Paralympic heritage showcase coming to Aylesbury Waterside Theatre this Saturday

A Paralympic celebration evening is taking place at Aylesbury Waterside Theatre this Saturday (29 October).

At the Norman Bragg Studio in the Aylesbury venue Amersham Museum is presenting ‘Together We Build’.

Together We Buil d is one of many Paralympic showcases taking place throughout Bucks over the past month.

Since the 10th anniversary of the Paralympics taking place on these shores a number of activities were arranged across the county.

Including heritage events at Amersham Museum, Bekonscot, Chiltern Open Air Museum, Discover Bucks Museum, The Elgiva, Marlow Library, Milton’s Cottage, Queens Park Arts Centre and Waddesdon Manor.

Councillor Clive Harriss said: “This is such an important story for our county, yet we often find that although it is well-known in Stoke Mandeville where it all started, and internationally, it is not well-known across wider parts of Buckinghamshire. It is brilliant that our cultural partners want to celebrate it and share the story with people across the whole county and beyond.”

Stoke Mandeville is widely-regarded as the birthplace of the Paralympics, this is linked to the work of Dr Guttman.

Professor Ludwig Guttmann, a neurologist who specialised in spinal cord injuries, is credited with founding the Stoke Mandeville Games, which provided the basis for the Paralympics.

Among the memorabilia that will be presented on Saturday is the Cloud Sway-pole Dress that appeared in the 2012 Paralympic Opening Ceremony 10 years ago.

Tahra Zafar, the head of costume and make-up for both the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2012 games has been drafted in to chat about her memories of the major disability sport showcase.

Tahra has also worked on other high profile productions, making costumes, creatures, puppets and more, for film, television and theatre.

The Amersham Museum is displaying the Gravity Costume corset from the same ceremony as well.

Together We Build is a free event, but complimentary tickets must be booked in advance.

More information is available on the Ambassador Theatre Group website here.

Until 4 November, never displayed before Paralympic items can be found at Discover Bucks Museum Queens Park Arts Centre and Waddesdon Manor among other Bucks venues.

Every item displayed can be viewed virtually here.