With the Paralympics underway in Paris, we take a look back at one of the most successful athletes the Games has ever seen – who is also a long-time local campaigner in H&F.
Disability rights activist Tara Flood won seven medals representing Team GB at three successive Paralympics – 1984 in New York, 1988 in Seoul and 1992 in Barcelona.
She also set a world record in the Women’s 50m breaststroke SB2 while competing in Barcelona. It was a record she held for almost 20 years.
“The Barcelona Games were my favourite of the three,” Tara recalls. “Probably because it was where I was most successful, but also because the profile and global recognition of the Paralympics had started to shift. The media, mainstream sports and communities started to take notice of the successes of Disabled athletes.”
In total Tara won one gold, two silver and four bronze medals across her Paralympic career, earning a mammoth four at her final Games in 1992.
She also competed in countless swimming competitions across the UK, Europe and internationally and, while now retired from competing, still swims five mornings a week.
This year 26 athletes are following in Tara’s footsteps and swimming for GB at the Paralympic Games. The squad has 15 swimmers making their Paralympic debut, including the team’s youngest swimmer, 13-year-old Iona Winnifrith.
Despite her busy schedule, Tara will be making sure to keep up with the competition.
Tara says with a laugh: “I will be watching the swimming – obsessively!”
Working to improve life in H&F
Tara’s experience as a Disability rights campaigner is helping her improve our work with local Disabled residents.
Her work currently includes making sure council services and policies are created with local Disabled people from the start, and that all Disabled people are heard and involved in decisions made about their lives.
Annually she also organises H&F’s Co-production Week celebration where residents are invited to meet local groups, hear how they work with the council, and share their thoughts on how we can better include everyone in H&F’s projects.
This year Tara received the Freedom of the Borough award for her work on the Disabled People’s Commission which ran between 2016 and 2018.
And in July, her team attended H&F’s CommUNITY Day to talk to residents and local organisations about H&F’s commitment to working with all residents.
To find out more about how H&F is 'co-producing’ services with local people, visit our What is Co-production webpage.
Or to get involved in our co-production work, email: coproduction@lbhf.gov.uk
