Steve Gill
Name: Steve Gill
Date of Birth: 27th June 1969
Place of Birth: Cosby, Leicestershire
Status: Married with eight children
Occupation: Ex HM Forces, BLESMA member and volunteer coach for Leicester Cobras Wheelchair Basketball Club
Likes: Being with the family, going to the gym and keeping fit, being outdoors, hand-cycling, fishing, sailing, wheelchair basketball, having a Chinese take away with the family, being a member of BLESMA, being with Farley my dog (from Dogs for the Disabled) and my iPhone.
Dislikes: Pasta and spaghetti, pots left in the sink, missing a meal, car boot sales, being stuck indoors, stuck up and self opinionated people.
Steve is married to Deon and they have been together for 14 years. They have five children and Steve has three children from a previous marriage. He is a family man who enjoys looking after his kids. He is proud of his home and enjoys cooking tea and washing up!
In his spare time he enjoys hand-cycling, fishing, going to the gym, walking his dog Farley and wheelchair basketball. He is a valued player and coach for the Leicester Cobras Wheelchair Basketball Club; taking an active role in the community development and outreach side of things. Many have benefited from Steve’s knowledgeable coaching sessions, which are always very popular in and around Leicester. He also mentors new coaches within the Leicester Cobras.
Steve worked on a farm before he joined the army (The Royal Anglian Regiment). Though Steve’s army career was cut short by injuries he got from bomb blast in North Ireland in May 1989.
In recent years Steve has worked hard to rebuild his life and volunteers for BLESMA visiting soldiers, in hospital, who have lost limbs. He is a great role model as he has overcome the effects loosing his legs and an eye and enjoys setting an example to others of what you can achieve in life.
Through BLESMA Steve has been able to take part in a transatlantic yacht event last year, the Royal Ocean Yacht Race. He wears a black glass eye which his kids love as he looks like a pirate. Steve chooses to wear shorts which shows his artificial legs. ‘I purposely walk around looking the way I do. It’s better to be open about who you are.’
Steve doesn’t look upon himself as being disabled at all. He likes people to take him just for who he is.
