Pippa Middleton joined City officials and sporting heroes at Guildhall last night to celebrate the achievements of Team GB’s winter Paralympians after their most successful Paralympics in history.
Kate Middleton’s younger sister, who is expecting her first child with husband James Matthews, attended the event on 14 June as an ambassador for Disability Sports UK, a charity that provides adaptive snowsport opportunities for people living with a disability in the UK.
Britain’s Paralympians returned from the Winter Games in PyeongChang with a medal haul of one gold, four silver and two bronze, finishing 13th on the medal table. Visually-impaired alpine skier Menna Fitzpatrick, who won gold, silver and bronze medals at the games was a guest of honour, as was her teammate Millie Knight, who took home two silvers and a bronze.
The City Corporation hosted the event at Guildhall to toast their success with national sporting bodies and recognise the work of DSUK.
Pippa Middleton said the charity had “changed lives”, and not just those of the disabled community.
“Those, like me, who get involved as volunteers get every bit as much enjoyment and satisfaction from participating in the charity’s work. It is truly wonderful, and I am honoured to be Patron of DSUK.”
The Corporation’s policy chair Catherine McGuinness said: “The achievements of these athletes are outstanding and inspirational. They are accomplishments that should also be recognised by acknowledging the great work of Disability Snowsport UK over the last 40 years.
“The charity has really driven forward snowsports amongst disabled people in the UK. They are making a real impact by expanding participation at the grassroots level and indeed on the UK’s major achievements on the global stage.”
delighted to be hosting Team GB Paralympic Athletes, Disability Snowsports UK, and their Patron Pippa Middleton, at Guildhall this evening. A wonderful celebration of Team GB’s success in S Korea pic.twitter.com/ubNt8dKbdS
— Tom Sleigh (@tomsleigh) June 14, 2018
Fiona Young OBE, CEO of Disability Snowsport UK, added: “Disability Snowsport UK are enormously proud of all our athletes and their incredible achievements, making history and delivering our largest number of medals ever.
“We are also extremely proud of creating and facilitating a successful performance pathway which has resulted in making sporting history at two successive winter Paralympics. We work to promote equality and opportunity for all people with disabilities to take part in snowsports and to help improve their enjoyment and standard of performance at the level of their choice.”
