Elton community support excites Nathan Maguire ahead of Paralympic Games

Wheelchair racer Nathan Maguire from Elton has praised the support of his local community as he says “the anticipation is building” ahead of going for gold in his third Paralympic Games in Paris at the start of next month.

Nathan, who won a silver medal in Tokyo three years ago, is being personally sponsored for the very first time to help with his preparations by local glass manufacturer and bottle filler Encirc whose factory sits on the edge of his home town.

Nathan, a Commonwealth Games gold medallist, explained: “Encirc is my first ever sponsor and to be supported by a company so invested in Elton has made me feel really valued. There is a real community feel to our town and receiving the help from Encirc has been exciting as I prepare for the Paralympics. It is a major boost.”

He added: “The support is invaluable as we try to compete against the best in the world. I am UK Sport funded but for instance, my new wheelchair cost £27,000, so there is a shortfall and that is why the support of Encirc has been so helpful. I contacted them and they could not have been more helpful and easy to deal with.”

Becky Dilworth, Stakeholder Engagement Manager at Encirc, a Vidrala Group company, said: “It is so important that we are able to support Nathan and we are so proud that he will be representing Elton on the world stage. His fortitude and commitment to making a difference on and off the track is inspiring to us all and is closely aligned to the values of our company.

“At Encirc, we want to raise the aspirational glass ceiling in our communities and there is no doubt Nathan is also doing that for so many people. We wish him the very best of luck in Paris.”

Nathan says that the last few weeks of the Olympics in Paris have only whetted his appetite for the competitive action to come.

Indeed, he is no stranger to overcoming obstacles, going to bed as an athletic 8 year old one night and waking up the next morning unable to move, paralysed and subsequently diagnosed with transverse myelitis, a rare neurological disorder wherein the spinal cord becomes inflamed.

That was in October 2005, Nathan got out of hospital on Christmas Eve of that year, and by January 5, he was at his first wheelchair basketball training session.

Nathan explains: “I was lucky, my parents saw this as a new chapter, and they quickly opened my eyes to the possibilities of disability sports. I do remember thinking back then that one day I would compete at the Paralympics. So, to be going for a third time, I think my 8-year-old self would be very proud.”

Nathan, representing Team GB in the Para Athletics, will compete in three disciplines in the Wheelchair Racing (400m, 800m and 1,500m) at the Stade de France, starting out on September 1 and finishing on September 5 in what will be several intense days of competition. He trains six days per week with nine sessions over those days and is looking forward to the action now getting underway.

The recently ended Olympic Games have been a great success and Nathan is fully aware of the important role that the Paralympics plays in making sport inclusive to all.

“It saddens me when I go to schools and some of the pupils have not heard of the Paralympics. Part of my mission is to ensure disabled people are represented and given the same opportunities as able athletes,” explained Nathan who added.

“When I was at school there were so many sports I could not participate in, and my sporting activities came outside of school. I work with a charity called Panathlon Challenge who give young people with disabilities and special needs the opportunity to take part in competitive sport. In addition, they have an in-school ‘virtual’ programme that contains simplified activities that can be delivered in school by staff. I want all school children to be able to compete with their peers. So, we cannot underestimate the impact that the Paralympics can have.”

The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games commence on August 28 and conclude on September 8.

Go Nathan!