WheelPower – the national organisation for wheelchair sport – has launched a Wheel Appeal to raise £6m towards the provision of 2,012 sports wheelchairs for young athletes with disabilities by 2012.

Leisure Connection is supporting the appeal by asking each of their 30 contract mangers to raise enough money to fund a sports wheelchair costing £3,000 a piece to help the lives of 30 disabled people and their families.

Campaign leader Anneka Rice said: “Without these specially adapted wheelchairs, kids simply cannot participate in sport. What could be more worthwhile and exciting than giving 2,012 people, disabled through accident or illness, the gift of speed and flexibility. The results would be life-changing and lead to opportunities and options denied to most disabled people.”

Minister of sport Gerry Sutcliffe added: “Britain has a proud history in Paralympic sport with our Paralympic athletes among the best in the world. All athletes have to start somewhere and having the right equipment from an early age is vital if our disabled children and young people are going to get involved in sport and have the opportunity to pursue it to the next level.”

WheelPower’s national disability sports centre at Stoke Mandeville is the birthplace of the Paralympic movement.