About the Paralympic Heritage Trust

The National Paralympic Heritage Trust was established in July 2015 to protect and share British Paralympic Heritage.

We exist to enlighten and inspire future generations by celebrating, cherishing and bringing the Paralympic heritage and its stories of human endeavour to life

The next 5 years - 2023-2028

In our role as caretakers of the World’s most important disability history collections, the Paralympic movement, we aim to become, and help others become seamlessly inclusive. From 2023 to 2028 for every £2 we spend we will positively broaden somebody’s understanding of disability and transcend heritage access.

In our first 5 years 2017 to 2023 we reached half a million people across the UK and overseas, establishing an accredited museum and collection of international importance.  Our learning programmes are recognised as groundbreaking in terms of D/deaf and disabled access and digital engagement. Our purpose and moral responsibility is to continue to bring this unique British heritage to life, in a compelling and evocative way that pushes the boundaries of access for all, changing attitudes, serving national inclusion agendas, and instilling national pride.

Vision

The vision and focus for the next 5 years is exciting and ambitious, developed through input from audiences, stakeholders, and team it draws on our strengths, widening the collections, and delivering a range of engagement mainly across the UK and some overseas. We shall ensure that the theme of inclusion, across the full range of Paralympic sport, shapes what we deliver, how we deliver it and to whom we deliver it, as well as remaining a dynamic organisation that can respond to opportunity.

Central to this work are four interacting themes that will be delivered both physically and virtually, through national, international, regional, and academic partnerships.

1. Collections - The treasure at the heart of all great museums.
2. Engagement - Perpetuating personal growth and understanding through learning and partnerships.
3. Exhibitions - The sharing of stories that changes lives for disabled people, and the attitude of others. 
4. Sustainability - Being fit for purpose financially, through human resourcing and infrastructure enabling a dynamic business model that can respond to new opportunities.

Read the full 2-page strategy here.

Thank you for contributing

Thank you to all who support the work of the Paralympic Heritage Trust by sharing information; stories and images. Many of the images used on this website are from the collections of WheelPower, IWAS (International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports Federation) and the NSIC (National Spinal Injuries Centre). Images have also been contributed by GettyImages and PA Archive/PA. The videos are courtesy of The Mandeville Legacy project and Buckinghamshire Council.