Harlequins Rugby League are delighted to have announced the London Wheelchair Rugby Club will continue as their 'Charity of the Year' for 2010. London Wheelchair Rugby Club, a registered charity of England & Wales, works to promote the sport of wheelchair rugby to adults and children (16 years +) with a physical disability (Spinal Cord Injury) and upper limb impartment in London and the South of England. London Wheelchair Rugby Club is one of 8 Wheelchair Rugby Clubs based in England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland playing in the Great Britain Wheelchair Rugby Coloplast National League. London are the reigning Premier Champions, WheelPower - British Wheelchair Sport National Wheelchair Rugby Champions and European Club Champions (The Europa Cup) with several club members established in the Great Britain National Wheelchair Rugby Team & Paralympic Squad.

Harlequins Rugby League Chairman, David Hughes, has said: "I believe that Harlequins Rugby League and the London Wheel Chair Rugby Club share a common vision in striving to bring the game of Rugby League to as many individuals as possible in London and The South. The fact that London Wheel Chair Rugby allows both children and adults with a physical disability to participate in our sport is outstanding and we as a club are delighted to be able to offer them our support."

Andrew Barrow, Vice Chairman for the London Wheelchair Rugby Club has said: "London Wheelchair Rugby Club is very proud to have been made Harlequin Rugby League's Charity of the year. We see this as a massive step forward for us as an organisation and would like to think we can follow in the footsteps of Harlequins by bringing a different kind of Rugby to the whole of London and the South East. We hope that this partnership will bring Disability Sport closer to the mainstream and encourage people to participate in Sport in all forms and at all levels."

To learn more about London Wheelchair Rugby Club please visit their website http://www.lwrc.org.uk/. Click here to watch a film on Wheelchair Rugby.

Working Together

You'll see representatives from LWRC at most Harlequins RL home games, so please give generously to this fantastic charity if you see their collectors around the Stoop. Harlequins RL staff and players enjoy getting along to the LWRC games whenever possible.

Donate to LWRC

LWRC have teamed up with Justgiving.com, the UK's leading online fundraising website, so you can donate and raise funds for them online. Using Justgiving saves LWRC costs and reduces their admin burden, so going online is by far the most efficient way of supporting them. It's easy to make a single or monthly donation with a credit or debit card online: All you need to do is go to www.justgiving.com/quinsrugbyleague2010

On the 26th April 1997 I broke my neck in a scrum playing for Charlton Park Rugby Club. At the time I was 17 and in my first season of senior rugby. I was always a keen sportsman, regularly participating in swimming, football and cricket as well as rugby throughout my younger years. Obviously my accident was a life-changing event and the moment I was finally told that 'barring a miracle, I would never walk again' will always be the lowest point of my life. That's the best part about breaking your neck! That although your body may never fully recover, you, and your life most definitely will.

I spent five months rehabilitating at the Spinal Injuries Unit at Stanmore RNOH (easily the hardest thing I've ever had to do) during which time I discovered that you could play rugby in a wheelchair. I took part in a taster session whilst still in hospital and was delighted to find that the game shared many of rugby's physical characteristics and equally importantly, a strong team ethic. I vowed to find the sport as soon as I left hospital. It was a cold afternoon in January 1998 when I arrived at Battersea Youth Centre for the first time.

'London Broncos' as they were then known was my first club. At the time we were the second best team in the country and I found myself training with several members of the GB squad. One session a week grew into two; then throw in a weights session here and there for good measure''and I was on my way. I was first invited to train with Great Britain in mid 1999 (I still have the letter!) and it was then that I started to realise how far I could go with Wheelchair Rugby. I had always been good at sport but never exceptional so this opportunity was both exciting and daunting. I trained hard, adding fitness sessions to my regime but still, somewhat inevitably failed to make the Sydney Paralympic team. As a friend and I watched the highlights of the opening ceremony and the rugby coverage on TV, seeing friends of ours compete on the highest stage, I made a promise to myself. Next time I would be there!

My first breakthrough came in 2001 when I was selected for the European Championships which were unfortunately cancelled. However, I continued to be part of the top twelve until my first major, the World Championships in Gothenburg in 2002. Since then I have represented GB at every major tournament including the Athens Paralympics and since 2005 I have captained the Great Britain team. Wheelchair Rugby has taken me all over the world. I've played in Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Canada and Singapore as well as numerous European destinations. I also spent a season playing with the San Diego team in the U.S. I have won two European Championships with GB and three European Club Cups with London. My ambition is to represent GB at London 2012 and win a Gold medal.