Being active has always been important to me and sport was my passion growing up. When I suffered a spinal cord injury playing Rugby at 17 years old, I thought my days of participating in sport were over. I can still remember the distress of lying in a hospital bed, the thought of no longer being able to do what I love at the forefront of my mind. As I began my rehab, I discovered although the sports I could participate in may be different, there were some opportunities available to me.
As a high-level tetraplegic, Wheelchair Rugby seemed the logical sport to try first. I have participated at different clubs in the past, however those most local to me train during the weekdays and as I was determined to fulfil my education and subsequently work these did not fit into my life. This eventually led to me developing a new Wheelchair Rugby club based in Hertfordshire; the club now known as Saracens Wheelchair Rugby Club (SWRC). I have been the chairman at SWRC for over five years now and how the club has grown in that time has been great to see. When first setting up the club with fellow committee members Doug and Glyn, I wanted to give the opportunity for more disabled people like me to take part in Wheelchair Rugby. At our initial taster session, we had just six or seven people attend, whereas the club now regularly has over 15 players attend training.
