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MARK ECCLESTON
In 1986, at the age of 16, Mark Eccleston had an accident in which he severed his spinal cord. He was left tetraplegic, paralysed from the chest down and was told he would never walk again.
During his 7-month stay in hospital he was introduced to wheelchairs sports as part of his rehab. Within 1 year of leaving hospital he won gold in table tennis at the National Wheelchair Games.
It was here where he was introduced to Wheelchair Rugby, a team game for tetraplegics, and in 1992 he captained Southport to the National Title.
Between 1993 and 1996 he captained Great Britain in two World Championship finals and the 1996 Atlanta Paralympics. He was also the first British player to play a season in America for Tampa Bay.
After Atlanta Mark needed a new challenge and so took up wheelchair tennis. He has since won 7 National titles and in 2002 he became the first British player ever to be NO 1 on the World Singles Ranking. He was also part of the first British team ever to win the World Team Cup (the Davis Cup of wheelchair tennis) and he won a Silver Medal at the 2004 Athens Paralympics.
MARK IS ONE OF THOSE UNIQUE ATHLETES WHO HAS BEEN SUCCESSFUL BOTH AS A TEAM MEMBER AND AS AN INDIVIDUAL.
After Athens Mark retired from competing and in August 2005 began taking his DCA (Development Coach Award) tennis coaching Qualification.
In January 2006 Mark became the first tetraplegic in the world to become a qualified tennis coach.
As a speaker he is articulate and passionate. His story is moving, inspiring and humorous, as he talks about his determination to deal with trauma at such a young age, what it takes to be one of the best tetraplegic athletes in the world and how he went on to become a qualified tennis coach.
MAIN SUBJECT AREAS
Mark is able to tailor his talks to the needs of the clients. He will be both Motivational and Inspirational when speaking about his life, the obstacles he has faced and his groundbreaking achievements.
TESTIMONIALS
“Mark has a powerful message. His personal experiences and achievements translate into all walks of life. If we follow his example in our personal and business lives we will benefit tremendously.”
Rhys Jones- Human Resources Director, Mowlem PLC
“Mark is the sort of person who gives you confidence, inspires you and who you would always want on your team. His is a remarkable story of determination leading to success in a number of fields. Failure is simply not on his agenda.”
Jenny Rudge OBE – Chief Executive, Connexions - Devon and Cornwall
“The children loved talking to Mark and asking him questions about his life, he was truly inspirational”
Mrs.H.Arnold – Head teacher, St.Theresa’s school, St.Helens (After Sporting Champions visit)
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