Michael Elliott

I can't think of a more suitable and deserving person to be a London 2012 Torchbearer. Mike is a true inspiration and has impacted on the lives of thousands of disabled young people and adults across Sheffield. Mike started the Within Reach charity in 1989 with the aim to 'to assist more disabled people accessing sport, staying in sport and fulfilling their potential in the City of Sheffield'. Mike has been instrumental in fundraising for the charity and has raised over £100k for this cause in the last 2 years alone. Mike has also supported Sheffield Cerebral Palsy Sport for over 20 years. Matt, a member of the Within Reach Management Committee said 'he [Mike] is the person that kept me going in the job...he has written 3 HUGE bids for over 15 years worth of disability sport projects'. Mike's passion, dedication and commitment to disability sport is truly infectious and he continues to inspire all those who meet him. Despite undergoing a replacement hip operation in 2010, Mike continues to dedicate himself to the Charity to the benefit of disabled people across Sheffield. I spoke to several colleagues who had worked with Mike in the past and they all echo the same sentiment; it is an honour working with Mike and the difference he has made across Sheffield is life changing. I was one of the founders of the Charity, originally known as Our Year Too.