Partners

The British Blind Sport Gallery was our first disability sports organisation gallery completed in June 2024. The gallery is a collaboration between British Blind Sport, its founders, athletes and our team, in particular the trainees.  It is an amazing story that has impacted on the lives of thousands of people and their families.

Much of NPHT's work in its early operational years from 2017 to 2023 was based on early collections relating to wheelchair sports. We are now developing our collections to celebrate the stories of other disability sports. Sport for people with sight loss has a long history, and as a result of this work the NPHT now hold a British Blind Sport collection incorporating the organisation's minutes, newsletters, and other items.  

British Blind Sport on the collaboration with NPHT: 

It gives British Blind Sport great pleasure to collaborate with the NPHT. Sport for blind and partially sighted athletes has flourished in recent years, with many Paralympic and international achievements. As we continue to strive to support sporting opportunities and success, the history of British Blind Sport must be preserved, as must the influence we have had in recognising, assisting, and honouring our amazing athletes.  

The NPHT has kindly donated time and counsel to the organisation, assisting in the identification of key documents and items, to record for prosperity and knowledge. The exhibition's digital platform makes it possible for more people to enjoy learning about our past for years to come by increasing accessibility and reach. 

Find out more about British Blind Sport by visiting their website.

The Buckinghamshire Museums Gallery was our first regional gallery completed in June 2024. The gallery is a co-created collaboration between six Buckinghamshire based museums and six special educational needs schools (SEND). It celebrates disability more widely, drawing on the museum collections, alongside items from the NPHT, and personal items of importance and relevance to the young people, all the while reflecting on the area as the birthplace of the Paralympics.  The schools and museums involved were:

1. Amersham Museum and Stony Dean School
2. Buckingham Old Gaol Trust and Furze Down School
3. Chesham Museum and Heritage House School
4. Milton’s Cottage and ALTR RISE College
5. Milton Keynes Museum and Slated Row School
6. Roald Dahl Museum and Pebble Brook School.

The young people participated in workshops learning about 3D scanning, photogrammetry and curation. This project has enabled us to develop our knowledge, and to nurture new relationships between our partner schools and their local museums. Our partner museums have reviewed their offer and developed new resources to better support diverse sensory needs.

The Japan Gallery is our first international gallery completed in June 2024. The gallery has been a collaboration between our trainees and Mitsubishi Corporation London Branch, supported by valuable academics with their research and knowledge.  

Japan was one of the first nations to host a Paralympic Games and one of the most pioneering. The Tokyo Games of 1964 is one that many early athletes recall, as it involved travelling far away at a time when most people did not travel, and as such our collections contain some wonderful records, including opening ceremony music. After the Tokyo Games in 2020(21) Mitsubishi Corporation London Branch visited us in 2022 followed by the Japanese Para Sports Association (JPSA). It was from these visits that the idea for the gallery took hold. It has been hard to condense such a rich story into the space, but it provides a lovely introduction to the remarkable achievements of Japan. 

Mitsubishi Corporation London Branch’s comment on the collaboration with NPHT:  

Mitsubishi Corporation (MC) focuses on social contribution activities in line with three overarching themes: ‘Realizing an Inclusive Society’, ‘Empowering the Next Generation’ and ‘Conserving the Environment’. MC aims to help realize a society where everyone can play an active role. We are continuing our activities to contribute towards a world where everyone can respect each other and coexist regardless of background, physical condition or way of life. 

Mitsubishi Corporation London Branch is honoured and privileged to be part of this Global Virtual Museum project, to be able to support the development of this inclusive, accessible virtual museum, and to work closely with the National Paralympic Heritage Trust in particular on the development of the Japan Gallery. We look forward to our continued collaboration with NPHT.