One of the world’s top para-cyclists has received sponsorship money from Duncan & Toplis as she prepares to qualify for this summer’s Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro.

A £1,500 donation from chartered accountants Duncan & Toplis means that Liz McTernan from Louth in Lincolnshire is close to being able to replace her badly damaged bike.

Liz, who has also received donations recently from Louth Lions, Dr Sandy Wilmott from the University of Lincoln and St Edith’s Church at Grimoldby and an offer of match-funding by the Matt Hampson Foundation, said: “The money that Duncan & Toplis has given me is invaluable and means that now I only need another £2,000 to get my new bike. I am very grateful to everyone who supports me on my journey in para-sport.

“I crashed and damaged my three-year-old race bike twice last year and it has also been damaged by airline baggage handlers over the years.”

Securing a new bike is vital to Liz’s chances of being selected for Team GB for the Paralympic Games in Brazil in September 2016. Liz competes in the Women’s Handbike 4 (WH4) category and is seventh in the world for that category. She is overall champion in the European Handcycle Circuit race series for 2015 and a two-time world record holder for Women’s Arms-only Speed Trials at Battle Mountain, Nevada in 2015.

Liz said: “To be selected for Rio, I need to be a consistent gold medallist at World Cup level between now and Rio. My best finish in a major world championship is fourth (at the UCI Para-Cycling Road World Cup in Italy last summer) so I’ve stepped up my training massively.

“I have a new coach, Dr. Ralf Lindschulten, who tests me regularly and sets my training goals accordingly, which means I’m out there on the bike more than ever. It’s all based on power and every six weeks my training is tweaked so I can improve.”

She added: “The new bike costs around £10,000 – that includes the bike itself, plus the extra parts such as racing wheels, disc wheels, a power meter and an onboard computer. The computer means I can relay my times and information to my coach, which helps with training.”

Christine Newitt, Director at Duncan & Toplis, added: “We first met Liz at the Boston Business Awards where she was giving a speech and we met up again recently to see what we could do to help her with her attempts to get to Rio.

“Boston business, Fogarty Filled Products, had already provided Liz with a van that has been customised to meet her needs when travelling and that has enabled Liz to participate in more competitions. We hope that other Lincolnshire businesses may come forward to support an inspiring local athlete who is so committed.

“We wish her the best of luck for her qualifying competitions.”

Anyone interested in sponsoring Liz should contact her directly by emailing lizmcternan@me.com

Ends

Notes to editors

Liz McTernan:
• Liz receives no national sports funding because she is not part of the national team. Liz self-funds her training and competition costs, which takes time out of her training schedule.
• A mother-of-two, Liz was paralysed from the waist down in an accident in 2005 and took up sport as part of her rehabilitation.
• Before taking up handcycling, Liz took part in triathlons, competing internationally for Great Britain for two years, winning one bronze, three silver and two gold medals in European and World Championship Series races. She switched to handcycling in 2013.
• Follow Liz McTernan on Twitter @lizmcternan

Duncan & Toplis:
• Duncan & Toplis was established in 1925 and has since grown into one of the largest independent firms of chartered accountants in the Midlands.
• The company appears in the top 40 UK accountancy practices list published by Accountancy Age.
• Duncan & Toplis was named ICAEW East Midlands Medium Accountancy Firm of the Year in March 2014, 2015 and 2016.
• The company has 11 offices throughout the East Midlands: in Boston, Grantham, Lincoln, Loughborough, Louth, Melton Mowbray, Newark, Skegness, Sleaford, Spalding and Stamford.
• Duncan & Toplis offers a wide range of services to small and large-sized family businesses, from accountancy, audit and tax to payroll, human resources and computer services.
• The business employs around 370 staff, of whom 85 are currently engaged in professional training.
• Duncan & Toplis is a member of Kreston International, the global network of independent accounting firms. Kreston UK, a brand representing firms based in the UK, Ireland, Channel Islands and Isle of Man, provides national coverage, a resource of over 1,950 professional and support staff and generates annual fee revenues of £122m. As a combined organisation, it would rank as the 11th largest UK firm.

For media information please contact:
Jonny Hall
Shooting Star
01522 528540
jonny@weareshootingstar.co.uk
[Duncan133McTernan]