The Challenge

From the 15 June to the 15 July 2020, a group of colleagues from the Stewarts Injury department will be embarking on the Stay at Home SuperHero Challenge
in aid of LimbPower.

SuperHeroes is the UK’s one and only disability sports series for the Everyday Superhero. Their mission is to create fun full throttle mass participation sports events where people with disabilities (aka the everyday superheroes) call the shots and don’t have to worry about cut off times or equipment restrictions.

They hold two events each year. Unfortunately due to Covid-19 this year’s Superhero Tri is being replaced by “At Home SuperHeroes” to be completed anywhere! 

The teams will be running, pushing, walking or cycling a minimum of 200km in total, with some true heroes aiming to complete 20KM per week between 15 June and 15 July.

The Cause

We are raising funds for LimbPower. LimbPower is a charity that was launched in November 2009 to engage amputees and individuals with limb impairments in physical activity, sport and the arts to improve quality of life and to aid lifelong rehabilitation. 

In July 2014 LimbPower became a National Disability Sports Organisation, sitting alongside WheelPower, Cerebral Palsy Sport (CP Sport), Dwarf Sport, British Blind Sport (BBS), UK Deaf Sport, Mencap Sport and Special Olympics Great Britain (SOGB). LimbPower also run arts based activities including confidence workshops and a photography club.

The Teams

Stewarts have two teams comprising of Nichola Fosler, Lucie Clinch, Andrew Benzeval, Anna Wiseman, Kimberly Owen, Shannon Maude, Grace Horvath-Franco and Georgina Hayward. The teams will also be joined by two inspirational LimbPower ambassadors, Rachel Morris and Jack Eyers.

Rachel Morris MBE is a British Paralympian who has won Paralympic gold medals in both cycling and rowing. At the 2008 Summer Paralympics Rachel won GB's first-ever handcycling gold. A road accident in the build-up to London 2012 almost denied her the chance to compete at a second Paralympic Games but she fought back to win bronze in the road race, and four years later at Rio she won gold in the women's single sculls as a rower.

On her 17^th birthday, Rachel sustained an ankle injury that triggered the onset of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS). This led to her left leg being amputated in January 2003 and the disease spread to her right leg a few years later, forcing a second amputation. Her Paralympic career began when she
purchased a handcycle attachment for her wheelchair. She quickly adapted to the sport and was crowned as a triple champion Para-Olympian, winning two gold and one bronze.

In 2019, Rachel was the first woman to represent GB at the World Para Nordic Skiing Championship in Canada. She is looking to win gold for Great Britain in the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.

Jack Eyers is a personal trainer and model who was born with the rare condition Proximal Femoral Focal Deficiency, which prevented his right leg from growing properly.

At the age of 16 Jack made the decision to have his leg amputated. Day to day, Jack trains both disabled and able-bodied people. Since appearing in the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Paralympics, he has featured in a range of advertisements and he was recently the face of the disability charity, Scope. Jack was the first amputee model to take part in New York Fashion Week in 2015.

In 2017, he became the first amputee to win ‘Mr England’. Jack has also featured on the podcast ‘Katie Piper’s Extraordinary People’ where he discussed his journey to Mr England, training for Tokyo Paralympic selection, and how he has dealt with demons, addictions and 'disability'.

Fundraising

Please support our Stewarts SuperHeroes and donate if you can!

The teams would like to say a huge thank you to
The Stewarts Foundation for its £500 donation to the challenge.