The British Paralympic Association has launched its first major public-facing campaign in an attempt to raise funds for the 2016 Rio Paralympics.

Supercharge ParalympicsGB was unveiled to urge the British public to support the athletes competing in Brazil this summer with donations that would go towards their final preparations for the Games.

The BPA - the UK’s National Paralympic Committee which selects, enters and funds the Great Britain Paralympic team - generates finance through three streams: National Lottery money through UK Sport; sponsors and commercial partnerships; and charitable donations.

Paralympic sport is currently receiving £72.7m (US$106m, €97.5m) in National Lottery money from an overall UK Sport pot of £274.7m (US$400.4m, €368.7m) for the 2013-2017 Olympic Cycle.

Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson said the team needs “as much support and preparation as possible” and highlighted the importance of public support going into four Paralympic and Winter Paralympic events in long-haul destinations - Rio (2018), Pyeongchang (2018), Tokyo (2020) and Beijing (2022) - making it “more challenging and expensive” for disabled athletes.

Grey-Thompson is one of four ambassadors signed up to the initiative as well as broadcaster Clare Balding, comedian Eddie Izzard and Alex Brooker, the co-presenter of Channel 4’s The Last Leg.

The campaign will initially start via the BPA’s social media channels, and includes a video and imagery featuring Paralympic athletes Jonnie Peacock, Ali Jawad, Jordanne Whiley, Libby Clegg and Will Bayley. It was developed by creative agency RKCR/Y&R.

“We want to leave no stone unturned in our efforts to win medals and make the nation proud in Rio and beyond,” said BPA chief executive Tim Hollingsworth. “That means getting the public and our partners involved to help supercharge the team to make the ParalympicsGB team as successful and inspiring to others as possible.”

Details of the campaign can be found at http://rio.paralympics.org.uk/. The public can also donate using text message by texting SUPER to 70700.

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