Award for local hero trailblazing wheelchair rugby

Adam Mould set up the Panthers Rugby club after his diagnosis

Adam Mould, from Glasgow, set-up the Panthers Rugby club after he was diagnosed with limb girdle muscular dystrophy.

In wheelchair rugby he found a sport that allowed him to participate equally, relieve his frustrations and rebuild his self-esteem.

The first wheelchair rugby league team of it’s kind in Scotland, it has changed the lives of over 1000 people and led to the spread of the sport throughout Scotland with two more clubs formed since then.

Mould, who worked as an HGV driver until he was given the diagnosis, is the latest recipient of a Point of Light award, which recognises outstanding individual volunteers, people who are making a change in their community and inspiring others.

Each day, someone, somewhere in the country is selected to receive the award to celebrate their remarkable achievements.

Mould coaches the wheelchair 7s and was also a player in the Scottish national league team until 2015. He started playing in 2012 after being inspired by the manager of the first ever Scotland team coach, Adrian Kennedy, after seeing the team play at the first ever four nations held in hull in 2012.

A firm believer in the sport’s power to change lives simply through the team spirit, he regularly sees new members change their perceptions to believing that their not just someone stuck in a wheelchair but that, regardless of their circumstances, they can achieve anything.

Panthers Rugby club is the first of its kind in Scotland

Prime Minister David Cameron said: “With the Glasgow Panthers, Adam has made a huge difference in the lives of hundreds of people who use wheelchairs and wouldn’t otherwise have had the chance to experience the team spirit and confidence he found in rugby. By bringing disabled and able-bodied players together in one team he is challenging perceptions of wheelchair sport. Adam has created an incredible legacy and I am delighted to recognise him as the UK’s 392nd Point of Light.”

On top of all this, Mould is an active fundraiser and volunteer for Muscular Dystrophy UK.

He has helped raise thousands of pounds for the charity over the years. and has just taken on a new role with the charity, as a peer support volunteer, giving up his free time to offer advice and support to others with living with a muscle-wasting condition.

He adds this award to being named Sport Scotland Young Person’s coach in 2013 and carried the Olympic torch in Edinburgh in 2012.

Adam is the 392nd winner of the Points of Light award which has been developed in partnership with the hugely successful Points of Light programme in the USA and was first established by President George H. W. Bush. Over 5,000 US Points of Light have been awarded and both President George H. W. Bush and President Barack Obama have publicly supported the partnership with Points of Light UK which honours shining examples of volunteering across the country.

Regardless of whether it’s a doctor restoring local monuments in her free time, a father teaching young people life skills, or a local musician giving a voice to lonely people, the Point of Light award honours shining examples of volunteering across the UK.

Mould said of winning the award: “It is an honour and a privilege to receive this award. It goes to show that, whether disabled or not, anyone can change lives - even if it’s just one.”