Emdad Rahman
MEMBERS AND supporters of community gym Ability Bow united with thousands of fellow participants to take part in Parallel London, a fully accessible fun run and free family festival at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
A day of great excitement and fanfare saw a number of organised races for runners of varying abilities and included 10km, 5km, 1km and 100m races and the Super Sensory 1km. Chip timers were provided to record times with the aim that participants will come back next year and beat their personal best.
Parallel London is the world’s first fully inclusive mass participation event and is suitable for all ages and abilities. It has no cut off times, with everybody running side by side. Runners, their families and visitors also enjoyed a free family festival which featured nine exciting zones hosting a colourful celebration of inclusivity.
Parallel London celebrates differences and the event is a dynamic catalyst which helps remove barriers, dispel preconceptions and release potential. Through the power of story-telling, immersive environments and creating inter-connected communities, Parallel London aims to shine a brilliant light on inclusivity and showcase the benefits of diversity.
Ability Bow is a community gym based in the heart of East London. Situated on the third floor of St Paul’s Church and nicknamed “The Ark”, the gym has the quirky appearance of the bottom of an upturned boat, and there are portholes looking out over east London towards the City. Every item of the gym equipment is fully accessible and easy to use, whatever the user’s physical ability.
•For more information about Ability Bow, go to: www.abilitybow.org
•To support the fantastic work at Ability Bow, go to: www.virginmoneygiving.com/er7
•For more information about Parallel London, go to: www.parallellondon.com
•Read more about it: Wheelchair to Walking: Grace’s story Disability discrimination: outlawed but not over
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