Lancaster mayor congratulates Paralympian gold medallists

The Mayor and Mayoress welcomed the winners back to Salt Ayre – where the duo have trained for a number of years - so they could be presented with signed artwork from local artist, Chas Jacobs.

The Mayor commented in his speech that the artwork represented “a small token of appreciation from the people of Lancaster and Morecambe, for all of their achievements and pride they have brought to the area.”

Along with their trainer, Kevin Nicholls, Ayaz and Stuart worked tirelessly to prepare for the Paralympics. They have used the fitness facilities at the leisure centre for several years due to the variety of training they can achieve, favouring a combination of traditional gym workouts, with functional training and attending some fitness classes to improve cardiovascular performance.

The GB wheelchair rugby team made history at the 2021 Paralympics, defeating USA 54 - 49 and achieving the first ever wheelchair rugby medal for GB, first for a European nation and first gold for GB in a team sport since the beginning of the games 61 years ago.

Salt Ayre Leisure Centre Manager, Rachel Williams said: “It is an honour and a privilege to welcome back Ayaz and Stuart, along with their gold medals, back to the centre since their incredible success in Toyko. We have been lucky enough to get to know the guys over the past few years and know how hard they have trained for the games. They deserve all of the accolades and success that come along with being gold medallists, and we couldn’t be prouder of them both.”