Let's Talk VI Sport

As our 50th anniversary celebrations draw to a close, we are delighted to be joined by special guest, Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Edinburgh for the last episode of our Golden Legacy Series.

Throughout this episode, British Blind Sport CEO, Alaina MacGregor, and The Duchess discuss:

• Avoidable blindness and the sight loss community
• The charities and organisations that Her Royal Highness supports as Royal Patron
• The role of sport and physical activity in empowering people with disabilities
• How important role models are in disability sport
• The progress that has been made in disability sport in recent years, and which areas need to be further developed

And much more!

To find out more about Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Edinburgh and her work, please visit: www.royal.uk/duchess-edinburgh

Follow British Blind Sport (BBS) on social media to keep up to date with our latest news:

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To keep up to date with the latest BBS news, please visit:⁠www.britishblindsport.org.uk

On this episode of The Golden Legacy Series, we are joinedby Tony Larkin OBE.

Tony is a former footballer turned blind football coach whohas been influential in the development of the sport in GB.

Throughout the episode, Tony and British Blind Sport CEO,Alaina MacGregor discuss:

• Tony’s football career
• The development of blind football across GB, Europe and Africa
• Memories from the London 2012 Paralympic Games
• The benefits of having sport in your life

And much more!

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To keep up to date with the latest BBS news, please visit:www.britishblindsport.org.uk

On this episode we are joined by identical twins, Eliza & Scarlett Humphrey who are 19-year-old para-swimmers from Northampton.

The Humphrey twins first came to a BBS Swimming Gala 10 years ago and have gone on to compete at the highest level of para sport in the world making their Paralympic debut in Paris last August representing ParalympicsGB.

In the episode, we discuss:

• Their journey to becoming Paralympic swimmers
• Who their role models are     
• What their plans are for the future

We are so excited to follow their journey and see what’s next for Eliza & Scarlett.

Keep up to date with the lates news from BBS by visiting www.britishblindsport.org.uk

In this episode of The Golden Legacy Series, we are delighted to be joined by Paralympic judoka Ben Quilter to discuss his sporting journey.

Ben reflects on the London 2012 Paralympic Games where he recevied a bronze medal. He discusses an injury he acquired in the lead up to the Games and how it felt to compete in front of a home crowd.

Ben now works at the British Paralympic Association where he is focusing on recruiting and developing the next generation of athletes for ParalympicsGB.

He highlights the evolving landscape of disability sport, advocating for greater accessibility and the vital role of passionate individuals and organisations in increasing participation.

To keep up to date, please visit: www.britishblindsport.org.uk

In this episode of The Golden Legacy Series, we welcome Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson DBE, one of ParalympicGB’s most decorated Paralympic athletes.

With an incredible 11 gold medals across five Paralympic Games – Seoul, Atlanta, Sydney, and Athens -  Tanni shares insights from her remarkable sporting career and her journey beyond the track.

Now a respected independent crossbencher in the House of Lords, Tanni has become a leading advocate for disability rights.

In this conversation with British Blind Sport CEO, Alaina MacGregor, Tanni reflects on her early life, including how she earned the nickname “Tanni”, her experience within the education system for disabled children.

Tanni discusses her sporting career highlighting the importance of work ethic and resilience, as well as the need for athletes to plan for life after sports.

Alaina and Tanni also discuss broader societal challenges, including access to physical education for disabled young people and why the legacy of the London 2012 Paralympic Games, while inspiring, hasn’t solved all inequalities for people living with disabilities.

We hope you enjoy this episode!

To keep up to date with the latest news and events from British Blind Sport, visit: www.britishblindsport.org.uk

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On this episode of The Golden Legacy Series, we are delighted to be joined by Paralympian Tim Reddish CBE.

During this conversation, Tim and BBS CEO, Alaina MacGregor discuss his journey from his childhood growing up in Nottingham to becoming a Paralympic swimmer and leader in disability sport.

He reflects on sport’s role in building confidence and community, and his efforts to integrate disability sport into mainstream structures.

We hope you enjoy this episode!

On this episode of our special 50th anniversary podcast series - The Golden Legacy Series - we are joined by CEO of UK Sport, Sally Munday OBE.

Throughout this episode, Sally and BBS CEO, Alaina MacGregor, discuss:

• Sally's career in sport, starting from local leisure management to her time at England Hockey and her most recent role as CEO of UK Sport
• The role of UK Sport in funding Paralympic and Olympic athletes and supporting major sporting events in the UK such as the IBSA World Games 2023 in Birmingham
• UK Sport's strategic plan 'Powering Success, Inspiring Impact'
• How UK Sport navigated the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic
• Her key achievements throughout her career, in particular during her time at UK Sport so far
• Ongoing commitment to diversity and inclusion

We hope you enjoy this episode!

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On this episode of our special 50th anniversaryseries - The Golden Legacy Series - we are joined by Mike Brace CBE – one of the founding members of British Blind Sport in 1975.

Throughout the episode, Mike and our CEO, AlainaMacGregor, discuss:

• His sporting journey from primary school to Paralympic athlete
• The roles he has held at the British Paralympic Association
• Accessibility for blind and partially sighted people in gyms and leisure centres
• The foundations of British Blind Sport

And much more!

We were delighted to have Mike join us for this specialepisode.

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To find out more about British Blind Sport, please visit: www.britishblindsport.org.uk

On this episode of our special 50th anniversaryseries – The Golden Legacy Series – we are delighted to have Tim Hollingsworth OBE.

Throughout the episode, Tim discusses coming from a drama background before transitioning into various sportsleadership roles at UK Sport, the British Paralympic Association and mostvrecently Sport England.

He highlights his key career moments, including the London2012 Paralympic Games and his efforts to promote social inclusion and accessibility in sport.

Tim reflects on the challenges and achievements of his timeas CEO of Sport England, particularly in navigating the Covid-19 pandemic and promoting the ‘Uniting the Movement’ strategy.

We hope you enjoy this episode!

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Multi-medal Paralympic swimmer, Melanie Barratt, set a world record by becoming the first blind woman to successfully swim the English Channel in August this year.

Whilst taking on the incredible challenge, Melanie fundraised for BBS and raised over £17,000.

In this special episode of Let's Talk VI Sport we catch up with Melanie following the Channel Swim to hear about her experience leading up to the challenge and on the day itself.

To keep up-to-date with Melanie, follow her Facebook page 'Blind Girl Swims': www.facebook.com/blindgirlswims

For more information on BBS, please visit: www.britishblindsport.org.uk