#2 Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson: Using creativity to overcome challenges, dealing with discrimination, and winning the London Marathon six times

A Life Less Ordinary with Sophie Elwes

Sophie has a conversation with cross-bench peer and eight time gold winning Paralympic medallist, Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson DBE DL. Tanni sits in the House of Lords where she advocates for disability rights, welfare and disability sport. She first went to the Paralympic Games in 1988 and to four more Games after that, winning 11 Paralympic medals, eight gold medals, breaking three world records in wheelchair racing and, on top of that, won the London Marathon six times. Tanni talks about growing up in the 1970s in Wales with Spina Bifida, how her parents refused to allow her to be discriminated against, her experiences competing at five Paralympic Games. They discuss transport for disabled people in the UK, the discrimination they’ve both faced and how things have changed as a person with a disability over the course of Tanni’s life. We discuss impact of Coronavirus for people with a disability, how lack of access combined with wheelchair skills can be empowering and Tanni shares her words of wisdom about how she’s reached her level of success.