National Paralympic Heritage Centre

• Family Fun Day
• Visitor information
• Accessibility
• Virtual Tour
• Resources
• Highlights

Royals and the Paralympics, family fun day

On Tuesday 31st May at 2:30pm we are holding a family fun day at the National Paralympic Heritage Centre. Come and find out about the involvement of the Royals at Stoke Mandeville and the Paralympics. Explore flags from the Games and make a Union Jack flag and bunting to celebrate at your own Jubilee party! At 4pm join our family friendly tour of the stadium with knowledgeable tour guides, plus complete the Royals Trail around the Heritage Centre.

Visitor information

We are delighted to welcome visitors to our small museum, located at Stoke Mandeville Stadium. There's no need to book, and it's free for individuals and families, simply pop by to explore our unique Paralympic sporting collection on display. The health and safety of our visitors, volunteers and the general public is our key priority, which is why we will continue with daily cleaning, reduced capacity and QR codes to limit touch points.

Stoke Mandeville is widely acknowledged as the birthplace of the Paralympic movement and the National Paralympic Heritage Centre at Stoke Mandeville Stadium celebrates and explores this unique history. The displays in our small museum showcase the determination, sportsmanship and vision that gave the world the Paralympic Games including:

• The life and work of Professor Sir Ludwig Guttmann.
• Key milestones in the journey from the 1948 Stoke Mandeville Games to the present day Paralympic Games.
• The development of wheelchair sports.
• Paralympic ceremonies.

Accessibility

To find out more about getting to the Paralympic Heritage Centre, opening times and the facilities available at Stoke Mandeville Stadium go to our planning your visit page.

School and group visits

If you are visiting with a groups or school we offer guided tours and talks, you can find out more about our offer here 

Feedback from a recent visitor:

We both enjoyed our tour of the Heritage Centre and thank you for organising it. Gill & Judy made us very welcome and were so knowledgeable. You have an amazing collection, beautifully curated.

Virtual Tour

Using 3D technology, you can ‘walkthrough’ exhibition spaces and zoom in on specific artefacts or artwork. You can access video, British Sign Language, text caption and audio-description options at points of interest.

Viewing the Virtual Tour

• For optimal performance of the virtual tour please view in full screen.
• To view the highlight reel/thumbnails press the arrow in the bottom left hand corner.
• To view the videos in the hotspots in full screen press the link.

Video Tour

Vicky Hope Walker, CEO of the National Paralympic Heritage Trust, takes us for a 20 minute video tour of the Paralympic Heritage Centre showing her favourite items. The tour includes British Sign Language by interpreter Marie Biswell.

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Resources

Widgit Tour

The Widgit tour has been developed to use alongside either the virtual or video tours above. Click here to view the full Widgit tour or download as a pdf. Please contact us if you require an alternative format.

Paralympic Heritage Trail

For families and children this trail is a great way to explore Stoke Mandeville Stadium and find out more about the Paralympic Movement. Download a pdf here or if you need an alternative version please contact us at [email protected] For more family fun visit our activities page here

 

Interactives on display at the Paralympic Heritage Centre

Interactives about the History of the Paralympic Games and the Evolution of the Sports Wheelchair, with British Sign Language and Audio Description. Click on the images below to access the interactives.

 

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