8 months ago 01st Feb 14:13
The record-breaking achievements of Paralympic champion and University of East London (UEL) photography student Beverley Gull MBE are set to be celebrated in a major new artwork dedicated to east London’s sporting heroes.
Beverley, winner of eight Paralympic medals for swimming, will feature alongside rugby star Jason Leonard and English football legends Bobby Moore and Sir Alf Ramsay in a larger-than-life sculpture to be unveiled later this year in Gale Street, Dagenham - the very road Beverley grew up on!
Beverley said: "This is an absolutely amazing honour! It’s almost unbelievable to think that I’ll be up there with the greats like Sir Alf and Bobby Moore! East London is a very special place for me – I lived there for over 45 years and was wonderfully supported by my local borough throughout my sporting career.”
Beverley (55) has been a wheelchair user since contracting polio as a child in 1954. A car accident in 1981 resulted in paraplegia, but Beverley’s rehabilitation programme introduced her to swimming, a sport that soon grew into her passion.
After first representing Great Britain in 1985, Beverley won a total of 41 international gold medals and broke 13 world records during an 11 year swimming career.
In 1992, she was awarded an MBE and became an Honorary Fellow of the University of East London, where she worked for over twenty years as a disability advisor.
Beverley retired from swimming in 1996 and soon took up evening classes at adult education colleges. In February 2002, she enrolled part-time on UEL’s BA (Hons) degree in Photography. She is currently awaiting her final results.
More about Paralympic pride – Beverley Gull MBE to be honoured on page 2
Your Comments:
Be the first to comment!