Stoke Mandeville Stadium – Replacement Sports Hall Floor
Awarded: £75,000
Region: Central
The British Wheelchair Sports Foundation Ltd is a Registered Charity, located in Stoke Mandeville, Buckinghamshire.
The project funded the replacement of an aging sports hall floor at Stoke Mandeville Stadium, the birthplace of the Paralympic Movement, which had reached the end of its 20-year lifespan. Half of the sports hall was no longer safe for physical activities such as football, basketball and netball and had to be closed. This closure had a significant impact on the local community as the stadium prioritises disability sport bookings, meaning that many local clubs and people were unable to use the facilities until the floor was repaired.
It is the only sports hall in the area that is open to the public outside of school hours, offering recreational sports as well as high-level competition. It has seating for spectators, allowing the community to come together and watch local competitions.
The start of a new era
The new sports hall floor has been installed and was officially reopened on 28 June 2023. It has been used for wheelchair basketball training, by recently paralysed people who are in-patients at Stoke Mandeville Hospital and by local non-disabled people to play badminton and five-a-side football. The new floor is an asset that will benefit people of Aylesbury Vale for the next 20-25 years, helping them to stay fit and healthy.
“The grant will enable a wide range of community and disabled sports groups to continue using the sports hall to stay active. Users include local disability teams Stoke Mandeville Maulers Wheelchair Rugby Club and Aces Wheelchair Basketball Club. Local non-disabled activities include walking football and netball for the over 50s, netball, futsal, badminton, karate and dance.”
Paul Rushton, The British Wheelchair Sports Foundation Ltd
