The official website of UK Deaf Sport
UK Deaf Sport aims to enable Deaf people to reach their full potential in sport. We work to increase opportunities by working in partnerships with key organisations to create a sporting future that is DEAFinitely Inclusive from grassroots through to Elite level Sport.
I have been working for British Rowing for the past 4 and 1/2 years, initially in education and training, and then anti-doping and integrity, and through my roles my interest and knowledge in compliance and governance has grown. Now it is being further supplemented by studies in Sports Law with De Montfort University.
Inclusivity, diversity and participation in sport is something I am enthusiastic about and have put myself forward beyond my role, to support adaptive rowing, and more specifically support the process for classifications.
Being Deaf and having volunteered with UK Deaf Sport on the performance committee and now as General Secretary I have much to offer to the Board. I am looking forward to the challenges we are presented with going forward.
Lara Lill is a leading expert in health, wellbeing and physical activity. She is a respected senior manager with extensive experience in building effective partnerships. Lara trained as a secondary school PE teacher at Liverpool University, she taught for a while in the North East before being appointed to the Amateur Swimming Association. Lara is Head of Health and Wellbeing, responsible for developing strategy and building influential partnerships to improve the quality of life for people with health conditions and contribute to the public health of the population. Lara is also a member of the European Women and Sport Board responsible for promoting leadership and gender equality for women in sport. Lara is delighted to be appointed as a trustee to UK Deaf Sport.
Graeme has spent over 15 years practising law as a barrister in the UK. He is an accomplished negotiator and advocate representing individuals in the civil and criminal courts for a broad range of proceedings. During the early part of his career he was instructed to challenge human rights violations under the European Convention. Nowadays his work includes disciplinary hearings before sports and other professional tribunals, advising on regulatory law and appearances in the criminal courts and Court of Appeal. Graeme is also a CEDR accredited commercial mediator and an advocacy trainer at the Middle Temple Inn of Court. As the son of a professional cricketer, Graeme has been actively involved in sport his whole life. He played rugby for Wasps RFC and Rosslyn Park FC in his twenties and regular cricket for a number of Kent clubs since leaving school. These days he enjoys playing a competitive standard of tennis and golf.
For over 20 years, Piers has led and advised a range of Olympic and Paralympic sports, supported businesses from small start-ups to larger, established companies and helped individuals to ‘find their podium’. Piers is a Director/Trustee on several Boards and Performance Advisor to various sports and performance programmes. He is also a member of the Panel of Arbitrators and Mediators for Sports Resolutions UK and the Institute of Directors (IoD) Cheshire Committee. Piers has a Masters degree and an MBA from Manchester University and is undertaking a PhD in Psychology. He is a keynote speaker and guest lecturer in a range of institutions and sits on the Sports Advisory Board of Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU).
Tom was a keen a reasonably able sportsman in his youth particularly enjoying rowing, athletics and rugby. He is late deafened, having first noticed his hearing loss in his early 20’s. This progressive loss meant that Tom had to give up most competitive sport before his time (he assures us he would have been an Olympian given a few more years).
Tom received a cochlear implant in 2014 which he describes as life changing.
He has a passion for sport particularly at grass roots and junior level and is a qualified rugby union coach and referee.
