“HOW many of you here have been told ‘you can’t’? – I have, hundreds of times, but believe me there is nothing you cannot do.”
That was the inspirational message delivered by Paralympic Gold medallist Claire Cashmore, the keynote speaker at this year’s Disability Action Redditch’s No Barriers awards ceremony at Redditch town hall on Friday (April 7).
Ms Cashmore, who was born with a left forearm, told the room she had never seen herself as disabled and that, whatever the challenge, there was always a way round it.
“I remember being nine years old and at my first swimming gala,” said the Redditch athlete, who won gold in the 4x100m medley and silver in the 100m breaststroke at the Rio 2016 Games.
“The girl on the block next to me said: ‘you can’t swim, you’ve only got one arm, you’ll go round in circles’ but I found that action speaks louder than words and I moved my arms so fast I won that race.”
It was an attitude that has stood the young athlete, now 28, as she battled her way through the highs and lows of international competition before striking gold in Brazil.
And there was a gasp as she pulled her medal out from pocket and invited the audience to join her and pose for photographs with her.
The afternoon, compered by Councillor Anita Clayton, the chairman of Disability Action Redditch and herself a mobility scooter user had begun with borough Mayor Coun Joe Baker telling how he had successful overcome his own barriers.
Together the two councillors, from opposing sides of the council chamber, sparked a rapport, leading to comments of them being ‘The Hinge and Bracket of Redditch’.
Mayor Baker said: “It was a real honour to help with the No Barriers awards. We have a wealth of wonderful everyday people here in Redditch spending their time and energies making huge differences in people’s lives and showing that any form of disability whether it physical or mental does not have to be the end.”
Coun Clayton said: “Claire is an absolute inspiration and I am so proud of everyone who won an award and all those who nominated them. The awards go from strength to strength but it could not be done with Disability Action Redditch, we meet on the second Monday of the month at 10.30am at the town hall. Please come along to have a natter and share your problems!”
Winners – Individual: Michael Lewington (Head Gym), Alexander Powell (DAR), Andrew Prior (Asda), Karen Martin (Inspire Training), Barbara Bakewell (Redditch Blind Association), Syd and Janet Graham (Redditch Blind Association), Robina Goodfellow (Bonmarche), Elaine Daykin BEM (Special Olympics Redditch), Jason Rogers, Dan McFadden and Matthew Daykin (Special Olympics Redditch).
winners – Community / Voluntary Group: Charlotte and Craig Saving Hearts Foundation, Your Ideas Youth and Community Project, Redditch Play Council, Redditch Youth and Community Enterprise, Disability Support Project, Redditch Stroke Support Club.
Plus: Karl Johnson and Shopmobility ‘for continually going the extra mile’.
