Gateshead Thunder are proud to announce they will be supporting the inaugural North East Legacy Games to be held at Gateshead International Stadium this May.

The event is primarily an athletics festival for disabled athletes from schools across the North East, but will also include taster events in Sports that disabled people do not always get access to – such as fencing, boxing, judo and now Rugby League.

The festival, which will be spread over two days, is the opening event in a Golden era for School Sport in the North East, and Gateshead specifically.

In September young athletes from across the United Kingdom will flock to the North East for the Sainsbury’s UK School Games, which could be the breeding ground for talented performers for London 2012 and beyond.

As a lasting legacy to this event partner agencies from across the North East have established the Legacy Games for Disabled Athletes, ensuring our region is at the forefront of inclusion sport and no young person is disqualified from sport on account of any disability.

This is a message Gateshead Thunder firmly believe in; which is why the club has signed up to help, in any way it can: Community Manager Sam Shaw-Kew commented: “The North East has a wonderful opportunity to become a leading region in the provision of disability sport and I’m delighted Gateshead Thunder can be a part of that.

"This event will give kids who are often excluded from school PE sessions and very rarely get competitive opportunities the chance to shine.” He continued “Our staff are totally committed to making our work fully inclusive, as a department we have recently completed the Typhoo sponsored Disability Inclusion Training course and Steve Beaty started coaching Wheelchair Rugby League at the Percy Hedley Foundation this week.

“We hope giving these disabled athletes a taster of Rugby League at this festival will help to get them involved in clubs around the region.” For more details on Gateshead Thunder’s work with Disabled performers or about the Legacy Games, contact Sam Shaw-Kew on (0191) 433 5710.