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Whizz Kidz: When did The Voice and McFly star Tom Fletcher become a patron for the wheelchair company?
More than 75,000 children in the UK need a wheelchair but many can't afford one that's right for them
THE Voice UK has three new judges - including McFly star, Tom Fletcher.
The singing competition returns to ITV on Saturday, August 31, 2024. But did you know The Voice judge is also a patron of Whizz Kidz?
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What is Whizz Kidz?
Whizz Kidz is the UK’s leading charity for young wheelchair users.
It was founded in 1990.
The National children's mobility charity was co-founded by Mick Dickson to address the lack of support and services for disabled children in the UK.
His inspiration for Whizz Kidz came from a promise he made to raise money for a child with cerebral palsy who needed a powered wheelchair, but couldn't afford one.
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In 1989, Dickson ran the London Marathon raising £9,000 to fund the powered wheelchair.
More than 75,000 young people in the UK need a wheelchair to be mobile.
Due to NHS delays and costs, most are without access to a wheelchair that’s right for them.
The cost of an electric wheelchair can range from anywhere between £1,000 to £12,000, depending on the needs of the individual.
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Whizz Kidz believe that without the right wheelchair, many children are at risk of social isolation, poor mental health, and physical injury.
Their aim is to provide wheelchair use rs up to the age of 25 with the equipment and skills they need to be independent.
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When did Tom Fletcher become a patron for Whizz Kidz?
Tom Fletcher is a singer and guitarist with Mcfly.
band member and a judge on ITV's The Voice.
The English musician was born on July 17, 1985, and has written ten number one chart singles, including All About You.
Also an author, Tom reached out to Whizz Kidz in 2016 while in the process of writing his novel The Christmasaurus.
Tom wanted to ensure the lead character accurately represented the experiences of a young wheelchair user.
Tom has continued to work with Whizz Kidz, and went on to cast one of the Whizz Kidz Ambassadors, Archie, as the lead in The Christmasaurus stage show.
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Who else is a patron for Whizz Kidz?
There are ten other patrons of Whizz Kidz:
Sophie Morgan
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Sophie Morgan is a TV presenter and regular panellist on ITV's Loose Women.
The popular presenter also hosts the Channel 4 coverage of Crufts.
As well as presenting, Sophie has fought to provide better representation for disabled people and campaigned for better treatment of disabled flyers after shocking mistreatment from airlines.
Sophie, who was born on February 24, 1985, is paralysed from the chest down after a car crash at 18.
Alex Brooker
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Alex Brooker is a journalist and presenter, most known for his appearances on Channel 4’s The Last Leg.
He was born on May 15, 1984, with hand and arm deformities and a twisted right leg which had to be amputated when he was a baby, but has never let his disability hold him back.
In 2012, he won The Million Pound Drop Live playing for Echoes Foundation, Scope Joseph’s Goal.
In 2024, Alex participated as Bigfoot on the fifth series of The Masked Singer and finished in second place, behind Tom Fletcher's bandmate Danny Jones.
Hannah Cockcroft
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Hannah Cockcroft is a double gold medallist Paralympian who specialises in sprint distances.
She holds the world records for the 100 metres, 200 metres, 400 metres, 800 metres and 1500 metres in her classification.
Competing for Team GB at the 2012 Summer Paralympics, she won two gold medals.
Hannah went on to win three further gold medals at the 2016 Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro.
She won her sixth and seventh Para golds in Tokyo in 2021, winning the 100m in a world record time, and the 800m.
Hannah reportedly said she's aiming for two more gold medals at the 2024 games in Paris - and she has no plans to retire yet.
Born on July 30, 1992, Hannah suffered two cardiac arrests which left her with mobility problems, and she began wheelchair racing in 2007.
She received her first sports wheelchair from Whizz Kidz when she was 15.
Jamie Murray
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Jamie Murray is a former Wimbledon doubles champion and is the older brother of Andy Murray by one year.
He was born on February 13, 1986, and has won two Wimbledon titles in the mixed doubles.
Jamie won the men's doubles titles at the Australian Open and US Open in 2016, and is a three times mixed doubles champion at hte US Open.
He is yet to claim a title at the French Open.
Jamie became a patron of Whizz Kidz in November 2013, saying he wanted to raise awareness of accessible sport.
Jordan Jarrett-Bryan
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Jordan Jarrett-Bryan was born in November 1983, and is a Channel 4 News sports reporter, DJ, and journalist.
He can be heard on Talksport and is the founder of a video production company called Blakademik, which is dedicated to promoting inclusivity behind the camera.
Jordan had a below the knee amputation at the age of 18 months and played wheelchair basketball at national level for 15 years.
He was a two-time European champion with the GB Junior team which he captained in 2004.
Jordan was a commentator for Channel 4 at the 2012 Paralympics.
Jordanne Whiley
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Jordanne Whiley is a British wheelchair tennis player and doubles specialist.
Born on June 11, 1992, she became Britain's youngest ever national women's singles champion in wheelchair tennis at the age of 14.
She competed for Team GB at the 2012 Paralympics - winning bronze in the women's doubles.
She achieved a calendar-year Grand Slam in 2014 in the doubles.
A year later she won her first singles Grand Slam at the US Open.
At the 2016 Summer Paralympics she scooped bronze in the doubles.
At the delayed Tokyo 2020 Paralympics she won silver in the doubles and bronze in the singles.
Jordanne, who has brittle bones meaning she needs to use a wheelchair, was awarded an MBE in 2015 in the Queens Birthday Honours list.
Nina Hossain
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Nina Hossain was born on May 1, 1975, is an award winning news broadcasting journalist.
She began her career in 2000 and has become the front face of ITV Lunchtime News.
Nina is also a royal correspondent - where she presents coverage of royal weddings and funerals.
Sam Nixon & Mark Rhodes
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Sam Nixon and Mark Rhodes are a famous TV and radio presenting duo.
In 2003 they competed on the second series of Pop Idol, where they finished third and second respectively behind winner Michelle McManus.
Sam, born March 21, 1986, has since competed in Dancing On Ice and Celebrity MasterChef.
Mark was born on September 11, 1981.
He teamed up with Sam after Pop Idol with the pair hitting No1 in the UK charts in 2004 with single With A Little Help From My Friends.
Sam and Mark have been working with Whizz Kidz since 2010.
Ed Balls
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Ed Balls is an economist, writer and broadcaster.
He is known for being the former Children’s Secretary and Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer.
Ed is no longer a Member of Parliament, but was most previously the Labour MP for Morley and Outwood, and left the Commons on March 30, 2015.
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The Strictly Come Dancing 2016 star has run the London Marathon three times, raising money for Whizz Kids.
Ed, who has a stammer, is also Vice-President of Action for Stammering Children and Patron of The British Stammering Association.
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