Meet our Patrons. Chris Holmes MBE

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1 Meet our Patrons Chris Holmes MBE Chris is one of Britain s greatest Paralympians, amassing nine gold, five silver and two bronze medals across four Games, including a haul of six golds at Barcelona Today Chris is a Board Member of UK Sport and was Director of Paralympic Integration at the London 2012 Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG); a vital role in ensuring consistent delivery across the Olympics and Paralympics in Prior to working for LOCOG Chris worked as a practicing lawyer and has also worked as a freelance journalist and broadcaster at sporting events across the world. He undertakes regular speaking engagements for corporate, sporting and community based organisations. He was awarded an MBE in 1992 for services to British sport.

2 Clare Balding Clare Balding is one of the BBC and Channel 4 s main sports presenters, fronting their Olympic, Paralympic coverage, live racing, including the Grand National, Royal Ascot, the Derby and l Arc de Triomphe. Clare, a Cambridge graduate, was elected President of the Union in She was a good all-rounder in sport, and was champion lady rider in 1990 and leading amateur flat jockey in 1989 and Clare was honoured with the Horse Writers and Photographers Association (HWPA) Racing Journalist of the Year Award in 2003 and in 2004 she won both the HWPA Sir Peter O Sullevan Broadcaster of the Year award and the prestigious Royal Television Society Sports Presenter of the Year award. In 2009, she was praised for "perfect presentation" by the judges of the Broadcast Awards who named the Grand National 2008 as their sports programme of the year. Among many accolades for her work in 2012, she was honoured with honoured with a special award from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts for her 2012 Olympics and Paralympic coverage. To find out more about Clare please visit her website:

3 Tanni Grey-Thompson DBE Tanni first tried wheelchair racing at St. Cyres Comprehensive School, aged 13. At 15 she won the 100 metres at the Junior National Wheelchair Games. At 18, she became a member of the Bridgend Athletics Club, the British Wheelchair Racing Squad and was selected for her first World Wheelchair Games. In Seoul in 1988, Tanni represented Great Britain at her first Paralympic Games and won her first Paralympic medal, the 400m bronze. Spinal surgery forced Tanni to take a year away from the track and incredibly, at the 1992 Barcelona Paralympics, she stormed to victory taking four gold medals in the 100, 200, 400 and 800 metres. The same year, she won her first of six London Wheelchair Marathons. Tanni won the 800 metres gold in the Atlanta 1996 Paralympics along with three silver medals in the 100, 200 and 400 metres. At the Sydney 2000 Paralympics, Tanni returned with a vengeance, striking gold another four times in the 100, 200, 400 and 800 metres. In Athens 2004, aged 35, she took first place in the 100 and 400 metres bringing her Paralympic gold medal tally to an astonishing eleven. In 2008 Tanni was appointed as a member of Transport for London, where she chairs the Environment, Corporate and Planning Panel, and is a member of the Surface Transport and Safety, Health and Environment Assurance Panels. In 2010 Tanni was appointed to the House of Lords, where she serves as a non party political crossbench peer. Tanni took the title Baroness Grey-Thompson of Eaglescliffe in the County of Durham. Tanni is a working peer and hopes to use her experience and knowledge to great effect in debates in the House. To find out more about Tanni please visit her website:

4 HRH Earl of Wessex The Earl of Wessex has supported the BPA since he first visited the Paralympic Games in Barcelona in 1992 and has maintained a keen interest in the team s achievements since that time He became the Royal Patron of the British Paralympic Association in November 2003 and as such has attended every Paralympic Games to support the team. The athletes and staff have valued his presence and knowledge of Paralympic sport.

5 Paul Dickenson Paul joined the BBC Sports team in 1987 as a trackside reporter and since 1990 he has commentated on every major Athletics meeting for the BBC as well as the winter Paralympics and Olympics. A voice that is known to millions, he has also commentated on programmes such as the Lord Mayors Show, Superstars, World's Strongest Man, Comic Relief and Sport Relief and many other major outside broadcasts. As an athlete Paul competed in two consecutive Summer Olympics; Montreal 1976 and Moscow He also held the British and Commonwealth Records for the hammer throw. Paul is an accomplished host, working on events such as the Youth Sports Trust Annual Conference and the Lloyds TSB Local Heroes programme amongst many others. Another string to Paul's bow is stadium announcing, something he's done at Paralympic World Cups and Paralympic World Championships, as well as IAAF Grand Prix events in Great Britain.