The British Paralympic Association (BPA) has urged the British public to help “Supercharge ParalympicsGB” this month, in a major new fundraising campaign.
For the first time, the British public can actively show its support through fundraising, donating funds and taking part in dedicated ‘supercharge’ fan activity. The support pledge comes just as athletes enter the last crucial stage of their journey ahead of the Rio Paralympics.
The BPA, a registered charity, has historically received some public fundraising support but the ‘Supercharge ParalympicsGB’ campaign will take this to a whole new level with a major drive to fundraise money to help take ParalympicsGB to Rio and beyond. Alongside the fantastic support already received from the National Lottery and the BPA’s commercial partners, the funds raised will help best prepare the team in the crucial final days before Rio and lay the ground for future success.
Tough opposition
The ParalympicsGB team will face its toughest competition yet in Rio, with standards increasing across all sports in other nations, and that is likely to become even harder during the coming Games. Following a home Games in London, the team faces a decade of long-haul travel, with upcoming Games in Rio, Pyeongchang, Tokyo and Beijing. It will be more challenging and expensive than ever before for the BPA to support athletes who, in turn, can inspire real change in society through their performances.
A note from the ambassadors
Paralympic legend and BPA patron Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson expressed her strong support for the campaign, saying, “The Rio 2016 Paralympic Games will be the toughest, most competitive Games yet and ParalympicsGB will need to be the best it’s ever been to win the medals the nation craves. The team needs as much support and preparation as possible in the final crucial months of preparation to win those medals and ensure Great Britain continues to be a leading force in Paralympic sport over the next decade. I am delighted to be part of this campaign to ask the British public to give its support.”
Fellow BPA patron and disability sport supporter Clare Balding is also one of the Supercharge ambassadors. She said, “Paralympic sport goes from strength to strength and we saw in London just how much the British public got behind the ParalympicsGB team. I know that ParalympicsGB will absolutely enthral and excite the British public again this summer. But to do so they will need to make sure that everything they do is world class, so that they can produce those world-class performances.”
Actor and comedian Eddie Izzard is said to be a long-term supporter of diversity and a keen athlete. He said, “London 2012 showed the nation that the Paralympic Games and the ParalympicsGB team are the most inspiring team in the UK. Their success this summer will inspire the nation, continue to challenge perceptions and ultimately help create a better world for disabled people. But to do that the public needs to get behind the team and help to fund their success through donations and fundraising.”
The Supercharge ParalympicsGB campaign launch includes the release of a new, inspiring campaign film and some iconic imagery of ParalympicsGB stars including Jonnie Peacock, Ali Jawad, Jordanne Whiley, Libby Clegg and Will Bayley.
The campaign also offers the public a Text to Donate facility and a wide range of fundraising tools and equipment. The campaign has been developed from the start with the fantastic pro bono support of major London creative agency RKCR/Y&R. Its strategic and creative expertise is central to the campaign’s delivery in 2016.
Find details of the Text to Donate facility (text ‘SUPER’ to 70700) and more at the Supercharge campaign website: paralympics.org.uk/supercharge
