Bridgwater energy employees celebrate National Paralympic Day
~EDF Energy pledges to support British Paralympic Association for four years~
~7 September 2013 marks one year since closing ceremony of London 2012 Paralympic Games~
EDF Energy employees in Bridgwater enjoyed a day of Paralympic sport last week, as they celebrated National Paralympic Day and their company’s continued partnership with the British Paralympic Association.
On Friday September 6, employees took part in a demonstration of laser shooting, a target sport with a laser rifle, at the company offices in Bridgwater’s Express Park. The employees were joined by ParalympicsGB London 2012 air rifle athlete Karen Butler, from Bristol, who introduced them to the rules of the sport and offered advice and tips.
EDF Energy recently pledged that it would support the British Paralympic Association (BPA) for four years, in the lead up to the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. This follows a previous charity partnership that saw EDF Energy and its employees raise more than £650,000 for the BPA between March 2010 and March 2013.
The sporting event in Bridgwater was organised to coincide with the BPA’s first annual National Paralympic Day*, which took place on Saturday September 7. This date marked one year since the end of the London 2012 Paralympic Games and three years to the day until the opening ceremony of the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.
Thousands of people across the country supported National Paralympic Day, which aimed to inspire and challenge people’s attitudes towards disabilities. Members of the public were encouraged to try out a Paralympic sport, volunteer at a local disability sports club or attend the National Paralympic Day Festival, held in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. The free-to-attend festival relived the excitement of the Games with attendees able to meet ParalympicsGB athletes and watch live sports such as wheelchair basketball and sitting volleyball in the Copper Box Arena.
Joanne Prosser of EDF Energy was one of those to take part in the laser shooting demonstration at the company’s Express Park offices on 6 September.
Joanne said: “It was fantastic to be able to try laser shooting and gain an appreciation of the accuracy the sport demands. It was also great to meet an elite athlete and hear her story. I was incredibly inspired by the London 2012 Paralympic Games and I think it’s more important than ever to keep disability sport in the spotlight.”
Tim Hollingsworth, CEO of the British Paralympic Association, said: “We would like to thank EDF Energy for their continued support of the British Paralympic Association and of our first annual National Paralympic Day. One year on from what was called the ‘greatest ever’ Paralympic Games, National Paralympic Day provided us with an opportunity to showcase once again the talents of our athletes and continue our efforts in promoting disability sport from grass roots to elite level. We hope that the popularity of National Paralympic Day continues to grow.”
EDF was the official electricity supplier of the London 2012 Games and the company ensured that every unit of electricity that was supplied to the Olympic Park was backed by low carbon nuclear and renewable sources.
ENDS
Footnotes:
*National Paralympic Day is a celebration of all things Paralympic across the UK. At the heart of the celebrations is National Paralympic Day featuring the Mayor of London’s Liberty Festival in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, which is organised by the BPA, the Mayor of London, and the London Legacy Development Corporation.