I’m Freya and am from Rochford.

Now more than ever it’s important to take care of our mental and physical health and sport and physical activity plays such a crucial role in that. Sport or competitive sport isn’t for everyone, but I want to ensure that everyone has a fair and equal access to the benefits of physical activity. Being active or engaging in physical activity looks different for everyone and I’m excited to be a part of Find Your Active to help empower others to discover what activity looks like to them.

I became disabled at 14 and grew up loving sport, especially as I have two older brothers! Shortly after being diagnoses with Muscular Dystrophy, I fell running at a school football match and couldn’t get back up; I knew I needed to find an adapted sport. Thankfully, it was never a question that I would have to stop sport and I’m incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity to have represented my country in Wheelchair Rugby 7s, Wheelchair Basketball and Para-Ice Hockey but I know that might not be for everyone!

For me, my active is sport and doing it as much as I can, as my disability progresses. Finding my active means pushing myself out of my comfort zone and trying something new. I had no idea the number of doors and opportunities that opened because I stepped outside of mine. When I was first diagnosed, I was met with a list of things I wouldn’t be able to do, so movement gave me confidence. Sport is freedom and a universal language. Before sport, I was ‘Freya in a wheelchair’ when I play Wheelchair Basketball, I’m just Freya.

Disabled people are often told what they can’t do, but it is so important to know that sport IS an option and you can choose your movement. Your disability should not define your movement.