Paralympic champion Hannah Cockroft turned up in Parliament to get support from MPs for a manifesto calling for a legacy for young disabled from last summer’s Games.
She met Poplar & Limehouse MP Jim Fitzpatrick who was told of the work by the Whizz-Kidz charity providing disabled youngsters with wheelchairs and with life skills through their placements programme.
“The day I received my wheelchair from Whizz-Kidz changed my life,” Hannah explained. “My hope for the Paralympics legacy is that more young disabled people will be inspired and have opportunities to go for gold and succeed in whatever they want to do.”
The double gold 2012 medallist was at the House of Commons to launch a manifesto based on a survey the charity carried out with youngsters and their parents about their hopes from last summer’s Paralympics and their ideas to improve opportunities. The survey and a petition to get words into practice have also been taken to 10 Downing Street.
The charity has provided seven disabled children from Poplar and Limehouse with wheelchairs so far and also runs a kids’ club in the East End where youngsters meet for games, make friends and take part in skill workshops.
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