Campaign Ambassador - Laura Jenkins Bisceglia

Name: Laura Jenkins Bisceglia

Sports/Activities: Multisports

Locality: Broxbourne

As someone who is profoundly deaf and visually impaired, my sporting journey began around aged 7 where I started swimming. During my teens I was introduced to trampolining and to the gym. I have always loved being active and I completed my first marathon when I was 21. Since then, I have run the London Marathon on a number of occasions, with my first back in 2004 and I have just run again in 2026 supporting UK Deaf Sport and the Brittle Bones Society. Aside from running though, I also enjoy boxing and competed in my first match aged 24, so as you can tell, I very much enjoy participating in a range of sports and activities!

However, along the way I did face some barriers to my participation such as needing a guide runner who understood my needs. It was difficult to find a safe course where I could run without the fear of any hazards, and bright sunlight can affect my eyesight. My family have always supported me, especially with transport and my father inspired me to go to the gym. At the gym, I was fortunate enough to meet Gary who was working there. He was fantastic in supporting me. He helped me learn how to be guided and as someone with a visual impairment, building confidence with your guide runner is massive for supporting your participation.

Since then, running has become a huge part of my life but in the future, I also look forward to swimming and competing in a Hyrox competition. I plan to start in a team first before progressing to solo.