Matt Lloyd (Paralympian)

Matthew Lloyd (born 23 May 1972)[1] is a British Paralympian who was born with spina bifida and two club feet. He has competed in ice sledge hockey at the 2006 Winter Paralympics,[1][2] in Sitting volleyball at the 2007 European Championships,[3] and is credited with inventing the sport of Inline sledge hockey.[4] He was born in Crawley, Sussex but grew up in Rainhill, Merseyside and later resided in Hollym, East Riding of Yorkshire.[1][5] After completing a degree in Business Information Systems, Lloyd worked within the music industry, firstly as a journalist and then within the A&R department of a major record label, before going to work extensively within the sports and leisure sectors.[6]

In March 2012 it was announced that Lloyd would be an Olympic torchbearer and would be carrying the Olympic torch through Scarborough.[7]

Lloyd is an alumnus of Gateway College in Leicester and has been honoured by the college who have named an annual community sports award after him.[8] Lloyd has passed his Olympic Torch to the college to inspire students and has a history of supporting grassroots sports as evidenced by his role as Vice Chair of Sport Birmingham, one of the 45 County Sports Partnerships that exist to support sport in England.

In 2015 Lloyd married Ruth Harvey on the ice at the ice rink in Widnes, which is believed to be the first ever wedding on an ice rink in England and Wales.[9]

It was announced in August 2016 that Lloyd was launching a brand of skating rinks called SK8Z with the first one based in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire and which utilised a type of roller skate which replicated ice skates without the need for ice.[10] It was announced in 2017 that due to a senior manager experiencing health issues the rink would close.[11]

Lloyd is currently the Vice Chair of Sport Birmingham and a Director of Greycat Associates.[12] In 2019 Lloyd was added to the board of Drake Music, a national music charity specialising in disability, music and technology.[13]

Since 2021 Lloyd has been studying towards a PhD in Systems Science at the University of Hull where he is also a trustee of the student Union.[14]

  1. ^ a b c "The Paralympic Winter Games in Turin kick-off tomorrow (March 10) with the official opening ceremony" (Press release). The British Paralympic Association. 9 March 2006. Archived from the original on 9 June 2011. Retrieved 21 January 2010.
  2. ^ "Vaughan ruled out of Paralympics". BBC Sport. 1 March 2006. Retrieved 27 May 2011.
  3. ^ "GB Sitting Squad Announced for Europeans" (Press release). Volleyball England. 28 August 2007. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 21 January 2010.
  4. ^ "Inline Sledge Hockey Launch Exceeds Expectations" (Press release). The British Paralympic Association. December 2009. Archived from the original on 9 June 2011. Retrieved 21 January 2010.
  5. ^ "Issue 219 (29/08/2007)". The Volleyball Newsletter. 29 August 2007. Archived from the original on 17 July 2011. Retrieved 27 May 2011.
  6. ^ "Trustees & Advocates | Drake Music".
  7. ^ Scarborough Council Archived 2013-10-20 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ Leicester Mercury
  9. ^ "First wedding on ice in the country - and it's in Halton - News".
  10. ^ Lincolnshire Echo
  11. ^ / Gainsborough Standard
  12. ^ Sport Birmingham
  13. ^ "New Chair and Trustees announced by disability music charity Drake Music". 15 October 2019.
  14. ^ Hull University Student Union