WheelPower
WheelPower is a UK-registered charity, operating since 1972 and rooted in the 1948 Stoke Mandeville Games, that helps disabled people participate in more than 30 wheelchair sports from its national base at Stoke Mandeville Stadium.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1948
- HeadquartersStoke Mandeville, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What WheelPower does
WheelPower is a UK-registered charity (charity number 265498, England and Wales) operating continuously in charitable form since 1972, with roots in the 1948 Stoke Mandeville Games — the event widely credited as the origin of the Paralympic Movement. The charity is headquartered at Stoke Mandeville Stadium in Aylesbury, England, and its stated mission is to assist disabled people in participating in wheelchair sport. WheelPower's program portfolio spans more than 30 wheelchair sports, and the organization is led by CEO Martin McElhatton OBE.
The charity's operational model combines direct participant services with awareness-building and fundraising activity. Programs are delivered from the Stoke Mandeville Stadium site, which functions as both an operational base and a national venue for wheelchair sport events. WheelPower engages participants, families, rehabilitation and healthcare referral networks, and corporate partners to grow participation in wheelchair sport across the UK. The charity supports a small in-house team of 1–10 employees and works alongside named institutional and corporate supporters including Sport England, the National Lottery, Stewarts, More Leisure, Serco, Movement Activity Sport, Clyde Co, Active Care Group, Buckinghamshire Freemasons, and Mobility in Motion.
WheelPower's revenue model is a diversified charitable mix: individual donations, a lottery with a stated £25,000 top prize, community fundraising events, gifts in wills, and corporate partnerships. The National Lottery and Sport England function as anchor institutional funders, while the broader corporate sponsor base provides sector-diversified support across legal, leisure, rehabilitation, and mobility services. The organization is positioned as a heritage charity whose competitive position is rooted in its Paralympic origin story and exclusive occupation of Stoke Mandeville Stadium rather than in commercial technology or scalable product distribution.
WheelPower firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- WheelPower
- Legal name
- The British Wheelchair Sports Foundation Limited
- Website
- https://wheelpower.org.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1948
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- WheelPower is a UK-registered charity, operating since 1972 and rooted in the 1948 Stoke Mandeville Games, that helps disabled people participate in more than 30 wheelchair sports from its national base at Stoke Mandeville Stadium.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
WheelPower industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Disability Sport and Adaptive Physical Activity Services
- NAICS
- Other Similar Organizations (except Business, Professional, Labor, and Political Organizations) (813990)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Disability & Adaptive Sports Organizations (Paralympic, Special Olympics) (MPAKACAH)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Adaptive & Para-Sport Event Organizers (MPAKADAM), Functional Fitness & Mobility Training (HSADAAAD)
Keywords
Where WheelPower is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Stoke Mandeville
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
WheelPower business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Donations and Fundraising: WheelPower operates as a charity relying on donations from individuals and organizations. They run regular donation campaigns and accept one-time and recurring gifts.
- WheelPower Lottery: Weekly lottery program where participants can win up to £25,000 while supporting the charity's work.
- Fundraising Events: Organizes events including Great South Run, Great North Run, Skydive, Tour de Vale, and Superhero Tri where participants raise money.
- Corporate Partnerships: Receives support from corporate partners including Movement Activity Sport, Stewarts, More Leisure, Serco, and Sport England.
- Gifts in Wills: Legacy giving program where supporters can leave gifts in their wills to support the charity's ongoing work.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Monthly Giving Tiers |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | One-off Donation Tiers |
| Subscription | Monthly | WheelPower Lottery |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels11 records
WheelPower product offering
Product offeringCore offering
WheelPower (The British Wheelchair Sports Foundation Limited) is a UK national charity based at Stoke Mandeville Stadium that helps physically disabled people participate in wheelchair sports and physical activity. It organizes competitive and introductory sports events (Inter Spinal Unit Games, National Junior Games), delivers online and in-person exercise classes, connects individuals to over 30 wheelchair sports through a national club and spinal-injury-unit network, and funds its work through donations, a weekly lottery, fundraising events, and gifts in wills.
