From the outset, the British Paralympic Association (BPA) recognised that a home Paralympic Games had the potential to change the face of disability sport in this country forever and transform perceptions of people with a disability through outstanding performances. But outstanding performances take years of preparation, so we chose to back the BPA when it most needed our support – not during the Paralympic Games when the whole nation cheers, but five years ago when the challenge began and the crowds were silent.

In 2007, we invested £1.7m in disability sport to create the largest programme of its kind in the UK. But it was more than just a financial investment; we invested time and people to ensure we understood what support was needed and where it was needed the most – ensuring that every penny would make a difference.

“The support I got from TASS earlier in my career made a huge difference and it’s great that the scheme continues to support so many disabled athletes.”

Matt Skelhon, Shooter, Paralympic gold medallist

Our first aim was to grow the talent pool, so we created Deloitte Parasport to introduce people with a disability to high-quality sporting opportunities. But of course, it's not enough to just identify the talent, you also need to develop it – so we also chose to partner with SportsAid and double the number of bursaries provided through the Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme (TASS) to young disabled athletes – enabling these individuals to fulfil their sporting potential without compromising their education. To date, over 500 individual TASS athletes have benefited from our investment – including 75 of ParalympicsGB this year, winning 23 medals between them.

Beyond our £1.7m investment, we’ve also raised a further £1m for ParalympicsGB through Deloitte Ride Across Britain, an annual event which sees 600 people ride 1,000 miles over the famous 'end-to-end' route.  Coming at a time when the BPA’s funding has been cut by over £3m, the money we’ve raised through this corporate challenge proved critical for preparing GB’s largest-ever team for an unforgettable home Games.