A North East Ambulance Service health advisor is making her way to China to represent her country as part of the Great Britain Goalball Squad.
And when she’s not taking the region’s 111 calls, the 28-year-old is firing a 1.25kg ball across the court playing Goalball, a game for people with visual impairments.
Following their recent success at the European championships, Lois and the GB team are flying out to China this week for the 2026 IBSA Goalball World Championships, hoping for the opportunity to represent our country in the Paralympics.
“I’ve had the opportunity to go to all sorts of countries since earning my spot in the Great Britain Squad, but China is the furthest I’ve been yet,” she said.
“It’s a Paralympic Games qualification opportunity so it’s a big one for us, but I’m really looking forward to it.
"We’ve got China, Mexico and Turkey in our group and we’re playing the home team first. The games should be live-streamed if anyone wants to watch us and see how we get on.”
NEAS Chief Executive Kev Scollay said: “We are incredibly proud of Lois and all she has achieved, both in her role supporting patients in our emergency operations centre and on the international stage with the Great Britain Goalball Squad.
“We wish Lois and her teammates every success as they compete in China and will be cheering them on as they aim for Paralympic qualification.”
You can find out more about Goalball, and keep up with the team’s progress, here: https://goalballuk.com/