7 March 2024

Akshata Murty, wife of the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, visited a number of Buckinghamshire charities including WheelPower and the National Paralympic Trust at Stoke Mandeville Stadium on Thursday, March 7.

Accompanied by Heart of Bucks CEO Henry Allmand, and Trustee Pippa Kirkbride, the day started at Weston Turville Church of England Primary School. Mrs Murty met with headteacher Ms Sue Fitzpatrick, before reading The Gruffalo to a group of Year 1 pupils as part of the pupils World Book Day activities. The reading took place in the schools nature reserve outside space, which was funded by a grant from the Heart of Bucks Green Schools Fund.

Later, she met with parents, children and therapists at the Pace Centre, which supports children with neurodisabilities, motor disorders and cerebral palsy. She then visited the birthplace of the Paralympics, Stoke Mandeville Stadium to view the National Paralympic Heritage Trust Centre. Alongside WheelPower, which provides opportunities for disabled people to take part in sports, she learnt about the history of Paralympic sports. She even managed to get stuck into playing some herself, particularly boccia, a Paralympic sport introduced in 1984.

Of the visits, Mrs Murty said: “It was truly uplifting to see the best of Buckinghamshire. I really enjoyed meeting the kids at Weston Turville and reading them one of our family favourites, The Gruffalo. It was also wonderful to see the work being carried out by some the local charities. In spite of the challenges that people are facing, whether that be Cerebral Palsy or other physical and mental disabilities, there were so many positive stories throughout today. Both at the school, and at the charities, the sense of community spirit was so strong throughout. Heart of Bucks is doing an amazing job of supporting the initiatives that need it most.”

Heart of Bucks CEO Henry Allmand said: “Buckinghamshire has some incredible charities, community groups, and non-for-profit organisations.  As the Community Foundation for Buckinghamshire, Heart of Bucks is always delighted to showcase the amazing work being done at a grassroots level in communities throughout the county. We were very pleased to be joined by Mrs Murty for the latest in our ‘Seeing is Believing’ events, which allow people to see first-hand how grassroots community groups make such a positive difference for people in the county.”

Full Story from Heart of Bucks

Bucks Free Press Story and Photos

Photo credit: Taylor Forster-Cornes

Story credit: Isabella Perrin (Audience and Content Editor – The Bucks Herald)