National charity will host an event at the Canary Wharf sports club to give adults and juniors the opportunity to try the sport
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“WheelPower is all about enabling people to enjoy sport and lead more active lives,” said Paul Rushton, head of fundraising, data and communications at the national charity for wheelchair sport.
“Wheelchair padel isn’t a very big thing yet, but we would like it to be.
“As a sport, padel is very accessible and there are an increasing number of courts.”
WheelPower is set to host its first taster sessions at Padium for juniors and adults on September 15, 2026, in Canary Wharf.
Paul said: “I was contacted by Simon Turner from Optinet – one of our sponsors over many years, which is based in One Canada Square – who had an idea that we hadn’t done a wheelchair padel event before and thought it would be good to have one in Canary Wharf to raise awareness of the sport and what the charity does.
“On the day, we’ll be hosting two sessions – one for juniors aged eight-17 from 11am and one for adults from 1.30pm.
“We supply everything necessary, including lunch for participants, and both sessions are suitable for complete beginners.
“We put those taking part in sports wheelchairs, do some drills, show them how to move around and how to hold the bats.
“Coaches will then do some training in how to hit the ball.
“There will be some practice rallies before players take part in matches.
“It’s going to be a magnificent event, to get local disabled people playing sport.
“The benefits are enormous. Wheelchair users have a sedentary lifestyle, especially as they get older, so being active helps with daily tasks, like tackling kerbs and getting in and out of cars.
“Upper body strength is really important.
“We also find that sport is really good for people’s mental health.
“There are many different reasons why someone may be in a wheelchair, including suffering catastrophic injuries.
“I have met people who are told they are paralysed and immediately start a new life.
“Most people aren’t like that and it can take them a long time to get used to the new normal.
“Through sport, they can meet other disabled people who have often had similar experiences and can talk about those with them because of that shared understanding of those lived experiences.”
getting people into wheelchair sports
Padel is the focus for this event, but WheelPower’s mission extends to a wealth of sports, competitions and activities from its base at Stoke Mandeville Hospital where the organisation has been running in one form or another since 1948.
“We just want to get people active and we don’t care how,” he said.
“That might be helping people to find an accessible sports club, helping them with equipment or training teachers, coaches and physios, so they can make their sports sessions more accessible for disabled people.
“We’re involved in the wider Paralympic movement – the Paralympic Flame has been lit at the Stoke Mandeville Stadium since 2012 – and we’ve managed to help a lot of athletes succeed at the Games, but it’s more than that.
“Disabled people are likely to be half as active as their non-disabled peers.
“We’re trying to address that, whether it’s going down the Paralympic route with football, rugby and athletics or it’s something as simple as joining a gym, swimming at a local pool or going for a push every day.
“Even something as simple as that can really help to raise the heart rate a bit and make people fitter, so that later in life they’ll be healthier.
“We’ve got different sports for different people – everything from archery to hand cycling. We’re promoting about 38 different sports and the growth has been massive.
“The biggest thing I’ve seen over time is the increase in access to these sports locally, which has really improved. People’s attitude to disabled sport has also changed and improved massively, especially since 2012.
“We mustn’t forget that not every disabled person is superhuman, and they all have their struggles, depending on their impairments.
“Everybody with a disability is different, and it’s our job to support them to do what they want.”
supporting the charity
WheelPower, which supports more than 77,000 people to access sports across the country, is funding the sessions at Padium, which are being run with the help of Optinet and Canary Wharf Contractors.
A range of sponsorship opportunities and volunteering places at the event are still available, should companies or organisations wish to get involved.
Paul said: “Sport is so important for everyone and to give people around here the opportunity to participate in padel is going to be a magical thing.
“I’ve been lucky to have been involved as a fundraiser with WheelPower for 23 years now. It’s the best job in the world.
“I speak to people who are so giving and generous, and then with people who have so many amazing stories about what they’ve done with that support.
“You can really see the impact that sport makes on people and we see it every day – it really is wonderful.
“There are astonishing stories of Paralympic medal success, which will never leave me and I’ve met so many incredible people like that.
“But you also meet the parents of children, for example, who might not compete at that level, but whose lives are improved so much because they are able to play sport.
“That’s something really special.”
key details: Learn To Play Padel With WheelPower
Learn To Play Padel With WheelPower is set to take place on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, from 11am-3pm at Padium in Canary Wharf.
The taster sessions are free to attend but must be booked in advance – there’s a £15 deposit that’s refunded after the event.
At the time of going to press, the adult session was fully booked with a waiting list in operation, however spaces remained for juniors aged eight-17.
Places at the event can be reserved on the charity’s website here
Read more: Find out more about Common Threads, coming to Cody Dock in September
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