This year's Get Kids Going! Christmas card is dedicated to our President - David Weir CBE MBE.
David joined the Get Kids Going! wheelchair racing team in 2000, at the age of 21. Eight years later he qualified for the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games and, as part of Team GB, went on to win two gold medals in the T54 800m and 1500m. Four years later David took part in the 2012 London Paralympic Games winning four golds in the 800m, 1500m, 5000m and marathon when he became one of the nation's greatest paralympic heroes awarding him his famous nickname - The Weirwolf of London! In 2014 David went on to compete at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games where he won a Commonwealth gold medal in the T54 1500m. In all David has won a total of nineteen international gold medals. He has also won the London Marathon on eight occasions and seven titles at the Great North Run. He is one of the world's most revered paralympians. The charity is extremely proud to have supported David for over 20 years of his sporting career by providing him with his bespoke built racing wheelchairs.
As President of Get Kids Going! David gives a huge amount of encouragement to our young, aspiring athletes who take part in numerous disability sports such as; wheelchair rugby, athletics, basketball, sailing, powerlifting, alpine skiing, curling and para-snowboarding. Many Get Kids Going! funded young athletes compete at both national and international level with one dream in mind - that's becoming the next David Weir! As you can see David is far more than just our President he is a wonderful inspiration and very much loved by us all.
Get Kids Going! is a national charity which gives disabled children and young people, up to the age of 26 years, the wonderful opportunity of participating in sport. We provide them with specially built sports wheelchairs so they can do: athletics, marathons, tennis, skiing, curling, rugby, sailing, boccia, basketball, snowboarding, table tennis, fencing, shooting, archery, powerlifting and many more sports. Get Kids Going! inspires disabled youngsters to compete in sporting events, from start to paralympic level, by also giving them sports grants to help with their: training, physiotherapy, sports psychology, travel, competition fees and the design and development of sports' equipment. With your help many can become world record holders and paralympic champions!
Our aim is to give support to all our budding paralympians in the build up to the 2021 Tokyo Summer Paralympics, the 2022 Beijing Winter Paralympics and many more events. Like any aspiring athletes all our youngsters need long term support, often over many years, to achieve their sporting dreams. Sadly, we are aware of cuts in funding from various sources, and so many of our youngsters are forced to rely on friends and family for financial help. As you can imagine this causes an enormous burden on many, already cash strapped, families and a constant worry as the cost of participating in their favourite sport is forever increasing.
There are hundreds of talented, disabled, youngsters who have the potential to participate in events throughout the UK and all over the World but receive either none or very little funding and are desperate to achieve their life-long sporting dreams. With your help, together we can turn their dreams into reality and help make them into sporting heroes!
We support children with all disabilities and from all backgrounds. We take pride in ensuring that any equipment which is out grown is recycled to other children, so our supporters valuable donations are never wasted. Many people who support Get Kids Going! feel a wonderful sense of achievement and satisfaction. They see that even the smallest donation makes an amazing difference! Get Kids Going! gives disabled children and young people the chance of a life time, freedom, and many fantastic opportunities that you and I take for granted. Opportunities they may never have without you and the support of Get Kids Going! No other charity in the UK focuses on helping disabled children and young people with sport in quite the same way.
A bespoke sports wheelchair can cost anything from £4,000 to £7,000. All are designed individually and perform just like a Formula 1 racing car!
In general, we believe, there are over 200,000 disabled children and young people in the UK who need the help of Get Kids Going!
