Helping change people’s perception of disability

Peter Hull MBE, PLY

I am one of three children and when I was young my family lived near Paris. I was born with no legs and arms ending at the elbow. When I learnt to swim at school, being able to float gave me a sense of freedom. I began swimming regularly and, with hard work and determination, I was selected to join the GB Swim Team in 1984.

I regularly competed in the National Disability Swimming Championships at Stoke Mandeville and between 1986 and 1996 I competed in six World, European and Paralympic competitions as part of the GB Swim Team. I won several international medals, including three European and three Paralympic golds. In 1991 I was awarded an MBE for services to disability sport.

At the 2000 Paralympics in Sydney I watched some of the wheelchair rugby competition and immediately fell in love with it. Already a rugby fan, it was great to see a wheelchair version that people could play, and I believe it went a long way in challenging the public’s perception of disability and parasport.

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. Going on to join the committee and become chairman of Solent Sharks, I’ve seen them grow to be one of the biggest clubs in the country.

Through the GB Swim Team I met Thelma Bishop-Young, who has lived in Southampton all her life and is also a gold medal-winning Paralympian. She is the first true Sotonian to have won medals at an Olympic or Paralympic Games.

In the mid-1990s, while Thelma was studying at Farnborough College of Technology, she encouraged me to go back to education and train in the sport and leisure development field. After that, I took a disability sports development job with Hampshire County Council. This progressed to include Southampton, Portsmouth and Isle of Wight. Since taking voluntary redundancy in 2015, I have continued working with charity groups in the city, promoting sport and exercise for those with additional needs.

Thelma and I were both honoured to be Local Ambassadors for Southampton’s City of Culture bid. Following on from that we were asked to continue as Local Connectors – ‘go to’ people in the community who are recognised for bringing people together. We use our connections within the community, chatting with locals in shops, cafes, on the bus, via social media or with the groups we’re involved in, to promote the many projects that Southampton Forward has undertaken.

As well as encouraging people to nominate local heroes for the City Reflections project, I’m honoured to say I was one of those nominated. Thelma was also a featured volunteer. The project saw over 350 images of local volunteers projected onto the city walls. I hope that seeing individuals being recognised for their contribution in this way will encourage more people to find ways to support their local communities.

Another recent project was Pub Cultures. As a wheelchair user, access to venues is often limited, especially if the buildings are old. It’s not their fault; they were designed before it was commonplace for people to use wheelchairs. But knowledge is power, so if people with additional needs can find out if a venue has any limitations, they can make an informed decision on whether to go there or not.

Southampton Forward commissioned Thelma and myself to visit the pubs selected to check out their accessibility. Everyone we spoke to was lovely and after a little chat they were thinking outside the box on ways to improve their venues.

Thelma and I were also invited to meet with the artists who were paired up with participating pubs, listen to the ideas for their installations and offer our suggestions on which artist would suit each pub.

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.

I believe this project will give people the opportunity to see art differently. I’m excited to see what the artists produce and what the local communities think of it. It’s also important for people to see that art is for everyone and not just for those who visit the local art gallery.