Get Inspired by Ali Jawad

Creating a new town can have many challenges but it’s also a fantastic opportunity to build a place that enables all those who live, work there, and visit to thrive. As we’re building much of Brent Cross Town from scratch, we’re in the fortunate position of being able to create infrastructure and buildings that are inclusive, accessible, and ideal for a good quality of life in the 21st century. So, we’re thrilled to be working with Ali Jawad to ensure we’re helping to build a better place.

Originally from Lebanon, Ali was born without the lower half of his legs. Fleeing the war in their native country, and seeking better opportunities for their son, the Jawad family moved to North London when Ali was six months old. At 16, Ali was discovered to have an extraordinary talent for power lifting, and was fast tracked into elite athlete training.

In 2008, Ali’s first shot at the Paralympics was marred by him falling ill. He competed despite the pain, came in ninth place, and was later diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, which at one point nearly killed him. A respectable forth place in the London Paralympics and several world champion titles followed before Ali competed in the Rio Paralympics in 2016, this time winning the silver medal for Great Britain with a mind blowing lift of 190kg.

The pandemic gave Ali pause to reflect on how many other disabled people he saw in gyms – pitifully few – and how he could help to make exercise accessible for everyone. The result is an app called Accessercise which offers training for and by disabled people and allows users to rate local gyms on accessibility. Ali is also a high-profile supporter of charities supporting those with Crohn’s disease.

We consider ourselves incredibly lucky to have Ali’s expert advice on how best to make Brent Cross Town a place that offers everyone a high quality of life and access to sports and fitness training, regardless of their physical abilities. We talked to Ali about his incredible career, his passion for inclusion, and his love of North London. Watch the full film here.