Swindon's Paralympic Gold medallist has begun his quest to defend his title - but needs the help of the county's businesses to do so.

Chris Hunt Skelley - awarded an MBE in the New Year's Honours - stood on the top step of the podium at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics.

He's now hoping to defend his Judo title - albeit in a different weight category - and become the first person to win double Paralympic gold in his sport in a quarter of a century.

He has launched an appeal for help in his bid to create history, asking businesses to sponsor him and assist his training.

“Training camps for judo tend to be held around the world," Chris, who lives in Wroughton, said.

"British Judo covers the costs of many of these, but I need to find the funds to pay for the rest, and additional training sessions outside the national training centre."

“This is my last dance, so to speak, Paris will be my last Paralympics and I want to create history by being the first person in 25 years to retain their gold Paralympic medal in my sport.”

As well as the training camps, Chris, aged 29, needs to fund many other elements that help to keep him at the pinnacle of his sport such as massages, supplements, the right foods, recovery equipment and coaching for other sporting disciplines that help him to prepare for competition. 

Chris was an aspiring rugby player before his sight degraded significantly with ocular albinism. Rather than let his eyesight define him, he worked hard, changing his focus to Judo and eventually reaching world number one in his weight division.

He said: “I have been competing for 12 years. Although I love what I do, my body is sore and the volume of training I need to compete at an elite level means I can’t hold down a regular 9-to-5 job or devote myself to my family. My wife Louise is so supportive and I’m doing this for her as well as for me!”

Chris is seeking sponsors who would be willing to provide a monthly fee in exchange for the visibility and inspiration he can offer.

South West company Imagine Cruising is one brand that has started sponsoring Chris this year.

In exchange, Chris supports the company by posting about how it benefits him on his Instagram feed, offers meet and greets, and gives talks to employees about his career and his experiences.

Next year, he will visit the offices to put on a judo fitness session for the company’s employees. 

In addition to the above, Chris can offer potential sponsors space on his ‘judogi’, the uniform used for practice and competition, which would provide international exposure for interested companies.

“I would be so grateful for any sponsorship. It would provide the conditions that will help me be in the best place to achieve my goal of retaining that gold medal. Sponsors will get to enjoy the journey to Paris, becoming part of my sporting family.”

An example sponsorship deal, for £1,000 a month, would include visits from Chris to your company, a social media post once a month mentioning the brand, appropriate branding on clothing or kit, subject to the Paralympic rules and a commitment to visit with any medals after Paris 2024.

“This will be my last Paralympics. I want to be able to explore other options, like a career with a 9-to-5 job and having recently married, I definitely want to start a family and, given the rigours of elite-level judo, I want to retire while I can still bend down to pick up my children!”