Wheelchair skate club to embark on Paris challenge

The group is hoping to reach Paris for the opening ceremony

A wheelchair skating group is planning to tackle a 120-mile (193km) route from East Sussex to Paris to celebrate the Paralympic Games.

About 35 skaters and five wheelchair users from the London-based Wheels and Wheelchairs group will set off from Hove Lawns on Saturday.

They hope to reach the French capital for the opening ceremony on Wednesday.

Group president Isaac Harvey said: "People with disabilities are able to have a very fulfilling life, and it doesn’t just stop if you have a disability."

The group, which promotes accessible skating, will skate along traffic-free roads to Newhaven before crossing the English Channel by ferry and travelling to Paris from Dieppe.

They will be joined in France by a 10 inline skaters who pushed six wheelchair users from Paris to London for the 2012 Paralympics.

'Daily obstacles'

A wheelchair user himself, Mr Harvey said: “This is the group’s first big skate after Covid so we’re all really excited for it, even though I know it’s going to really push my body to the limit.”

He added: "To get to Paris at the end will be such a huge achievement for what Wheels and Wheelchairs is able to achieve, but also the wider picture of what we’re able to achieve when we come together as a community.”

Mr Harvey, who has led the group since 2019, said he was hoping to show that people with disabilities were able to do "large-scale" things, such as their journey to Paris and participating in the Games.

“It’s important to mention that it’s not all plain sailing either – there are daily obstacles living in this world with a disability where it can create huge challenges and barriers, but once overcome, life can truly be something great.”

The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games starts on 28 August until 8 September.