Enabling disabled people’s ambitions through sport

The Richard Whitehead Foundation enables disabled people’s ambitions through the power of sport and physical activity. We work with disabled people who are facing physical and emotional challenges. We help to identify and remove their barriers to engaging in sport and physical activity, supporting them to reach their full potential.

Our vision

Latest news and projects

〰️

Latest news and projects 〰️

Supported Runner Programme expands into trail running

The Richard Whitehead Foundation expands its Supported Runner Programme through a new partnership with Maverick Race, bringing inclusive trail-running opportunities from 2026.

Read the full story...

Supported Runner Project pilots at Colwick parkrun

We’re excited to pilot our Supported Runner Project at Richard’s home parkrun, Colwick, with support runners available every second Saturday of the month to help anyone with a disability or impairment take part.

Find out more

Making open water swimming more accessible

Following our Supported Swimmer Pilot at Swim Serpentine, we caught up with support swimmer Sophie Etheridge as she shares the importance of support, confidence and accessibility in open water swimming.

Read the full story...

Breaking barriers

One in five people in England have a long-standing limiting disability or illness.  The Active Lives Survey (Sport England) shows disabled people are almost twice as likely to be physically inactive (43%) compared with those without a disability.

Through a series of innovative community projects and support tailored to individual needs, we’re breaking through those barriers and helping people not only access sport but change what they think is possible. Since 2021, the Richard Whitehead Foundation has worked with more than 3,000 people, helping them to engage and sustain their participation in physical activity and movement.

Our projects

Your stories

  • "The Nissan Possibility Project has opened doors for me, physically in my own wellbeing and fitness but also socially. I didn't know anyone in a similar position to me but I now I finally have a group of friends I can relate to and I'm feeling positive about the future."

    Becca, Class of 2023. Nissan Possibilities Project beneficiary

  • "It was fantastic to meet other amputees as well as Richard himself. Straight away, Rory was pointing out those who had "legs like me", which is all we want from events like this; just to facilitate that inclusion and sense of familiarity".

    Rory’s parents, Run with Rich participants

  • "To have someone help get me prepared and help me throughout the run was a huge help!"

    Supported runner beneficiary, Great South Run 2023

  • "Having never been a support runner before, it was incredibly rewarding!"

    Support runner, Great South Run 2023

  • "I have previously taken part in mass participation running events but stopped going as I found they can be a bit intimidating. I thought the ethos of this event was fantastic which is why I signed up and it more than lived up to expectations. It was a fun, inclusive environment that made everyone feel welcome before, during and after the run.”

    David Noble, Run to the Future participant

A young child looks at one of Richard's running blades with a smile on his face. He has dark brown hard and is wearing a blazer and blue and red striped tie. Two other children are looking on

Make a difference

The Richard Whitehead Foundation enables disabled people’s ambitions through the power of sport and physical activity.

Your generosity can provide access to life-changing equipment, resources, and opportunities. Together, we can empower lives and create a future where everyone can achieve their full potential.

Join us in making a lasting difference today.

How you can help

“It was always my ambition to harness my experiences in life and sport into a charitable foundation to make a difference to disabled people.”

Richard Whitehead MBE

Follow us across social media

❓ Would you like to set yourself a running challenge this year ❓ 🗣 Then we may have just the opportunity for you! We have places for disabled runners to take part in the Great Run Series during May and these include: 🔴 AJ Bell Great Birmingha
We are pleased to announce that we have a number of places for disabled runners and volunteer support runners at some of the AJ Bell Great Run Series 2024 and a number of other events throughout the year. The events that we have places available in
🗣️ SAVE THE DATE 🗣️ We’re excited to announce that Run with Rich is taking place again this year! 📆 Sunday 2 June 2024 📍 Holme Pierrepont, Nottingham We’ll share more information with you soon but please get the dates in your diari
We are excited to let you know that we have 2 charity places for this year’s London Marathon! If you’re interested, have the drive to run 26.2 miles and think you would be able to raise £2,000, you’ll need to act quickly and
We would like to wish all of our supporters - Happy Holidays! 🎅❄️⛄️🎄 We hope that you have a safe and warm festive break, and we also send our best wishes for the New Year. We are sincerely grateful to everyone who has supported the Foundation du
We are excited to let you know about an amazing opportunity for disabled people to potentially take part in the TCS London Marathon on 21st April 2024! London Marathon Events are offering this opportunity to 200 disabled people and these will be off
🗣 The Foundation is currently advertising for a Fundraising Officer to enable us to drive our work and impact moving forward. We are looking for an individual that is self-driven and committed to our values who is also a dynamic individual that is
As the dust has now settled, we can reflect on a brilliant weekend at the @great_run South run. We were very privileged to have enabled seven disabled people to take part as part of our Supported Runner project over the two days. Everyone did amazing
Absolutely delighted to have our first ever junior participant in our Supported Runner project with @nissanuk. Congratulations to Angus (and Katie) for completing the @great_run south junior run
Fantastic morning at the @great_run South run 5km with our Supported Runner project. Everyone did brilliantly and thoroughly enjoyed the run! Thanks as ever to @nissanuk for supporting the project 👏
There are 9 days to apply for Chief Executive Officer role! We are seeking an individual that is self-driven and committed to our values and also confident in communicating with people at all levels from volunteers to senior leaders, beneficiaries t
Check out Maxim’s amazing effort to complete all six @great_run events this year for the Foundation. https://www.whitehead.foundation/news/maxims-gone-to-the-max
Do you live in and around Portsmouth? Do you have a disability and want to try a running event? We have free places available as part of our Supported Runner project for the Great South 5km run on Saturday 14th October. Get in touch now via our web
We are recruiting! We are pleased to announce we are recruiting for two new positions within the foundation, including our first Chief Executive Officer and a Fundraising Officer, and two new trustee roles. Check out our dedicated careers page for
We are celebrating and supporting the UN International Day of Charity 2023! Over the last few years we have seen through our Run with Rich events, Great Run series, Nissan Possibilities and Notts Mentoring support projects, what a positive impact d

Contact us

We’re here to answer any question you may have about our work, how we can support you or someone you know, or how we can work together. You can contact us by email, by post, or by completing our online form.

Email
info@whitehead.foundation

 
Nissan logo

Our major partner