Morrello Marvels Para-TRY-Athlon 2026 Fundraiser

Newport Para-Try-Athlon 2026: Proving That Sport Really Is for Everyone

Morrello Marvels CIC is bringing its Para-Try-Athlon back to Newport this Saturday, 12 September, for a day of inclusive sport, fundraising, community and, above all, showing what people can do.

Taking place at Morrello Clinic in Langstone Business Park, Newport, the 2026 Para-Try-Athlon will bring together people living with physical and neurological conditions, their families, friends, supporters and local organisations for a day designed to make sport accessible to everyone.

And this isn’t your traditional triathlon.

There are no intimidating finish lines, no pressure to beat the person next to you and no expectation that everyone will be able to do everything.

Instead, the Para-Try-Athlon is about having a go.

It is about trying something new, challenging yourself in your own way, discovering what your body can do and experiencing the physical, social and emotional benefits that sport and activity can bring.

Sport without barriers

The Para-Try-Athlon has grown from the work of Morrello Marvels, which began as a cycling club for people living with long-term neurological conditions including brain injuries, stroke, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injuries, Parkinson’s disease and Functional Neurological Disorder.

Its original para-cycling team trained together to take part in the Cardiff-to-Tenby CarTen100, proving that a neurological or physical condition does not have to mean giving up on an active lifestyle or sporting ambitions.

That same belief remains at the heart of Morrello Marvels today.

The Community Interest Company works to create opportunities for people living with physical and neurological conditions to lead healthier, more active lives, while raising funds to support specialist rehabilitation equipment and neuro-physiotherapy bursaries for people facing life-changing challenges.

The Para-Try-Athlon brings all of those aims together in one day.

Participants will have the opportunity to try activities including running and walking, swimming, rowing, accessible cycling and trikes, basketball, rugby, badminton, golf and archery.

There will also be massage therapy taster sessions, live music, a cake sale and plenty more happening throughout the day.

Meet Team Anchors

Perhaps the best way to understand what the Para-Try-Athlon is really about is to meet some of the people taking part.

One of this year’s teams is Team Anchors, made up of Angela, Jay and Andrew.

Angela suffered a spinal cord injury in 2025, resulting in paralysis from the chest down. Throughout her rehabilitation journey, one question has become something of a personal motto:

“Can we try it?”

Angela is a beneficiary of the Roger Jones Bursary, which helped provide access to rehabilitation support through Morrello Clinic in Newport, South Wales.

Now, she is taking part in the Para-Try-Athlon to say thank you in the best way she knows how — by helping raise money so that other people facing life-changing injuries and neurological conditions can access the same kind of support.

Alongside her is Jay, who suffered a spinal injury in 2022 followed by a stroke. Jay lives with injuries and paralysis from the neck down and, according to his teammates, is the cheekiest member of the team — regularly making everyone smile while apparently also enjoying trying to run people over with his power chair!

Completing Team Anchors is Andrew, Angela’s husband and willing supporter, who is taking part after experiencing spinal surgery in the past, but also because he wants to do whatever he can to support the cause that helped his wife during a hugely challenging period of their lives.

Together, the team have summed up exactly why they are taking part:

“Together we are raising money and awareness – we will do it with a smile.”

Their story is a perfect example of what the Para-Try-Athlon is about.

It isn’t simply about raising money. It is about people who have received support becoming part of the community that helps make that support possible for somebody else.

Raising funds for the next person who needs help

Every year, people can find themselves facing a completely unexpected new reality following an accident, spinal cord injury, stroke, brain injury or diagnosis of a neurological condition.

Rehabilitation can be a long journey, and access to the right specialist support and equipment can make a huge difference.

The money raised through the Para-Try-Athlon will help Morrello Marvels continue providing bursaries towards neuro-physiotherapy and specialist rehabilitation equipment, including through the Roger Jones Bursary.

For people like Angela, that support can be hugely significant.

The aim now is to make sure that the next person who needs it has the same opportunity.

A huge thank you to our supporters

An event like this simply would not be possible without the organisations and businesses that have chosen to get behind it.

We are incredibly grateful to Kudos Companies, Celtic Manor Golf Club, EDGA, Batons, Newport Live Wheels For All, Welsh Triathlon, Newport Dragons RFC and Thomas Vaughan Ltd for supporting this year’s event.

A special thank you goes to Irwin Mitchell, our Gold Sponsor, and Redkite Law and Brain Injury Group, our Silver Sponsors.

All three organisations will have stands at the event, giving participants and visitors the opportunity to meet their teams and find out more about the work they do.

We are also hugely grateful to Newport Live Wheels For All, who have loaned accessible bikes and trikes for participants to use, and to Welsh Triathlon, who have loaned children’s bikes and scooters and donated a fantastic raffle prize.

Newport Dragons RFC have also donated a raffle prize, adding to the excitement on the day.

And our local business supporters have captured the spirit of the event perfectly. As Steve Thomas, Director of Thomas Vaughan Ltd, explains:

“What we love about the Morrello Marvels Para-Try-Athlon is that it focuses on what people can do rather than what they can’t.

“We see through our own work how much difference the right environment, equipment and support can make to somebody’s independence and confidence. Morrello Marvels takes that same thinking into sport and the wider community.

“We’re delighted to support the event and, more importantly, help get the message out there about the fantastic work Morrello Marvels is doing.”

That philosophy — focusing on what people can do rather than what they can’t — is exactly what we hope visitors will see throughout the day.

Come and be part of it

The Para-Try-Athlon is about more than the people taking part in the activities.

It is about families cheering each other on, volunteers making things happen, businesses supporting a local cause, clinicians sharing their expertise, children discovering new sports and people who may never have considered themselves “sporty” having a go.

Most importantly, it is about changing the conversation around disability and rehabilitation.

A physical or neurological condition can change someone’s life. It doesn’t have to mean that their opportunities, ambitions or enjoyment of sport disappear with it.

Sometimes, all someone needs is the right support, the right equipment — and somebody willing to say:

“Can we try it?”

We hope you’ll join us and help show that sport really can be for everyone.

Event details

Morrello Marvels Para-Try-Athlon 2026
Date: Saturday 12 September 2026
Location: Morrello Clinic, Langstone Business Park, Newport, NP18 2LH

For more information about Morrello Marvels or the Para-Try-Athlon:

Telephone: 01633 412211
Email: clinicreception@morrello.co.uk
Facebook: Morrello Marvels

LocalGiving page: https://localgiving.org/fundraising/Morrello-Marvels-CIC-Para-Try-Athlon-2026