“I was rubbish at football, rugby, tennis or anything involving a ball. I tried hard, but often just got hit in the face with a ball because I didn’t see it coming. I am visually impaired which meant my friends did not really want me in their team. This made me feel bad.
“When the school organised a ski trip I was 9 years old. Mum set me up with some 1:1 lessons at The Snow Centre with a special instructor that understood my needs. It went so well; I was good. I could actually do it and then I got better and better. When we went skiing with the school I was one of the best skiers, even though all my friends are fully sighted. They all wanted to ski with me, but were not good enough to be in my group. They were setting me dares and challenges and I could do all of them.
“I felt happy, proud and most importantly I felt that I was the same as them. I am 12 now and my skiing experience has made me realise that I am not rubbish, I can do everything that everyone else does, but I have to just work a bit harder.”