2021 Special Olympics National Summer Games.. ”
Paul Richardson, chair of Special Olympics GB Board of Trustees, said:
Equipment for hire
ANEW sports equipment rental service has been set up for people with cerebral palsy and other disabilities.
The equipment includes a range of GameFrames, which are used for playing Frame Football, and RaceRunning Frames, which help keep people upright.
Adi Fawcett, chief operating officer at Cerebral Palsy Sport, said: “Our aspiration during this challenging time is to enable as many people as possible to get moving, be active and have some fun being physical. ”
Tom Henshaw, commercial manager at equipment provider Quest, said: “The rental service is a safe way for children and adults alike to explore their potential for movement, at their own pace, in their own home, but fully supported by both Quest and CP Sport. ”
Hire is for a minimum of three months. The cost: RaceRunners - £30 non-member, £15 member per month. Frame Football Frame - £20 nonmember,£10 member per month
n CP Sport, tel
