Case Study: Peter Hull
Peter Hull is a local Paralympian, has an MBE for services to disability sport and is Chairman of the Solent Sharks.
‘When I saw wheelchair rugby at the 2000 Sydney Olympics I vowed to see about bringing wheelchair rugby to Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. After London 2012 I heard that Totton Leisure Centre was holding some taster sessions. I went along, got in a chair and have never looked back. I went on to join the committee and became Chairman of Solent Sharks Wheelchair Rugby. I have since stepped down but have seen them grow into one of the country’s biggest clubs.’
Peter has been involved in many projects delivered by Southampton Forward and was nominated as a City Reflections Legend. More recently Peter has worked on Pub Cultures assessing the pubs accessibility from a wheelchair user point of view. Peter alongside fellow friend and Local Connector Thelma visited all the pubs and made recommendations as well as helping people to make informed decisions about visiting the pubs. All Thelma and Peter’s findings are here: Pub Cultures – Southampton Forward
‘I’m hoping that being able to see which venues are accessible will encourage those with additional needs to feel confident to venture out and see the Pub Cultures art in situ, knowing they will be welcomed and accepted.’
Peter and Thelma also attended the matching event with the Pubs and Artists, having visited all the pubs, they helped inform our decision as to who we matched. You can read about Peter’s journey here in our SO:Cultured article: Helping change people’s perception of disability – Southampton Forward
Peter discovered that he had unlocked new skills at Southampton Forward, as we gave him the opportunity to apply his knowledge and opinions in pairing artists with pubs. Since the inception of Pub Cultures Peter has found work and we hope that we continue to support Peter and utilise his skill sets for our community initiatives.
Sporting Achievements:
• 2001 – swam in the IPC European Swimming Championships, Stockholm
• 1995 – Member of British Swim Team – winners of the Disability European Swimming Championships, Perpignan
• 1994 – British Male Team Captain – winners of the Disability World Swimming Championships in Malta.
• 1992 – Winner of three Gold medals (all with World Records) in the Barcelona Paralympics in the 50m backstroke and freestyle and 100m freestyle
• 1991 – Winner of three Gold medals in the 50m backstroke, 50m and 100m freestyle at the Disabled European Swimming Championships
• 1988 – Member of the British Swim Team for the Seoul Paralympics
• Former National Junior and Senior Short Course Champion in 25, 50 and 100metres backstroke and freestyle
• Completed 12 full marathons, including the London Marathon 6 times, and 18 half marathons in the late 1980s and early 1990s
• Awarded an MBE in 1991 for services to disability sport