By Henry Green
Paralympic gold medallist Richard Whitehead visited a Notts school to say thanks to a pupil who came up with a unique design for his running blades.
A competition to design Richard’s blades, which he ran with during the Nottingham Robin Hood Half Marathon, was won by Jesse Gray Primary School student Billy Beecham.
Richard hosted an assembly for the school and met Billy on Monday (November 25).
The competition was launched in partnership with Nottinghamshire charity Footprints, who help children living with mobility and communication difficulties across the East Midlands.
Nottingham-born Richard, who holds the world record for the fastest double amputee marathon, said: “It’s fantastic to be here not only to support the children and the message of inclusion but also representation of local charities.
“When I look at my blades, I want them to be very representative and Billy’s design was something that really stood out,” he added.
Richard also spoke about the importance of making sport accessible to people in Nottingham.
“The reason why it was part of the relationship with Footprints it’s about inclusivity, quality and diversity and also celebrating Nottingham and what the half marathon means to me,” he said.
“Sport should be for everybody, and I want to advocate for the work that Nottingham has done in the past and also the difference we can make in the future,” he added.
Billy Beecham, a year five pupil, said his friends felt “proud” of him for coming up with the design.
“It makes me feel good that he’s using my blades that are designed so that he can run around,” Billy said.
“I just like to make it colourful and I put a gold medal on each one and he’s from the Paralympics so I put Paralympic badges on the bottom,” he added.
Jesse Gray Primary School head teacher Chris Belton said: “It’s okay me finding things on the internet but to actually meeting the real people, you can see the inspiration in the children’s faces.
“Actually seeing someone who has overcome such challenges to be better than everybody is absolutely incredible,” he added.
The school is now planning to put a track on the school field to encourage sport.
