Member Article

Foundation strengthens board with Paralympics hero

Tanni Grey-Thompson, one of the country’s most successful ever Paralympians and a leading campaigner for the development of sport in the UK, has joined the Board of Trustees at North East Charity Foundation of Light.

Competing at five Paralympic Games between 1988 and 2004, Grey-Thompson won 11 gold medals, four silver and one bronze in wheelchair racing events (100-800m and 4x100m).

Since retiring from competition, she has taken several posts mainly focussed on sport and fitness participation, including chairing the board of ukactive, a not-for-profit industry association whose central stated vision is to get more people, more active, more often and to improve the nation’s health by promoting active lifestyles

Established in 2001 originally as the community charity of Sunderland AFC, Foundation of Light has grown to become one of the largest and best-developed sports and education charities in the country.

The Foundation has started to move into the Beacon of Light, the new one-of-a-kind £20m community hub based next to the Sunderland Aquatic Centre.

Amongst the Beacon of Light’s facilities are: three indoor sports courts for netball, basketball and futsal; 12 badminton courts; six five-a-side 3G pitches; and a seven-a-side 4G indoor pitch.

It will also become a central hub for disability sport within the region.

Sir Bob Murray CBE, chair of trustees at Foundation of Light made the appointment following the last Trustee meeting of the charity in May.

Sir Bob Murray comments: “I am delighted to welcome Dame Thompson to our Board of Trustees. She has been a leading light and force for good within sport for a long time now and her expertise, passion and insight will help us improve even more lives within the North East.”

Tanni Grey-Thompson added: “I am very proud to be joining Foundation of Light’s Board of Trustees at such an exciting time. The Beacon of Light especially offers a fantastic opportunity for so many people to improve their health and lives, and I look forward to helping them make the most of it.”

Grey-Thompson joins a trustee board comprising of leading figures from the worlds of: education; health and wellbeing; sport and play; and the world of work/industry and enterprise.

The current Trustees of Foundation of Light are: Sir Bob Murray CBE; Kate Adie OBE DL; George Clarke; Paul Collingwood MBE; Steve Cram CBE; The Rt Hon The Baroness Estelle Morris of Yardley, PC; Colonel The Hon James Ramsbotham DL; Sir Tim Rice; and Sir Peter Vardy DL.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by James Burman .