Jade Jones joins line up of star athletes for Sports Fest North East

“I’m looking forward to meeting everyone who comes to Sports Fest and I’ll be more than happy to share some tips and talk about my experiences as a Paralympic athlete.”

British Paralympian and Commonwealth Games medallist Jade Jones has backed an exciting opportunity to build participation in disability sport in the region by signing up to be an ambassador for ParalympicsGB Sports Fest, set to take place in the North East of England for the first time on Thursday 5 March.

Jones will be in attendance at the event at Durham University and takes up the role of Sports Fest Ambassador alongside triple Paralympic Champion Stephen Miller and star wheelchair fencer Gemma Collis, who both pledged their support to the festival of Paralympic sport last week.

Hosted by the British Paralympic Association (BPA), Sports Fest is a free event which provides the opportunity to fans across the region to ‘meet the medallists, try the sports, get inspired’.

Sports Fest is aimed at people with an impairment of all ages who want to get more active. If you are looking for the inspiration and encouragement to stick to that New Year’s resolution to be more active, are simply curious as to which sports you might enjoy, or if you’re keen to take your sport to the next level and start competing, then Sports Fest is for you.

Jones, a protégée of Paralympic legend Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, made her Paralympic debut at London 2012 and is now targeting selection for Rio 2016. She was delighted to be part of the event.

She said: “Sports Fest is a fantastic opportunity for people of any age to come along and find out what sport has to offer them. It’s a rare chance to try a wide range of Paralympic sports all under one roof, and hopefully the people that join us at Sports Fest will really make the most of the day, discover some new sports that they might enjoy and learn how they can take that forward.

“I’m looking forward to meeting everyone who comes to Sports Fest and I’ll be more than happy to share some tips and talk about my experiences as a Paralympic athlete.”

Tim Hollingsworth, Chief Executive of the BPA, added: “As one of the North East’s brightest sporting talents, Jade is the perfect athlete to complete our line-up of Sports Fest ambassadors for this event.

“We’re delighted by the response to the news that we are hosting our first Sports Fest in the region, and my hope is that this support will continue with lots of people taking up the opportunity to be part of it and get more involved in disability sport.”

Aiming to capture the enthusiasm and excitement shown by the British public during the London 2012 Paralympic Games and the subsequent record-breaking achievements of British Paralympians in Sochi, Sports Fest has a track record of success with more than 2,500 people across the country attending an event since 2012. This Sports Fest will be the fifth event in the series and it marks the first time that the event has come to the region.

In addition to trying out a wide range of Paralympic sports, visitors to Sports Fest can also come along to meet the medallists sessions, where they can put their questions to athletes, have their photos taken and collect autographs.

Sports Fest North East will take place at Durham University, The Graham Sports Centre, Maiden Castle, Durham and the doors will be open from 10:00 – 17:00.