Aaron Phipps, speaker, is a Great Britain Wheelchair Rugby athlete and Paralympic gold medallist.

At 15, he had both legs and most fingers amputated due to blood poisoning from meningitis. His sporting journey began with a 10km fundraising wheelchair race for the Meningitis Research Foundation (MRF). He initially focused on wheelchair racing, competing in two London Marathons, including a fourth-place finish in 2009 with a time under two hours.

Aaron joined the GB Wheelchair Rugby squad and was selected for the 2012 London Paralympic Games, where he scored over half of his team’s points.

In 2016, he climbed Mount Kilimanjaro to raise funds for MRF and Shaw Trust, using a specially adapted off-road wheelchair. When his wheelchair failed, he reached the summit after four days of trekking on his hands and knees, becoming the first amputee to achieve this without assistance. This feat received national attention and was featured in a Channel 5 documentary.

In 2017, Aaron returned to Wheelchair Rugby. Despite challenges, his team improved from 5th in the world to the top, achieving this during a global pandemic. They became the first European team to win a medal in wheelchair rugby and secured Paralympics GB’s first gold medal in a team sport.

Aaron has been recognised as one of the top 100 most influential people in the UK with disabilities.