Thank you for taking the time to visit my fundraising page. 

This October I am taking part in the London Marathon followed by the New York Marathon just a few weeks later. Unfortunately, like a lot of events and plans this year, coronavirus has put pay to large scale events and therefore both of these events will be virtual. This means I’ll be doing them in a location of my choice (Bushy Park) and will be doing them on my own. This makes it a bit harder without the support from the crowds and fellow runners but it’s still very exciting to be able to take in events this year given such the turbulent times we’ve experienced.

London Marathon: Sunday 4^th October 2020

New York Marathon: Date tbc

About Me

Hi, I’m Claudia and I’m currently 25 years old. I’ve always loved playing sport, growing up I played pretty much every sport on offer although I particularly enjoyed and was good at hockey. After finishing school, I chose to study PE and Sport at St Mary’ University, Twickenham where I graduated and went on to study my master’s in the same area. During my undergraduate studies, I started to become unwell however, it was not until the first year of my masters when my condition deteriorated, and I subsequently became paralysed. Having been so active, it was incredibly tough mentally to feel so weak and incompetent in a wheelchair not being able to push anywhere or do anything I had been able to do previously. My mental health took a massive hit, but it was sport which once again came to the rescue and I began to get involved in parkrun and running events in my wheelchair which in turn helped improve my upper body strength. 

Why Harlequins Foundation?

I started playing wheelchair rugby with the Harlequins Foundation about a year after becoming paralysed, it gave me the opportunity to spend time with other wheelchair users which has been invaluable. For two hours a week I don’t feel different or self-conscious about my condition or disability, I don’t have to explain it to anyone because those around me understand. It’s helped me understand and accept how my life has changed and given me so much more confidence. Wheelchair rugby is a brilliant sport! So often as a wheelchair user you’re treated like you can’t do anything and wrapped in cotton wool but those around you but when you play wheelchair rugby you can legitimately smash into other people, push as fast as you can and break all the stereotypes that are normally put on you as a wheelchair user. It’s improved my mental health and gives me a great release. 

Before I became a wheelchair user, I took accessing sport for granted but now it is a real challenge. The cost of disability sport is unachievable for a lot of disabled people, consider that to play running rugby a player would need boots and gum shield to join a session, for wheelchair rugby a rugby chair alone costs upwards of £3000. This cost often falls to the clubs and charities to provide the opportunities and without the Harlequins Foundation I would not have been able to play wheelchair rugby or have gain the physical and mental health benefits. 

Outside of wheelchair rugby, the Harlequins Foundation provide so many opportunities for young people whether it be increasing participation in rugby for underrepresented groups or working to improve young people’s mental health. To find out more about the fantastic work the Harlequins Foundation do visit www.harlequins.foundation