Product overview
WheelPower is a UK-based national charity for wheelchair sport, operating from Stoke Mandeville Stadium as the national organization providing opportunities for physically disabled people to participate in sport and physical activity. The organization offers a portfolio of services including sports events (Inter Spinal Unit Games, National Junior Games, Sports Festivals), online exercise classes (Box-Fit, Tai Chi, general exercise via Zoom), an Exercise at Home program with videos and resistance bands, a comprehensive wheelchair sports directory covering over 30 sports, getting started resources for new participants, a weekly lottery, fundraising events (running challenges, skydives, triathlons), volunteer opportunities, and a speaker bureau. The charity facilitates participation across sports including archery, athletics, boccia, cycling, hand cycling, swimming, wheelchair basketball, and wheelchair tennis, serving as the central hub connecting disabled individuals with sports opportunities and providing support infrastructure for the wheelchair sport ecosystem.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- WheelPower Lottery: Weekly lottery to support WheelPower's charitable activities
Products and services
- Sports Events WheelPower organizes and hosts competitive and introductory sports events including the Inter Spinal Unit Games, National Junior Games, Learn to Play Padel sessions, and the Middlesex Sports Festival, providing opportunities for disabled people across multiple wheelchair sports.
- Online Exercise Classes Virtual fitness classes including Adaptive Box-Fit with Luiz, Exercise Classes with Ella, and Tai Chi sessions delivered via Zoom, enabling disabled people to stay active from home.
- Exercise at Home Program A home-based fitness package providing online classes, exercise videos, and resistance bands for disabled individuals to maintain fitness independently.
- Wheelchair Sports Directory A comprehensive guide covering over 30 wheelchair-accessible sports including Archery, Athletics, Boccia, Cycling, Hand Cycling, Swimming, Wheelchair Basketball, and Wheelchair Tennis, with information on how to get started and find local clubs.
- Getting Started Resources Guidance materials covering health and fitness after spinal cord injury, physical activity advisors, sports wheelchair selection, maintenance tips, and equipment funding assistance for newly paralysed individuals.
- WheelPower Lottery A weekly charity lottery with a top prize of £25,000, allowing supporters to win while contributing to wheelchair sport programs.
- Fundraising Events Challenge events including the Great South Run, Great North Run, Skydive, Tour de Vale, and Superhero Tri powered by MARVEL, enabling supporters to raise money for the charity through athletic participation.
- Donation Programs Regular monthly giving options (£5, £10, £15 per month) and one-off donations at £7, £12, or £20 levels, each tied to specific outcomes such as providing advice to recently paralysed persons or sports access for disabled children.
- Volunteering Program Structured opportunities for individuals to volunteer at WheelPower events, local sports clubs, or in the WheelPower office, supporting skill development and event delivery.
- Speaker Bureau A booking service allowing corporate, school, and community event organizers to engage WheelPower representatives to speak about wheelchair sport and the Paralympic movement.
Quantifiable outcome
- 70+ years of service providing wheelchair sport opportunities
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use WheelPower
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
WheelPower technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
WheelPower partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Movement Activity SportcoreMovement Activity Sport partnership supporting WheelPower's mission to provide wheelchair sport opportunities.
- StewartscoreStewarts law firm partnership supporting WheelPower. Stewarts specializes in personal injury cases including spinal injury.
- More LeisurecoreMore Leisure Community Leisure operates Stoke Mandeville Stadium and partners with WheelPower.
- SercocoreSerco provides leisure services and partners with WheelPower for disability sport delivery.
- Clyde CocoreClyde Co insurance and risk management firm partnership supporting WheelPower's activities.
- Active Care GroupminorActive Care Group developing new private specialist rehabilitation hospital at Stoke Mandeville.
