Bush and Fortune blazing a trail as part of Changemakers initiative

The country once again became enraptured with the Paralympics as taekwondo star Matt Bush won gold in the men’s +80kg category and Sabrina Fortune broke her own world record to take the top of the podium in the women’s F20 shot put.

Both athletes are hoping to bottle the momentum generated from the Games and bring it back with them across the Channel to make a further difference in their communities.

The pair both took part in a sport workshop with young children in London as part of the Changemakers initiative, a partnership between the new operator of The National Lottery Allywn, UK Sport, ParalympicsGB and Team GB - and revealed that it is hopefully the start of a long legacy from Paris.

“It is ParalympicsGB and Team GB, UK Sport and The National Lottery joining up and giving us athletes the opportunity to give back to the community and our supporters,” explained Bush.

“I hope it does show that no matter what is going on, there is always something you can do in sport and there is something for everyone out there, you have just got to find it.

“I don’t feel like an inspiration. If I can speak to anyone out there who doesn’t feel like they belong in sport, hopefully they will see that there is definitely a sport for them.

“There are so many positives to sport, it is good for everyone to get involved in if they enjoy it – and it’s now the social impact side which ChangeMakers is helping us deliver.”

The road to gold has been a long one for Fortune, who won bronze at Rio 2016 before missing out on the podium at Tokyo 2020.

But the Welsh thrower powered back from that disappointment to post a world record at the World Championships earlier this year, before breaking it in Paris en route to gold.

Fortune hopes her story can serve as inspiration for the next generation and help turbocharge the development of parasport in the UK.

“It feels surreal,” she said. “It’s something that I never expected. I am just Sabrina. I just throw the shot and enjoy what I do.

“I have always enjoyed the shot and having someone to look up to me is so incredibly nice. You don’t really expect people to look up to you, it’s so nice.

“I think projects like this are really important because it’s not just sport, we can help with everything. We can use our voice to help make a change.”

The Changemaker initiative is a partnership between The National Lottery’s operator, Allwyn, ParalympicsGB, Team GB and UK Sport to support athletes who want to help projects they are passionate about – with many Paralympic stars being closely connected to important social causes that have affected them personally throughout their life.

The National Lottery’s operator, Allwyn, has backed the scheme through its £1m Social Value Fund while athletes can apply for a new ChangeMakers Fund to create their own projects.

UK Sport Chair Katherine Grainger believes the scheme, with the support of The National Lottery, can create lasting change by harnessing the momentum of the Games.

She said: “Especially the week following the Games, we know there is an amazing moment where the public are so interested and their stories really resonate. That is a platform to be used.

“All the Paralympians are massively proud of what they have achieved but don’t want it to end, they want to speak to communities, sprots clubs and schools and continue the inspiration and the storytelling. Maybe it will resonate with a whole new generation. ChangeMakers has that power and it starts with us supporting the athletes.

“We have had so many stories from athletes this year who spoke about being inspired by London 2012 and you don’t want that to be a one off because it was a home Games. You want people watching Paris and thinking they can do something like that.

“Whether they become our next Paralympians or maybe they just have sport in their lives, it is really important. Those doors are opening to the younger generation – we want to empower our athletes to help give back to those causes they are personally passionate about.”

“We know that The National Lottery has made such a difference for all Olympic sports but really importantly for all Paralympic sports. It has always been there for the Paralympic side and you can look at other countries and sometimes funding can be quite difficult for the Paralympic sport compared to the Olympic sport. In the UK, we have seen them together. That has made us so competitive.”

The ChangeMaker initiative is a partnership between The National Lottery's operator, Allwyn, ParalympicsGB, Team GB and UK Sport to support Great Britain's athletes to make a positive difference to social impact projects they are passionate about.