Wigan to screen disability competition show featuring local winner
The Three Mills at Wigan Cotton Works is to host a special screening of the documentary Race Across Europe with the series winner as a VIP guest on Tuesday, December 3.
Coinciding with the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, the Wigan show will be the first outside London, featuring around 30 minutes of race footage and a Q&A opportunity with some of the team members from Happy Smiles Training team.
The event celebrates Haydn Smith, a founder of the Wigan-based disability training company, as he and his teammates compete in a four-day, multi-country endurance challenge.
Haydn, who has cerebral palsy, was one of 60 applicants to the show, recalled being nervous after discovering that he was one of just four people selected to take part, but said that he “really, really loved it”.
The route for Haydn involved travelling from London through Amsterdam, Cologne, Munich, Verona and finishing in Turin, Italy.
The show was organised by Freedom One Life, a Glasgow-based powerchair manufacturer. They gave Haydn and other contestants their Series 5 powerchair.
On their website, Freedom One Life said: “The Race Across Europe was created to show what’s possible when disabled people have access to the right support and equipment, and to challenge the outdated narratives that often surround mobility and independence.”
Alex Winstanley, co-founder of Happy Smiles Training and Race Across Europe teammate said: “Freedom One Life has been absolutely amazing and Haydn got picked to go to the race. He ended up winning, which was also amazing.
“Haydn’s now got that chair. It’s great. It’s like a spaceship.”
He added: “The venue at the Three Mills is absolutely lovely and we’re really grateful that they’re supporting us.
“I know that Mayor Wigan is confirmed, and Coun David Molyneux is confirmed to be coming as well as a few of the other council staff, directors and local stakeholders, which is great.”
“If people want to see what disability inclusion should look like, then this would be a prime example of that.”
Admission is free, but bookings are required. More information about the event can be found here: