A BEARS wheelchair basketball player returned to his classroom to give pupils a chance to have a go at the sport.
Wyatt Millward joined forces with Tom Masterson, chairman of The Bears Wheelchair Basketball Club (WBC) and Fidel Thompson, of spinal cord injury charity Breakin Barriers, to host the event at Tudor Grange Academy Kingshurst.
Pupils were given a chance to take part in the school’s first-ever wheelchair basketball training session, to try this fast-growing sport and learn more about inclusivity in athletics.
Wyatt, who developed a chronic hip disease when he was in Year 8, attended the Tudor Grange Academy Kingshurst until the end of Year 9.
Kingshurst staff helped facilitate his transfer to Solihull Academy, where he could get specific support as his condition deteriorated.
It was then that Wyatt started playing wheelchair basketball with The Bears.
He and his sister, Shyanne, both work with the Breakin Barriers charity, and both are on track to play wheelchair basketball for England.
Nicole Lowe, head of curriculum for PE at Tudor Grange Academy Kingshurst, said: “There has been a real buzz about the place because of this event with Wyatt.
“We are hoping to welcome WBC back as an annual event, as we feel that it gives students a greater appreciation of a range of different disability sports. It has helped students understand that even if you find yourself in a tough situation, something positive can come out of it – it doesn’t need to limit what you can achieve.”
The young people who took part included BTEC students covering Disability in Sport.
Joshua, a Year 10 pupil, said: “It has increased my understanding and knowledge of wheelchair basketball, and I can bring that to the Disability in Sport module on the course. It’s changed my perception of people in wheelchairs too. Being in a wheelchair is not a disability – it’s actually an ability.”
Lee Parfitt, one of the school’s senior leaders, said: “We’re so proud of Wyatt. It has been great to see him excel, to witness how he has matured and how he’s developed the discipline and motivation that sport demands.”
