Sports & Leisure

Whatever you like to do in your free time, there’s probably a story here about it. Read about paralympians, summer hacks, kayaking & so much more!

New Years Resolution: Get Fit (like last year… and the year before)

Calendar showing 1st January with words "Get fit" printed on top

Every New Year many of us make resolutions to get fit. Whether it’s because we ate too much over Christmas or whether we feel it’s time to improve our health we feel the need to get out and do some exercise. For some people that is easier than others. If you can’t get a grip on equipment then getting into the gym or out on a bike is not so easy and can seem like an insurmountable challenge. If you have weak grip or poor control of your hands then Active Hands can help you. Our range of gripping aids…

New Product and Great Offer!

Active Hands has just launched a brand new product – a stylish drawstring bag in blue and grey. It’s the first item of official merchandise we’ve put on the market with a catchy slogan – “Get a Grip”. Perfect for a trip to the gym with your Active Hands Gripping Aids, the Gym Bag available from our shop and ships worldwide. And, for a limited time only, the new Gym Bag will be given away free with every purchase of a Gym Pack – our popular bundle of three pairs of our aids – AH1, AH3 & AH4. Gym Packs…

Liz Johnson using General Purpose aids in the gym. Adaptive gym equipment. Suitable for reduced hand function: tetra, quad, cerebral palsy, SCI, spinal cord injury, limb difference, stroke and more.

Michelle Stilwell Double Paralympic Champion in T52 Wheelchair Racing at 100m and 200m (Beijing), Michelle is a triple world record holder and a key member of Canada’s Paralympic Team in London. Michelle uses General Purpose Aids in the gym and Looped Exercise Aids to train on her handbike. “Could not have enjoyed the ride without Active Hands sending me some cool gloves for strapping.” Liz Johnson Liz is a Team GB swimmer and a Paralympic Gold Medallist in Category 6 100m Breaststroke (Beijing). She also played a key part in the London Opening Ceremony, reciting the Athlete’s Oath. Active Hands…

This is the dystonia. When he Nathan wants to hold something, he lets go. His brain sends the opposite message of what he wants to do.

Rob and Jo bike riding. Rob using Looped aids to hold handbike handles

Gruelling is not a word to apply lightly to a charity bike ride, but during Regain Trust’s recent adventure competitors were certainly made to work hard for their reward. Regain is a charity for sports tetraplegics, and organises bike rides to help raise awareness and vital funds. This year’s adventure took over forty competitors, including three hand cyclists and one Lady Penny Mountbatten, to Brazil, on a five day, 250 mile road trip from Sao Paulo to Rio de Janeiro. Fabulous views there were, but as handbiker Rob Smith explains, the conditions were far from idyllic. “The first two days it chucked…

General Purpose aids holding handles on adaptive off-road bike. Mandip Sehmi using General Purpose aids in the gym. Adaptive gym equipment. Suitable for reduced hand function: tetra, quad, cerebral palsy, SCI, spinal cord injury, limb difference, stroke and more.

Molten Rock and Active Hands are two companies with a similar aim. Formed in 2004, Molten Rock grew out of a group of adventurous wheelchair users who were tired of equipment which accentuated their disabilities rather than reflected their interests. Instead, the company developed a range of equipment to enable users to get out into the great wide open despite their limitations. By comparison the same frustration with physical limitations and existing equipment was what kick-started The Active Hands Company. The ability to grip objects is one of humanity’s greatest gifts and our gripping aids are designed to give back…

Whilst the advent of online shopping means we’re now able to ship Active Hands products to anywhere in EU, some of our aids have recently made a trip much further afield! In October 2006 a team of 53 cyclists travelled over 5,000 miles east to take part in The China Bike Ride, an event organised by the Regain Trust. The cycling challenge, clocking in at over 250 miles, presented a fair challenge to all participants. But none more so than the six tetraplegic athletes who were riding hand bikes. However, with beautiful views along sections of the Great Wall of China, and a…