Paralympian 'honoured' by bus naming tribute

Mr Channon was a torch bearer and was invited to meet the Pope after his sporting endeavours

A Paralympic silver medallist who has helped improve access to 999 emergency call handlers for disabled people has had a bus named in tribute to him.

Chris Channon MBE competed in the 1980 and 1984 Paralympic Games, winning a silver medal in the 10m air rifle at the latter.

Nottingham City Transport names some of its buses after people who have made a significant contribution to the area or had a strong connection to the city during their lifetime.

Dozens of well-known figures have had buses named in their honour, with Mr Channon the latest to receive the recognition.

The bus will run between Nottingham city centre and Arnold, where Mr Channon is from

The Lime Line bio-gas bus named Chris Channon MBE serves the area that the former athlete lives in.

Mr Channon, who has cerebral palsy, said: "I have been fortunate enough to have experienced many wonderful things in my life, but this is the first time that I've had a bus named after me. It's an incredible honour."

Appointed MBE in 2001 for his voluntary work, Chris started working with Nottinghamshire Police in 2005 as a volunteer.

He helped develop the Pegasus scheme after he experienced problems when dealing with officers and calling 999, where a call handler thought he was a prank caller.

Chris Channon competed at two Paralympic games in the 1980s

The scheme launched in 2008 and helps disabled and vulnerable people share their information with emergency call handlers.

Registered users are given a special PIN, which shares their information with the emergency services, improving communication in what can be life or death situations.

Chris was named Police Support Volunteer of the Year by the Home Office in 2014 and the Pegasus Scheme has been adopted by several police forces across the UK.

Anthony Carver-Smith, NCT's head of marketing and projects said, "Having achieved so much in his life, including winning a Paralympic medal, Chris rightly deserves recognition for the voluntary work he has undertaken.

"His development of the Pegasus scheme to help other people and prevent them from experiencing the same issue he did is to be commended and we're proud to add Chris to our prestigious fleet of named buses."