History People Paralympic athletes Bill Curran Contents Early life Life as a Paralympic athlete Retirement as a Paralympic athlete Achievements and awards William (Bill) Curran won gold in lawn bowls at the Atlanta 1996 Paralympic Games. Early Life William, known as Bill, Curran, was born on the 24th of June 1951. While serving in the British Army in Cyprus, Bills’ life was changed when a freak accident resulted in him being shot in the spine as he was playing cards at a table with his colleagues. It is reported that he rarely spoke about the incident, summing it up as being ‘sadly in the wrong place at the wrong time.’ Life as a Paralympic Athlete Bill represented Great Britain in lawn bowls at the Atlanta 1996 Paralympic Games. Retirement as a Paralympic Athlete In 1988, Bill and his wife Trina founded the Manchester Kestrels Sports Club for the Disabled which described its’ activities as a ‘Sports club catering for disabled individuals who wish to compete at high levels’. It was established at a time when disability sport was finding its roots and many battles were being fought for equality. When it wasn’t possible for the club to offer a particular sport itself, they linked individuals to associations or governing bodies that would help them. Manchester Mayhem, the para ice hockey club, has three current playing members who started out on sporting ventures through the work of Bill and the Manchester Kestrels and many, many medalists in a host of sports can directly and indirectly thank Bill for his work. Bill passed away on 12 February 2021.Responding to the ParalympicsGB announcement of his death, Dame Sarah Storey said So sorry to hear this. Bill and his wife Trina were instrumental in me finding the right pathway to the Paralympic Games in 1992. Achievements and awards Paralympic Games At the Atlanta 1996 Paralympic Games Bill won gold in the lawn bowls Men’s Singles LB2, earning him a place on the Disability Bowls England Honours Board. References https://www.paralympic.org/william-curran https://ne-np.facebook.com/ManchesterMayhemParaIceHockey/posts/bill-curran-today-we-say-goodbye-to-bill-curran-a-paralympic-gold-medalist-of-th/4172677086132950/ http://opencharities.org/charities/700348 https://twitter.com/paralympicsgb/status/1362067657240043522?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-details/?regid=700348&subid=0 https://www.disabilitybowlsengland.org.uk/about/honours-board/ Manage Cookie Preferences