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Claire Lomas last week lit the celebration cauldron for the Paralympic Games, which start this Thursday (30 August).
Former eventer Claire was paralysed from the chest down in an accident in 2007 at Osberton Horse Trials.
She lit the cauldron in Trafalgar Square at 8.10am on Friday 24 August.
It was lit with the English National Flame, which was created at Scafell Pike, England’s highest peak, by Scouts striking a ferrocerium rod against a rough steel surface to create sparks.
“Wow, what an amazing day,” Claire tweeted after the event. “I feel honoured and proud to have lit the cauldron. Still in shock I was asked to do it. A special moment to treasure.”
Claire famously completed the London Marathon earlier this year, wearing a special “robot suit” allowing her to walk. It took her 16 days and she raised more than £200,000 for Spinal Research.
Prime Minister David Cameron said: “We showed the world what we’re made of by hosting a tremendous Olympic Games and finishing with the highest ranking in the medals table for more than 100 years. Now we will do it all again when the Paralympic Games come home to the UK.
Never miss out on the latest happenings in the equestrian world
“The lighting of the cauldron marks the beginning of what I am sure will be a fantastic showcase for the UK and I hope the Games inspire many other youngpeople – disabled and non-disabled alike – to choose sport and aim to be the very best that they can be.”
To follow all the news from the Paralympic dressage keep checking www.horseandhound.co.uk.
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A graduate of Exeter University, Amy joined our news team from Redpin Publishing in 2008 as news writer. She was promoted to deputy news editor in May 2013 and became news editor in April 2015. She left Horse & Hound in March 2016 to take up an editorial position in Dubai.