* This post is written by a guest blogger - it is not sponsored. *

Following the pioneering work by WheelPower’s founder, Sir Ludwig Guttmann in 1940, WheelPower has been providing opportunities for people with disabilities to play sport and lead healthy active lives from the birthplace of the Paralympic Movement, Stoke Mandeville Stadium in Buckinghamshire. Through the hosting of our annual events, WheelPower was able to engage 62,099 disabled people in sport and physical activity throughout 2019.

Fast forward to 2020 where both the charity and the people we support have been faced new challenges as a result of the coronavirus outbreak, government lockdowns and national shortages. With stadium facilities closing down, events postponed and fundraising challenges such as the London Marathon being cancelled, like so many charities across the UK we expect our annual fundraising to reduce by more than 50% purely because of the virus. However, WheelPower's charitable mission is to transform lives through sport and physical activity, and we weren't going to let the current crisis change this! Therefore, we set in motion plans to create new and exciting digital content that would allow people with disabilities to stay active whilst isolating at home.

Ella is one of our Exercise at Home instructors who has become famous for using everyday equipment, such as brooms and baked bean tins throughout her series of circuit exercises.

 “At the beginning of lockdown, I was really missing going to the gym several times a week. My mum and sister were taking part in online sessions such as Joe Wickes and I used to look at them and wish there was something like that for disabled people. I did a quick search online, but couldn’t find anything that was inspiring and motivating for me, so I decided to film and edit my own workout videos! When WheelPower contacted me I was really excited about the opportunity to work with them as it meant I could reach a whole new audience, and help transform people’s lives through sport!"

Cameron is 11 years old and has Spastic Quad Cerebral Palsy and Epilepsy. Online videos have also provided an opportunity for him to keep fit whilst at home in his wheelchair.

“I would usually be more active if I wasn’t in lockdown. But as I am learning from home at the moment we decided to use the WheelPower exercise videos for my P.E lessons. I find these videos help me to move and stretch in ways that I don’t usually get to and it’s aimed at people in wheelchairs like me, so I can take part fully and be part of the whole session.” As he explains further, “It’s great to be taught by someone in a chair just like me and I love that I don’t have to adapt to the session to get the best from it.”