Get Kids Going! 2008 Athletes Roundup

Get Kids Going! young disabled athletes had a fantastic year in 2008. David Weir who has been supported by the charity for over 5 years won two Paralympic Gold Medals in wheelchair racing at the Beijing Paralympics in October. David also went on to win a Silver and Bronze Medal! So in total David won 4 paralympic medals for his country and Get Kids Going!



Matt Skelhon, another young Get Kids Going! disabled athlete won the only gold medal in the shooting at Bejing Parlaympics. Matt is a member of the Get Kids Going! athletes team when the charity supports him by providing Matt with a shooting sport wheelchair at a cost of £3,000.

Shelly Woods from Blackpool won a Silver Medal at the Beijing Paralympics along with Mickey Bushell. Both are Get Kids Going! young disabled athletes and are two of the best wheelchair racers in the world.

Get Kids Going! is also providing Tim Farr, Ben Sneesby and Pam with Monoskis so they can all take part in this season disable skiing in the Alps and America. The mono skis cost a min. of £3,000 each. All three will be taking part in the British Land Championships at Meribel from March 29th to April 4th. Ben will also be skiing at Villars 24hr Skiing comp, Brookie Bowl Courcheval and a weeks training in Andorra. Pam, age 28yrs lives in Scotland, Aberdeen. Ben, age 13yrs lives a High Wycombe in Bucks and Tim, age 23yrs, lives in Twickenham, London. All three hope to compete at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Paralympic Games for Get Kids Going! and Great Britain.

David Weir on A Question of Sport

Paralympic Champion David Weir and Get Kids Going!'s Vice President was on the BBC's A Question of Sport on 12th December 2008.


He was part of the popular quiz show with team captains Matt Dawson and Phil Tufnell. Also on the show were French rugby star Raphael Ibanez, Australian goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer and Olympic gymnastic silver medallist Louis Smith.

David has been supported by Get Kids Going! for many years. On 13 April 2008, David won his third London Marathon in a row, and his fourth in total. Weir also won four medals (two golds, a silver and a bronze) at the 2008 Summer Paralympics Games, which were his third Games.

For more about David Weir please visit our website.

L’Etape du Tour Team

Over 30 cyclists from across the country joined 8,500 other riders to cycle 116 miles in searing heat through the Pyrenees.


The team lined up with a host of international cyclists to tackle one of the toughest stages in the Etape du Tour annual amateur race, which takes place before the main Tour de France riders tackle the course.

Dr Kevin Blyth, from Glasgow said: "It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

"The heat in France was unbelievable, with temperatures up to 100F, and the course was incredibly demanding.

"I had to put in a lot of training - cycling into work every day and up to 100 miles at the weekend.

"My legs are aching but it was a fantastic experience."

Each year, Tour de France organisers select one stage from the race and offer riders of all ages the chance to sample the course.

Around 2,000 of the 8,500 riders fail to reach the finish line each year because the route is so physically demanding.

David Butler from The Personal Training Centre, which kindly hold training days for the Get Kids Going running team, also took part and was so enthused by the event he has volunteered to be team leader next year.

“It was an amazing experience, but I can’t wait to do it again”, he said.

We would like to thank every member of Get Kids Going's L'Etape du Tour team the best of luck for their hard work and the money they raised from the event.

If you would like to take part in L'Etape du Tour in 2009 we'd also be delighted to hear from you. Please email us or call 0207 481 8110.