Insurers join WheelPower at Stoke Mandeville to see power of sport in injury rehabilitation

Clyde & Co raises over £30,000 for wheelchair sports charity WheelPower by hosting second event to raise awareness of the importance of sport in the rehabilitation of claimants.

Clyde & Co has hosted their second ‘Stoke Mandeville Experience Day’ as part of its long-standing partnership and fundraising efforts on behalf of WheelPower, the British national charity for wheelchair sport.

Coinciding with the end of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, the event took place on 12 September at the Stoke Mandeville Stadium in Buckinghamshire, bringing together over 130 insurance professionals from across the UK.

During the event, attendees learned about the transformative power of sport in claimants’ recoveries from life-changing spinal injuries. They were also able to participate in a variety of sports on the day, including wheelchair basketball, wheelchair rugby, wheelchair tennis, sitting volleyball, table tennis and boccia.

Participants included many key players from the insurance industry: Admiral, Allianz, Arch, Aviva, AXA, Ecclesiastical, First Underwriting, Hastings, Hiscox, Pen Underwriting, QBE, LV=, MDDUS, MIB and RSA.

Speakers included Martin McElhatton OBE, Paralympian and Chief Executive of WheelPower, who competed in wheelchair basketball in the 1984 Paralympic Games, and GB Wheelchair Rugby player Hannah Bucys. 

Attendees also heard from Louise Hunt-Skelley, a wheelchair tennis Paralympian who competed at London 2012 and Rio 2016 and who, after retiring from competitive sport in 2021, now works as a mentor, and sports commentator.

The fundraising efforts will support WheelPower as it continues to build on over 75 years’ work providing support and physical activity for disabled people across the UK. During 2022/23, the charity supported disabled people on more than 72,000 occasions, encouraging sports and exercise participation at all levels.

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Following the event, Kate Duffy, partner at Clyde & Co, said: “We are delighted to partner once again with WheelPower for this event. As part of our work at Clyde & Co, we understand and are keen to promote the physical and psychological benefits of movement for those suffering from spinal injury. The event inspired many to get moving and involved with parasports, whilst bringing insurers together for some healthy competition."

Martin McElhatton OBE, Chief Executive at WheelPower said: “Events like this enable WheelPower to provide sports and physical activity as part of rehabilitation. We are thrilled to once again partner with Clyde & Co in championing the benefits of being active and playing sport for disabled people. As someone who has personally experienced the physical, mental health, and social benefits of playing sport for 45 years, it is vital that we continue to support people to be active and live a full life after spinal injury.”

Gary Jackson, Head of Technical Claims - Motor & Casualty at Aviva, added: “In this Paralympic year, it is so powerful and inspiring to hear the stories of wheelchair athletes and how sport has been transformative in their lives. It is so relevant in our line of work to see the devastating effects of spinal cord injury and the positive impact on rehabilitation that sport can have - there is a person at the end of every claim. At Aviva, we are honoured to have been asked to return to the Stoke Mandeville Stadium in support of WheelPower.”

Ian Chiswell, Rehabilitation Manager at QBE, said: “The event was great fun but more importantly provided a glimpse into the potential difficulties wheelchair users face on a daily basis. The speakers spoke from the heart on their experiences and some of the challenges they have, and will continue to face, but the courage and fortitude shown by each of them to remain positive was inspiring. The message was clear: collectively, we can tackle the inequalities faced by disabled people to enable participation in sports and activities.”

Clyde & Co has more than 300 lawyers specialising in catastrophic injury claims, with the firm’s Casualty practice working with 90% of the general insurance market. This initiative was led by Clyde & Co’s spinal cord injury subject matter group which specialises in handling some of the most complex catastrophic injury claims.

This year, the event raised more than £30,000, and the firm is keen to repeat this event in the future in partnership with WheelPower. The event was kindly sponsored by 12KBW, Farrar's Buildings, Crown Office Chambers, 39 Essex Street, Tessa Gough & Associates, Harrison Associates, RTW Plus, McCollum Consultants, Corporé, Stewarts, Old Square Chambers and 1 Crown Office Row.