Andrew Small Shares His Paralympic Journey

Andrew Small Shares His Paralympic Journey at our Crewe Service

At our Crewe Service, clients are used to seeing Andrew Small as part of the team. But alongside his role as a Support Worker, Andrew is also a Paralympian – and one of the questions he’s most often asked is about his racing chair.

So recently, Andrew took some time to sit down in the communal lounge and answer those questions properly.

With his custom racing chair placed in front of him, Andrew talked clients through his journey into wheelchair racing, how he got started, and what has kept him motivated over the years.

Inspired by London 2012

Andrew shared how attending the London 2012 Olympics first sparked his interest in wheelchair racing. Watching the passion of the athletes and seeing the crowd cheering them on inspired him to explore the sport for himself.

He found a local ParaSport session in Stockport and initially attended socially — building friendships and confidence along the way.

That sense of community, alongside seeing steady progress week by week, kept him motivated to continue training and improving.

“Be Kind to Yourself”

When asked what advice he would give to someone starting out – or struggling with motivation – Andrew’s message was simple:

“Take time for yourself, be kind to yourself – the rest will come.”

It’s advice that applies far beyond sport and resonated strongly with the clients listening.

The Racing Chair Explained

Of course, the highlight for many was hearing Andrew explain how his custom Paralympic racing chair works.

From the way it’s designed for speed and aerodynamics, to how it is fitted specifically to his body for efficiency and control, Andrew gave a fascinating insight into the engineering behind wheelchair racing.

For clients who regularly see the chair around the service, it was a great opportunity to finally understand how it all works – straight from Andrew himself.

💙 Role Models Within Our Own Team

Andrew’s openness, humour and willingness to share his journey makes a real difference to the people we support.

Having someone within the team who not only understands support work, but also demonstrates dedication, resilience and ambition in his own life, is incredibly powerful.

We’re proud to have Andrew as part of our Crewe team – and grateful that he continues to share his story and inspire others.