"This marathon isn’t just about finishing a race. It’s about widening access, changing perceptions, and making sure that sport can be a place where everyone belongs."

In April 2026, Wes, a member of our National Youth Board will be taking on his greatest physical challenge yet.

As part of our London Marathon runner spotlight series, this article shares Wes’ journey – from losing access to sport as a young teenager, to rediscovering his confidence through wheelchair basketball. Now, as he prepares to take on this epic challenge, he shares why this challenge means so much to him, and why he chose to fundraise for Access Sport.

Article by Wesley Newman

When I was 12 years old, I found out I was disabled.
Within a matter of months, I was using a wheelchair most of the time.
By the time I was 13, I could barely leave the house.

Sport wasn’t just something I’d stopped doing — it felt like something that had been taken away entirely. My confidence disappeared alongside my independence, and for a long time my world became very small.

Everything changed when I was 15.

I joined a local wheelchair basketball team, and slowly, piece by piece, my life started to come back together. Being part of a club gave me routine, confidence, friendships, and a sense of purpose at a time when I desperately needed it. I was incredibly lucky to find a team that had the knowledge, understanding, and willingness to support me properly — but I also learned very quickly that not everyone has access to opportunities like that.

Too many disabled young people never get that first chance. Not because they don’t want to be active, but because the clubs around them don’t yet have the confidence, support, or resources to be inclusive.

That’s why I’m fundraising for Access Sport.

Access Sport’s mission is simple but powerful: they work with existing community sports clubs and help them become places that can genuinely welcome, empower, and support people who might otherwise be excluded. The kind of clubs that change lives - the way wheelchair basketball changed mine.

I’ve been fortunate to work alongside Access Sport in several ways over the years, through volunteering, coaching, and as a member of their National Youth Board. I’ve seen first-hand the impact their work has, not just on participation numbers, but on confidence, belonging, and long-term opportunities for young people.

Alongside that, I’ve reached a point in my own journey where I wanted another physical challenge - something that would push me, scare me a little, and prove to myself and others what’s possible.

I want to show people who are in the position I once was, disabled, isolated, and struggling with self-belief, that it is possible to be active, break down barriers, and take up space in sport. That disabled people don’t have to be sidelined, separated, or limited, and that sport can be something we share with our non-disabled peers.

So what better way to do that than by taking on my first-ever marathon?

Running the London Marathon is a huge personal challenge for me, but doing it in support of Access Sport makes every training run, every tough session, and every aching muscle worth it. Every pound raised will help Access Sport continue their work transforming clubs and creating opportunities for people who deserve the same chance I was given.

This marathon isn’t just about finishing a race. It’s about widening access, changing perceptions, and making sure that sport can be a place where everyone belongs.

Thank you for supporting me and for supporting Access Sport to keep doing their amazing work.

Donate to Wes’ fundraising page now to help us transform young lives through the power of community sport!

Wes' JustGiving Page >