National Paralympic Day is a celebration of the Paralympic movement and an opportunity for people in the UK to come together to relive the wonder of London 2012.

First marked in 2013, National Paralympic Day 2014 saw the event go from strength to strength, with a day of celebrations taking place in London, Liverpool and Birmingham on Saturday August 30.  

In London, an estimated 30,000 visitors descended upon Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park to try out disability sports, meet Paralympians and take in the Mayor of London’s Liberty Festival – the hugely popular showcase for Deaf and disabled artists. 

Exactly two years to the day since ParalympicsGB won their first medals at London 2012, fans snapped up 7,500 tickets to enjoy the action and excitement of elite international sporting competition in the iconic venues of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. In the Copper Box Arena, crowds were entertained by thrilling encounters between GB and their international rivals in Boccia, Goalball and Wheelchair Basketball, while the London Aquatics Centre hosted elite international competition for the first time since London 2012. 

Read the full sport round-up here.

#NPD2014 trended nationwide as the regional events got under way. In Liverpool, double bronze Paralympic medallist David Devine and GB men’s Wheelchair Basketball captain Abdi Jama encouraged visitors to Chavasse Park in Liverpool ONE to get involved and show their support for the Paralympics. Meanwhile in Birmingham, London 2012 medallists and European Champions Mickey Bushell and Dan Greaves met fans in Centenary Square. 

Nearly half of the attendees in Liverpool and Birmingham said that they were more likely to take up a new sport as a result of their experiences on National Paralympic Day, while almost two thirds of people said that they had a more positive view of disabled people as a result of attending one of the events in London, Liverpool or Birmingham.

Elsewhere, other organisations and sports groups were inspired to host their own events to celebrate National Paralympic Day. An open day took place in Lymington hosted by RYA Sailability, while Leeds Disability Sport ran a number of sessions across the week in the city for people to have a go at activities including adapted Cycling, Canoeing, Sailing and wheelchair abseiling.