Honorary Fellowship - Gerry Kinsella MBE
16 July 2012
Gerry Kinsella MBE, former Paralympian and Chief Executive of Greenbank, received an Honorary Fellowship.
Gerry Kinsella MBE, former Paralympian and Chief Executive of Greenbank, received an Honorary Fellowship from Liverpool John Moores University on Friday 13 July 2012 for his outstanding contribution to sport and opportunities created locally and nationally for disabled athletes. The citation was presented by President of the International Paralympic Committee and LJMU Honorary Fellow Sir Philip Craven.
Gerry is the Chief Executive of Greenbank, a Liverpool-based Charity established in 1983 which focuses on creating opportunities and enhancing the status of disabled and disadvantaged people through education, training, employment, sport and recreation. To raise funds in order to establish and develop Greenbank, Gerry took part in a number of fundraising activities including two wheelchair pushes from Land’s End to John O’Groats.
Gerry is a former Paralympian and a passionate advocate for disability sport. His sporting career includes the 1967 International Stoke Mandeville Games, and the Paralympic Games in Israel, Germany and Canada where he secured Paralympic bronze in Swimming and Track.
He also competed in the Commonwealth Games in New Zealand and Scotland, achieving seven golds; he went on to achieve gold in three world Basketball Championships and numerous golds at Stoke Mandeville International games in Pentathlon and Table Tennis over a 15 year period. Gerry received an MBE in 1991 for his success at Greenbank and he continues to organise international sporting competitions for disabled people.
Speaking at the Ceremony today, Gerry expressed his delight at receiving the Fellowship. He offered some words of advice to students, telling them that ideas are the stuff of change, that it is important to learn from mistakes but also to be brave and trust in your dreams. Gerry added that sport is a vital ingredient in social inclusion and general well-being, and it has been his saving grace. He concluded with an address to graduates, wishing them luck in their careers and asking them to remember that what we all do and say leaves a mark, so we must make sure that it is a positive one.
To view the Oration for Gerry Kinsella MBE click here
