After attending the Buckinghamshire Sports Festival in 2022 it was great to welcome back George from Berkshire for the week long National Junior Games. A keen basketball player George enjoys trying new things and after discovering 5 sports at the festival he was excited by the prospect of trying 19 sports this time around.

15 year old George has Cerebral Palsy. He continues, “I can walk but not for very long. So I use the wheelchair around school because it’s a big school but at home I walk as much as I can. I am in year 10 of secondary school and its really good there. They have a physical disability resource so I can do physiotherapy when I can’t take part in lessons, such as PE when they are doing a non-disabled sport.”

George plays wheelchair basketball for the Thames Valley Kings and enjoys everything about playing sport. “I love playing sport because I am very competitive and I like winning, but it’s also just a good experience to do things you don’t usually do, get active and out of the house. I’m currently playing in the junior league at the moment so we’ll see how I keep on going with that and what the future might hold for me in sport after school.”

“My family supports me to play sport and my mum (a physio herself) thinks it’s great. Not just the physical side but because it means I’m not on the Xbox the whole time! When we come to events like this she also gets to meet people as well, and share her own knowledge as well because she knows about how people’s bodies work and how sport affects that.”

With so much passion for sport George was excited to be back at Stoke Mandeville to give even more sports a try. “It was really fun last time at the festival so I thought I’d come again and I also get to miss school, so it’s a double win! So far I have tried table tennis, fencing, I’ve done basketball (obviously), tennis, cricket, most of them to be honest.”

“I really did like the fencing which was really fun, but also the cricket, that was something new, and I thought it was really cool. It is really important for me to stay fit, so playing sport and coming to events like this is so good. Its also a great way to socialise and being here especially you get to meet new friends.”

“I’ve have really liked the experience. As well as playing the sports it’s also been good to meet people and make new friends, and I've met some really good players of different sports. These types of events show what is possible and it’s been so much fun. Keep doing what you are doing WheelPower and thank you."

A Parent’s Perspective

“I wanted George to experience some more wheelchair sports, meet other children who are like him and have a fun day that was a break from school. School can be very focussed on results and learning but this is what children need, being with other children they can relate to.”

“George is a very sociable person and I like him to be physically active to benefit his health. Not only is sport good for the body but it’s also about the connection and the social side too, and being here today has been another example of that.”

“It’s been really good day and I can see that it has given him a real sense of achievement. It can really help with self-confidence when you are good at something, and he has tried lots of sports today that he’d never done before.”

“I would of course recommend it as its not only been good for George but for me too. I’ve had a nice time chatting to the other parents as there are not many like us, and the volunteers have been amazing to. Thank you so much WheelPower for providing these fantastic opportunities.” Melanie (Georges Mum)