As preparations for this summer’s Paralympics continue, Bucks is celebrating its role as the internationally recognised birthplace of the games.
The Paralympic movement began in July 1948 at Stoke Mandeville Hospital, where Dr Ludwig Guttman organised the ‘Stoke Mandeville Games’. Here, 16 injured service men and women competed against each other.
These games continued throughout the 1950s, expanding to include more sports and to include para-athletes from abroad. By 1960, the International Stoke Mandeville Games were hosted straight after the Olympic Games in Rome, and this was the first ‘paralympic games’.
The council is putting on a series of activities and exhibitions called ‘Together we Celebrate’ from June to September. These are “themed around our shared advocacy of diversity, inclusivity and accessibility.”
Activities this summer include the launch of Buckinghamshire Archives’ Paralympic collection, a poster exhibition and a multi-sensory experience for deafblind awareness week.
The Paralympic flame is to be kindled in Stoke Mandeville this summer, commencing the start of the Torch Relay to Paris.
To find out more about the activities in Bucks, follow this link.
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