- Mobility in MotionminorStrategic partnership to champion inclusive mobility and expand awareness of vehicle adaptations and disability sport.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights3 records
WheelPower competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- LimbPower: UK charity supporting amputees and people with limb impairments through sport and physical activity. Directly comparable as a niche disability sport charity delivering events, clubs, and rehabilitation-through-sport programming similar to WheelPower.
- Activity Alliance: UK disability sport and physical activity umbrella organisation (formerly English Federation of Disability Sport). Comparable as a national body promoting inclusive sport for disabled people, working with NGBs and delivering programmes analogous to WheelPower's mission.
- British Wheelchair Basketball: National governing body for wheelchair basketball in the UK. Directly comparable as a UK-based wheelchair sport organisation serving disabled participants through clubs, leagues, and development pathways that overlap with WheelPower's coverage of wheelchair basketball.
- British Blind Sport: UK national disability sport charity for visually impaired people. Comparable as a UK-wide disability sport charity providing sport opportunities, events, and pathways analogous to WheelPower's wheelchair sport portfolio.
- Back Up Trust: UK charity for people with spinal cord injury. Comparable in serving the same spinal injury population that WheelPower reaches through its spinal injury unit partnerships, with overlapping rehabilitation and reinmission support services.
- Special Olympics Great Britain: UK branch of the Special Olympics movement providing year-round sports training and competition for people with intellectual disabilities. Comparable as a national disability sport organisation delivering multi-sport programmes and competitions across the UK.
Regional players
- Disability Sport Wales: National disability sport organisation for Wales, providing sport pathways and events for disabled people. Comparable as a UK-nation-level disability sport body with similar grassroots-to-competitive programming and parallel mission to WheelPower's UK footprint.
- Scottish Disability Sport: Scottish national disability sport organisation delivering community sport opportunities north of the border. Comparable as a disability sport NGB serving a UK nation, paralleling WheelPower's England-focused delivery but operating in a separate geographic jurisdiction.
Broad incumbents
- ParalympicsGB: British Paralympic Association, the national body that selects and sends Great Britain athletes to the Paralympic Games. Comparable in being a UK-wide Paralympic-focused organisation sharing WheelPower's heritage and high-performance ecosystem, though focused on elite rather than grassroots participation.
- Sport England: UK government arms-length body distributing National Lottery and public funding to sport, including disability sport. Comparable as the funder/partner WheelPower is aligned with, operating across all sport types and the broader inclusion agenda.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
WheelPower social profiles
Digital presenceWheelPower financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
WheelPower leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
WheelPower funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
WheelPower M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about WheelPower
What does WheelPower do?
WheelPower (The British Wheelchair Sports Foundation Limited) is a UK national charity based at Stoke Mandeville Stadium that helps physically disabled people participate in wheelchair sports and physical activity. It organizes competitive and introductory sports events (Inter Spinal Unit Games, National Junior Games), delivers online and in-person exercise classes, connects individuals to over 30 wheelchair sports through a national club and spinal-injury-unit network, and funds its work through donations, a weekly lottery, fundraising events, and gifts in wills.
When was WheelPower founded?
WheelPower was founded in 1948. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is WheelPower based?
WheelPower is headquartered in Stoke Mandeville, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does WheelPower make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Donations and Fundraising is the primary driver. The others are wheelPower Lottery, fundraising Events, corporate Partnerships and gifts in Wills.
Who are WheelPower's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are LimbPower, Activity Alliance, British Wheelchair Basketball, British Blind Sport, Back Up Trust and Special Olympics Great Britain. Regional players are Disability Sport Wales and Scottish Disability Sport. Broad incumbents are ParalympicsGB and Sport England.
Does WheelPower have an API?
No public API is recorded for WheelPower.
What industry is WheelPower in?
WheelPower's product category is Disability Sport and Adaptive Physical Activity Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAKACAH, Disability & Adaptive Sports Organizations (Paralympic, Special Olympics), with a secondary code of MPAKADAM, Adaptive & Para-Sport Event Organizers. Its NAICS code is 813990 and its SIC code is 7997.